Untitled 1958

This is an Untitled photograph by Robert Frank, and it was made with gelatin silver. The shades are so gorgeous, so rich. Look at the way the light just clings to the woman’s face, the one in the hat. Her eyes are closed but she’s smiling. You get the sense that she is totally at ease. The texture is everything here: the soft fabric of the hat, that dark spot like a cherry, the grain of the photograph itself. The photograph has a documentary feel; it's capturing a real moment, right? But I feel like Frank's also reaching for something deeper, something more universal. It’s not just a picture of two ladies. It’s also about the moment of transformation, of getting ready to go out into the world. Frank was always looking for those kinds of moments, like Garry Winogrand. Moments that show you something about being alive.