Amusement park, Paris 1951

Robert Frank made this black and white photograph, "Amusement Park, Paris," with a camera, capturing a moment in time, but also, somehow, so much more. I imagine Frank, wandering around Paris, his camera always at the ready. Maybe he saw the carousel, the way the light hit it just so, and felt that tug, that instinct that says, "This is it." It's like when I'm in the studio and a certain color or shape just feels right, and I know I have to follow it. The way the figures are blurred, caught in motion, but that sailor in the background, so still. It’s a study in contrasts, and makes me think about what Frank was feeling at the time. Did he want to capture the frenetic energy of the city, or find the still moments within the chaos? It reminds me that artists are always talking to each other across time, borrowing and riffing on ideas. Each photograph, painting, or artwork is a continuation of an ongoing conversation.