Men pushing cart, Paris 1951

This photograph, Men pushing cart, Paris, was shot by Robert Frank sometime in the mid-twentieth century. Look at these figures, hunched over, pushing with all their might, and ask yourself, what are they carrying? And where are they going? It’s tempting to imagine what it must have been like for Frank to take this photo. I bet he was chasing after them, trying to keep up as they trudged through the grey Parisian streets. He probably wanted to capture their struggle. In a way, this photograph also reminds me of the paintings of Gustave Courbet, who sought to capture the lives of ordinary people with dignity and respect, using muted tones and realistic details. Courbet understood that art could be a powerful tool for social commentary. It’s nice to think that Frank and Courbet were both, in their own way, pushing against the conventions of their time, inspiring later generations of artists.