From the bus 87 1958

Robert Frank, in his piece *From the bus 87*, gives us three strips of photographic film, all stuck down on paper; the film, a material usually destined for reproduction, takes on a new importance. It’s like the artist is saying, look at this stuff, this physical stuff, because it matters. These strips show us street scenes, people going about their daily lives. What grabs me is the guy in the center strip, wearing a turban, looking sharp in his suit. He appears multiple times, walking, talking, just being. It’s like a little visual poem, a fragment of a story. Frank's work, like a lot of art, isn’t about telling you what to think. It’s more about opening up a space for seeing, for feeling, for wondering. I’m reminded of Garry Winogrand, another photographer who just pointed his lens at the world and said, “Here it is, make of it what you will.” It’s a conversation, a back-and-forth between the artist, the work, and us, the viewers.