Train--Transportation 1941 - 1945

Robert Frank’s small black and white photograph, Train--Transportation, captures a landscape divided by the blur of a passing train. Frank had a knack for making the mundane feel monumental, and here, it’s like he’s making visible the very act of seeing. The grays are rich, almost velvety, with a starkness that reminds me of charcoal drawings. The utility pole with its many wires, cuts the scene into foreground and background, almost like a theatrical scrim, creating layers within the frame. Look at the way the tracks run along the edge of the water, almost as if the train is cutting through the landscape. Frank’s photos aren't just about what’s there, but about how we perceive and move through the world. Like the way Giorgio Morandi approached painting bottles, Frank seems to be saying, it’s not about the train, it’s about how we relate to it.