Bar—Las Vegas, Nevada 1955

This is Robert Frank’s photograph, "Bar—Las Vegas, Nevada". It’s a small gelatin silver print, full of greys. The picture feels immediate and unresolved; like Frank grabbed it right out of the air. Look at the way the light falls on the jukebox, its surface scratched and worn. The tonality is so beautiful, the light feels like a physical presence, almost like another character in the scene. And then there's that guy, lost in his own world, staring at the music machine. The photograph is dark, and a little sad, but it's also full of energy. It's got that rough and ready quality. It makes me think of other great photographers, like Diane Arbus, who were drawn to the margins of society. Frank’s photographs never try to give any easy answers. They just show us what’s there.