Motorama—Los Angeles 1956

Robert Frank made this photograph, Motorama—Los Angeles, at an undetermined date, using a gelatin silver print. It’s interesting how Frank uses a kind of blurriness here; the face in the foreground is soft, almost like a painting. This out-of-focus person contrasts with the sharp lines of the car and the figures behind, drawing you into this really specific moment, but also keeping you at a distance. The gray tones give everything a kind of weight, like it’s a serious occasion. The leaves in the foreground are almost like the brushstrokes in a painting. It makes me think of other photographers like Diane Arbus, who also captured these strange, everyday moments. It is like a dance between what's clear and what's not, a way of showing that seeing isn't always so straightforward.