Climbing with Pieter Dirk van der Poel, Canton of Valais 1944

Editor: Here we have Robert Frank's "Climbing with Pieter Dirk van der Poel, Canton of Valais" from 1944. It’s a black and white photograph and quite striking. It captures a climber smiling broadly on what seems like a very precarious peak. I'm curious, what elements stand out to you in this photograph? Curator: The emphasis for me lies in the context of production. Consider the materiality – the tangible effort involved in producing this image. The weight of the camera equipment Frank would have hauled up that mountain in 1944, before lightweight plastics dominated. It suggests a commitment to a process and perhaps a critique of readily available imagery, even then. What kind of labor do you imagine went into simply obtaining this shot? Editor: I hadn’t really thought about the sheer physical labor! The climber certainly worked hard, but it makes me appreciate the photographer's efforts too. Do you think that changes how we're meant to interpret the image? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the rope: its thickness, its importance to the climber's safety. The photograph not only depicts the act of climbing but the tools that enabled it. It's about the relationship between the climber, his equipment, and the environment. Also, let’s think about what this represents… leisure perhaps only afforded to specific socioeconomic classes, enabled by material means. What is produced versus what is consumed here? Editor: So it’s not just a snapshot of joy, but an insight into the means that allow that joy to exist? Curator: Precisely! And Frank, by documenting this, inserts himself into the chain of production, making him complicit. It requires reflection on all their parts in creating both the climb and image. Editor: That gives me a totally different perspective on the image. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: My pleasure. It's about considering art not as a disembodied idea, but as a product of its material and social conditions.