Mabou, Nova Scotia 1979

Robert Frank made this black and white photograph in Mabou, Nova Scotia. It's a still life, and the flowers are reaching towards the light, so the tonal range goes from dark to light and back again. I'm thinking about Frank in Nova Scotia, living a sort of hermetic life, a life of feeling. The composition is a real mix. It's not sentimental but full of a deep kind of feeling. The blooms sit in a simple vase alongside some folk art figures. Then behind, an interior scene reflected in the glass. It's like a dream. There's an honesty to Frank's photography that reminds me of the American photographer, Walker Evans, but much more personal. Both artists found beauty in the everyday and made it sing. It's like they were saying: Open your eyes. Look around. Make something new from what you see. A vase of flowers and suddenly, a world! I think all artists have that in common – the desire to see the world anew.