Man with child holding flowers, Paris 1951

Robert Frank made this photograph in Paris of a man and child holding flowers using black and white film. There’s a lovely softness to the image, a stillness and a sense of movement combined. I can imagine Frank walking the streets of Paris, noticing the light, the way people move, the small details that make up a city. And then, he sees this man and child, walking away from him, the child holding a bouquet of flowers. The light is dim, the background out of focus. It has an off-the-cuff, naturalistic feel. Frank was part of a generation of photographers who were interested in capturing everyday life. This feels related to the work of other street photographers, like Garry Winogrand or Helen Levitt. But it also has a painterly quality, like an Edward Hopper painting. Artists are always looking at each other's work and finding new ways to see the world.