Cowboys III 1954

Curator: Let's take a look at Robert Frank’s "Cowboys III" from 1954, a gelatin-silver print that is part of his exploration of American life and iconography during this period. Editor: Immediately, what strikes me is the starkness. It’s almost like looking at discarded scraps – this proof sheet with rows and rows of these small photographs depicting cowboys seems like a very accessible and vulnerable approach to an icon of the American West. Curator: Indeed, Frank challenges the romanticized vision of the cowboy. His photographic choices question its validity, moving away from a grand narrative to explore social conditions that construct a mythical idea, or identity. He captures moments, interactions, a certain texture of the time. Editor: I am struck by this grid format and its mechanical feel. A sense of distance—very industrial, I find it cold, clinical almost in its rendering. You get a true sense of material production when looking at the matrix of photographs; you recognize the value of what mass reproducibility affords the piece. Curator: It’s an intriguing observation, isn’t it? The way that it invites an exploration of American identity post-war and reflects how such icons of freedom are constructed by and circulate within specific political climates. The fact that it looks somewhat raw even in its presentation only lends itself further. Editor: The tactile aspect interests me as well. Silver gelatin offers not only striking visual texture, with deep blacks contrasting vivid whites but lends itself beautifully toward emphasizing those mechanical or reproducible aspects through its processes in production! I like that inherent element here given focus within these depictions where one finds not just images within an item but its own making shown too! Curator: I appreciate the focus on these material aspects that help one appreciate it! Editor: And I love that we can interpret and appreciate that in our dialogue here today.