Sculpture in park, Paris 1951

Robert Frank captured this photograph in a park in Paris, and right away, I feel like I’m peering into a memory. I imagine Frank wandering, camera in hand, attuned to the quiet hum of everyday life around him. There’s a statue, stoic and still, while people stroll by, each on their own path. The trees act like natural frames, drawing my eye deeper into the scene. What was it like to be Frank at that moment? Did he choose to shoot through the trees? Frank often played with light and shadow, and here, the muted tones lend the image a melancholic air. It reminds me of other street photographers like Helen Levitt, who found poetry in the ordinary. Each artist is responding to those who came before, while also doing something completely new. It is this constant conversation that makes painting and photography so alive.