Florida 1 1958

Robert Frank made this intriguing photograph, Florida 1, in the style of a filmstrip. The repetitive frames, like little windows, guide us through a journey, making it a study in rhythm, and a meditation on movement. The texture of the photograph itself feels immediate, raw. It’s all about light and shadow, with grainy blacks and whites creating a sense of starkness. The world is unadorned, seen through a lense that makes no attempt to prettify. Take a look at the bottom row, on the left: the interior of a vehicle. This feels so close and subjective, like a view from our own eye, implicating us in Frank’s travels. His work feels akin to the sensibility of Walker Evans, or even Garry Winogrand, a kind of snapshot aesthetic that embraces the beauty and chaos of everyday life. Ultimately, Frank invites us to embrace uncertainty and to find meaning in the act of seeing itself.