Man pulling cart, Paris 1951

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print called "Man pulling cart, Paris" sometime in the mid-twentieth century. I feel for that guy, don’t you? Pulling that heavy cart through the streets on what looks like a drizzly day, yeesh. Look at the gritted teeth determination in the posture of the figure. I think it’s easy to imagine Frank snapping away at the cart as it passes him by, catching an everyday moment that somehow feels…monumental. It's so gray, it feels heavy with feeling. The trees are bare, and a few birds scatter in the distance. Frank was a master of capturing these kinds of fleeting moments, elevating them to something really special. You feel his presence, he seems to be saying something profound about life, labor, and loneliness.