Paris 28A 1949 - 1950

Curator: Editor: Okay, next up we have "Paris 28A" by Robert Frank, created between 1949 and 1950. It's a gelatin silver print and appears to be a series of street scenes captured on a roll of film. There's a voyeuristic, documentary feel to it. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: It's fascinating how Frank presents the photographic process itself. Look at how the individual frames are preserved together and displayed. It transforms the city, Paris, into a place and an idea undergoing social reconstruction, not too long after World War II. This becomes less a straightforward representation and more an artifact of memory and cultural re-imagining, wouldn't you agree? How might the images relate to post-war trauma? Editor: Absolutely. Displaying the entire film roll exposes the selection process of image-making. I see flags in the images… so, nationalism? A desire for celebration, unity? Curator: Exactly. Consider also the position of the photographer, Frank himself, framing these subjects within specific perspectives and ideological lenses. Post-war national identity was quite performative. I would suggest thinking about this work not just as documentation but also as Frank's exploration of these emerging social performances and tensions. Do you think the images hint at that? Editor: I think so, now that you point it out. The unedited feel makes me, the viewer, more aware of the choices involved in representation and, even, the possibility of manipulation. Curator: Indeed. Frank gives us much to consider about the role of the artist in constructing our understanding of history. The roll exposes an editorial process in shaping these images in cultural memory. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks; I'm starting to see the possibilities of multiple narratives within this seemingly simple cityscape.