June and the Blind Man, Life Dances On... 1975

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, 'June and the Blind Man, Life Dances On…' on film—probably 35mm. It is one of those images that feels both incredibly specific and totally open. I imagine Frank looking through the viewfinder, waiting for the right moment to capture this scene. There’s a woman in the distance who holds her hand to her brow, maybe looking out at the horizon. In the foreground, we see the side of a man’s head in dark silhouette, holding a camera, pointed in the woman’s direction. The camera is out of focus so we get a sense of how vision can shift and alter. The composition sets up a relationship between seeing and not seeing. This piece asks questions about who is looking at whom, and who is really seeing what. It reminds me that the act of looking is never neutral, and our perspective always shapes what we see. Frank leaves it open, and leaves me pondering.