Der Verkehr (Transportation) 1-10 1942 - 1946

Editor: We're looking at Robert Frank's "Der Verkehr (Transportation) 1-10," created between 1942 and 1946. It's a gelatin-silver print, arranged almost like a photographic contact sheet of small vignettes. The mood is strangely detached, a little melancholic. I'm curious, what do you make of Frank’s urban landscapes here? Curator: This piece hums with the quiet energy of post-war Europe, doesn’t it? Each small image is a captured moment, almost a memory shard. Notice how Frank uses light—it's not celebratory; it’s observational, letting the mundane reveal itself. Makes you wonder what he saw, not just in the streets, but maybe *behind* them, eh? The way the images are arranged, numbered… almost like evidence or a fragmented story. What details particularly pull you in? Editor: I'm drawn to the overhead wires in several shots. They create these harsh lines that feel both modern and… isolating. It gives the impression that there is something bigger just beyond. Curator: Absolutely! The wires could suggest connections, but Frank turns them into visual barriers. He uses realism as a departure, it seems. Frank isn't giving us pretty pictures; he's presenting slices of life, full of the anxieties and nuances of their era. You know, sometimes the most banal object holds an incredible weight. Do you find the ordering of each piece particularly adds or detracts from it? Editor: The numerical aspect feels arbitrary almost, since all are images are clearly linked visually and thematically. That makes me think that this may not have been intended for external eyes. Maybe like a storyboard? It might've even been a more personal reference board for himself, or inspiration. Curator: Precisely! These visual 'sketches' aren’t resolved narratives but rather openings, a feeling of continuous narrative. He throws you into the mix. It asks of you more than an idle perusal, a collaboration on meaning, really. Well, looking at these scenes through his eyes… it certainly shifts how I see street photography. Editor: Yeah, me too. It’s made me think about how much emotion can be packed into the seemingly ordinary. Thanks for your perspective!