Woman/Paris 1952

Here’s Robert Frank’s image, captured in Paris with a camera, of course. It's all in black and white, a study in light and shadow. I’m thinking about Frank behind the camera, and how he frames her – this woman – as she moves through the city. What's her story? Where is she going? What’s the occasion? The composition pulls me in: a tight shot of the back of a woman in a fur stole and a dress, maybe silk, and the way the light catches the fabric, almost glowing. There's an ambiguity to her gaze. She embodies mystery, right? A sense of being caught between worlds, maybe a little lost, but definitely stylish! I imagine Frank, like many photographers, was on the move a lot, always looking, always framing the world around him, searching for meaning. The exchange of ideas through image making is endless, constantly inspiring artists over time. There's no one way to read the picture, and that's what keeps it alive.