Washington Square--Various family S31 1952 - 1953

Robert Frank’s, Washington Square--Various family S31, is a photo made with, well, film, and all that entails. I love how the frames themselves become part of the image, a kind of built-in grid. It's like seeing the artist's thought process, the before and after of the "decisive moment," laid bare. Each frame has its own little world, a snippet of life in Washington Square. You’ve got people milling about, trees, buildings, all caught in Frank’s signature grainy, high-contrast style. It feels raw, like a snapshot of reality unfiltered. Look at frame 35, with the crowd of people walking towards us. There’s a sense of movement, a blurriness that captures the energy of the city. The way the light hits their faces, the shadows, it's all so immediate. Frank, like other great photographers such as Diane Arbus, didn't shy away from the gritty details. They embraced the imperfections, turning them into something beautiful and thought-provoking. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfection, it's about capturing a feeling, a moment in time.