Eye 1941 - 1945

This gelatin silver print, ‘Eye’, was captured by Robert Frank, who died in 2019. Frank was not primarily interested in the technical perfection of photography; instead, he used the camera to capture raw, immediate moments. The gelatin silver process, popular at the time, involves coating paper with light-sensitive emulsion, exposing it, and then developing the image in a darkroom. Frank’s approach was deliberately gritty and off-kilter. Consider the labor involved: from the manufacture of the film and chemicals, to the artist’s work in capturing and developing the image. The final print, small and intimate, encourages a close look at the subject’s gaze. The image feels vulnerable and immediate. Frank's art reminds us that photography is not just about recording reality, it is about making choices. The choices about what to include and exclude, and how to present it, ultimately shape the way we see the world.