Men at counter--San Francisco 1956

Robert Frank’s gelatin silver print captures three men at a counter, sometime in the mid-20th century. The palette is almost entirely monochrome, a tonal study in gray. The man in the foreground is facing away from us. I wonder if Frank saw himself in that figure, blocking the view, a barrier between us and the scene? I can imagine him, camera in hand, lurking in the background, trying to capture an image of contemporary society, a voyeuristic look at American life. The details, while somewhat muted, are full of character: the brim of the hat, the glasses, the window. The way the light subtly shifts across the room, casting shadows and highlighting the texture of the wall, is compelling. You know, just like the Ashcan School painters, Frank took the everyday as his subject matter. It’s this attention to the mundane that elevates the photograph. These artists are in constant conversation, finding new ways of seeing.