Flower vendor, Paris 1951

This small, black and white photograph shows a flower vendor in Paris, taken by Robert Frank at some point in his career. The image is a complex layering of foreground and background. Imagine Frank, finding his shot. Maybe he noticed the way the vendor's face is framed by the blooms, and the contrast of her dark eyes against the lightness of the petals. What’s she thinking, obscured by her wares? The background tells another story – a Parisian street, classic architecture, people passing by. Frank is known for capturing the everyday, but there’s always a twist. He finds beauty in the mundane, or maybe it’s the other way around. There is a conversation across time when artists are in dialogue with each other. Frank, like painters, uses light and shadow to create mood and meaning. Like painters, photographers see the world and offer a view of something fleeting and special.