Sue Lyons, "Lolita" 2 1962

Editor: This is Robert Frank’s "Sue Lyons, 'Lolita' 2" from 1962, a gelatin silver print showing contact sheet of images of the actress, and including American flags. I notice that some frames are marked off with a red marker, which seems really intentional and gives an interesting look behind the scenes. What symbols and narratives jump out at you? Curator: The immediate juxtaposition is between the young actress, an American icon through the lens of Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of the novel, and the American flag. This work, beyond just being a portrait, invites reflection on cultural memory and its distortions. Editor: Distortions, how so? Curator: Look closely: in many frames, Sue Lyons is literally juxtaposed to the flag or has her face turned upside down. The familiar patriotic symbol of the American flag becomes destabilized. Think about the original controversies surrounding Nabokov's novel. How do you reconcile her representation with those themes? Editor: It’s interesting how Frank takes something we see as definitively "American"—both the actress and the flag—and uses their symbols to present us with complex and challenging questions, hinting at an underlying unease in society. It doesn't shy away from darker, controversial undertones. Curator: Exactly. The contact sheet format itself also contributes. The various frames allow us to see the subtle shifts in her expression and pose. These shifts subtly change the reading of Sue Lyons, from star to perhaps something more vulnerable and multifaceted, revealing an alternative iconography beneath the surface. What new interpretations do you take away now? Editor: The piece urges us to challenge dominant cultural narratives. There’s a conversation here about how imagery is constructed, circulated, and received, with so many layers of symbolism and nuance!