Delegates, convention hall--Chicago 1956

Robert Frank took this photograph, "Delegates, convention hall--Chicago," sometime in the mid-20th century. It’s a tight frame, a crowd of people—mostly women—packed together, wearing badges with faces on them. I wonder about the feeling in that convention hall. What were they hoping for? What were they afraid of? Frank captures a sense of anticipation, a kind of nervous energy that feels so raw. The contrast is stark, almost like a woodcut. The faces are so clear. I can see every line and wrinkle. It makes you wonder about their lives, their stories. What did they see? What did they think? The way Frank uses light and shadow… it reminds me of some German Expressionist prints, all that angst and emotion crammed into a small space. It makes me think about how artists are always looking back, riffing on what came before, trying to make something new out of something old. I wonder who will look at my paintings in the future?