Congressional K c. 1954 - 1955

This is a sheet of black and white film by Robert Frank, whose photo book ‘The Americans’ really shook things up. Look at the frames and how they create a rhythm – the way he is using light to create a sense of depth and distance, those long lines receding to a vanishing point. I’m thinking about Frank riding the train, watching, waiting, framing, thinking, and feeling. He is shooting quickly and instinctively, not trying to be perfect, but trying to get something down as fast as he can. The quality of the light, the blur of motion – it's like he is trying to catch something that is always just out of reach. But that's what is so exciting about it. He gets something real about the way things look and feel in this country. I think it's cool to see this way of working. I am always influenced by other artist's processes, how one decision leads to the next. Artists are always inspiring one another.