Interior of car wash--Gallup, New Mexico 1955

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the almost unsettling quality of the light here. It’s harsh, clinical, bouncing off the wet surfaces. Editor: That's a fair observation. This gelatin-silver print, "Interior of car wash--Gallup, New Mexico," was shot by Robert Frank in 1955. Frank was known for capturing everyday America. What interests me is how the mundane activity becomes, through his lens, something quite compelling. Curator: Compelling and unnerving perhaps? There's a kind of staged quality, despite the ostensibly candid nature of the photograph. The arrangement of the men around the car, it feels very deliberate. Editor: Frank was very much interested in challenging the sort of post-war idealized images. Note the almost detached expressions of these men. They are looking at this car—what might be going through their minds? Curator: Maybe it's the contrast that does it. The slickness of the machine age embodied by the car in the carwash with, perhaps, their own mundane working existence. They feel like an audience almost watching this modern process unfold. Editor: Exactly. It's about labor, progress, but also alienation. Cars were these symbols of upward mobility. Yet here they are at this very transitional moment as they become less exclusive. The whole scene speaks to a much larger socio-economic narrative of post-war America. The starkness also enhances this sense of disconnect. What also gets to me is the framing of these people. Curator: I’d agree that it has a sense of social realism. I find it difficult to reconcile with my earlier thought on the light, which contributes towards an almost clinical detachment. There’s a sense of realism and also, at the same time, otherworldliness. The interplay and contrast between the two things create the real meaning. Editor: Absolutely. Frank uses the stark light and shadow not just to record, but to editorialize, to provoke a reaction in the viewer. Curator: The play between shadow and form certainly invites contemplation of not only the photographic art but also its message. Editor: The print's composition certainly underlines the moment and asks for more attention and detail.