Nixon campaign 18 1960

Robert Frank created this piece, "Nixon Campaign 18," composed of black and white photographs, using film. Frank, a Swiss immigrant, captured America's complex social landscape, often focusing on those existing on the margins. Here, Frank trains his eye on Richard Nixon's political ascent. The images present Nixon in varied settings, from public speeches to more intimate, staged moments. What's notable is Frank’s composition. The contact sheet aesthetic disrupts traditional portraiture by providing an unedited glimpse into the photographic process. The red markings seem to highlight and then negate an image’s potential. Frank’s lens implicates the viewer in the spectacle of political theater. He seems to ask us, what do we see when we look at power? What do we choose to focus on? Do we see the staged performance, or the human being behind it? "Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected", Frank once said. This work exists in that tension, capturing the promise and the potential pitfalls of political leadership, urging us to reflect on our own roles within it.