Italy and Vienna--Early Europe 2/Black White and Things 9 1949

Editor: This is "Italy and Vienna--Early Europe 2/Black White and Things 9," a gelatin silver print by Robert Frank from 1949. It's laid out as strips of images. What catches my eye is the almost collage-like presentation, the way Frank is playing with sequence and juxtaposition. What do you see in this work? Curator: Primarily, I'm struck by the internal rhythm established through repetition and variation within the strip. Note how Frank presents sequences. We see people, then art, and then the built world. Editor: I see it now! Is Frank using the structure of the strips to make a point? Curator: Indeed. Consider the dark frames that separate each image; these structural components isolate yet connect disparate visual elements. The tonal range within each photograph – from stark highlights to deep shadows – creates an overall dynamism. He doesn't offer us pretty pictures. How do the stark contrasts, in both subject matter and light, impact your understanding? Editor: The stark contrasts remind me that each picture reflects different elements: shadow and light; interiors and exteriors. I am also fascinated by the contrast between how art exists alongside everyday life. This adds meaning to his project as a photographer, but I'm not sure exactly how to connect that to form. Curator: Note that, as a physical object, a photo strip carries inherent structural characteristics which serve to formalize relationships that we might normally call thematic or even social. Ultimately, he arranges them this way for the eye to be challenged. Editor: That’s really insightful! I hadn't considered how the photo strips influence our understanding. Curator: Frank presents a cohesive, structured perspective, yet does so without smoothing out these interesting variations. The beauty and genius are in the sequencing and tension between forms, not despite them.