Woman painting beside parked automobiles--Los Angeles c. 1955 - 1956

Robert Frank made this photograph in Los Angeles; its date is unknown. What strikes me is the artist and the painting. I imagine the quiet moment and the concentration of the artist while creating the painting. I wonder, what is the painting’s subject matter? The automobiles in the background and foreground suggest something about the rhythm of urban life, and the quiet introspection of the artist amidst that rhythm. What was it like to be Robert Frank in that moment? What was it like to paint back then? Looking at this work, I can feel the tradition of artists looking at artists, an ongoing conversation through time. Every brushstroke, every choice of color, is a dialogue with what has come before, and a step into the unknown. It’s such a treat to bear witness to the art.