From the Bus, New York 1958

Robert Frank’s photograph, *From the Bus, New York*, captures a moment, an observation, with such starkness that it feels like a punch to the gut. Look at how Frank plays with the composition, layering the mundane with the monumental. The couple in the foreground, seemingly ordinary, juxtaposed against the colossal Atlas statue, suggests a world where the weight of existence bears down on everyone, god or mortal. The greyscale palette, almost brutally contrasted, adds to this sense of gravity. There's a looseness to the framing. It’s not posed, not perfect, which is part of its truth. It reminds me of the work of Helen Levitt, who also captured the fleeting poetry of everyday life. It's like a visual poem, full of ambiguity, where every viewer can project their own narrative. It's this openness, this refusal to provide easy answers, that makes Frank's work so compelling.