Market outside Zurich--Farming 1943

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, Market outside Zurich—Farming, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. You know, the grainy texture of this photo reminds me that art-making is always a process of negotiation with materials. Look at the way the light glances off the pig's back, almost sculptural, while the farmer looms over it. The composition is so casual, almost accidental, with that looming black void to the left. It’s almost like looking at a half-remembered dream. The greyscale palette is interesting; it gives the scene a timeless quality. I keep wondering about the pig, and the farmer. The whole scene feels so grounded in a specific time and place, but at the same time, it's totally universal. It’s like looking at something Walker Evans might have made. Frank's work shows us the ongoing conversation between photography and the human experience, reminding us that art is never really finished.