Supporter, convention hall--Chicago 1956

Robert Frank made this photograph, "Supporter, convention hall--Chicago," sometime in the mid-20th century. It's a study in shades of grey, a symphony of muted tones that captures a moment teeming with quiet significance. The texture here is palpable, from the rough weave of the supporter’s suit to the sheen of his political pins. See how the light catches the edges of the "Adlai Estes" badge, giving it a kind of weary but determined glint. It’s those little details, the slightly askew angle of the cross pin, the way the man clutches his candidate’s placard, that really grab me. You can almost feel the weight of his convictions, heavy as that humid Chicago air. Frank reminds me a little bit of Walker Evans here, with his unflinching gaze and his ability to find poetry in the everyday. But where Evans is cool and composed, Frank is all heart. And like all great art, this piece is a question, not an answer, inviting us to ponder what it means to believe.