Miami Hotel 1955

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, Miami Hotel, sometime in the middle of the 20th century. The monochrome palette and grainy texture give the piece a raw, documentary feel. It's as if the artist has captured a fleeting moment, something ephemeral, with the figures on the left blurred and in motion. I can imagine Frank, camera in hand, stepping into this elevator and, in a split second, deciding to capture the scene. There's a sense of tension, of something unspoken hanging in the air. The young woman is still, almost frozen, with her gaze directed off to the side. I wonder what she is thinking? There are other figures but we can't quite see them – they are smudged and unformed. Frank's work often explored the fringes of American society, capturing moments of alienation and unease. It's like he's saying, "Look at this, this is what it feels like to be alive right now." It reminds me a little bit of Weegee, another photographer who captured the gritty reality of urban life. Each artist leaves their mark on the world, inviting us to see things a little differently.