Children playing--Butte, Montana 1956

Editor: So, this is Robert Frank’s "Children playing--Butte, Montana" from 1956, a gelatin silver print. There's this vast, almost desolate space and these children in the middle… it feels kind of lonely, and makes you think. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: Desolate is a good word, actually. It almost feels post-apocalyptic, doesn't it? And yet, life – innocent, hopeful life – persists. Frank was really interested in the overlooked corners of American life. He found beauty, and truth, in what others ignored. Do you notice the houses on the horizon and mountains, with such vast playground separating them? Editor: It definitely makes them seem far away and sort of amplifies this empty feeling. Is he making a commentary on society maybe? Curator: I think so. He was a bit of a rebel. This photo is part of his “The Americans” project, where he challenged the squeaky-clean image that America projected at the time. Look at the angle, it is a kid's point of view. Editor: Yeah, it is at children's height! So, instead of shiny cars and happy families, he shows us this... empty lot and kids making their own fun in it? It is powerful. Curator: Exactly! He's asking us to consider the undercurrents, the unspoken stories. Maybe he thought this image was worth more than any Norman Rockwell painting. Editor: Wow, that really shifts my perspective. It's like he is saying something deeper than what’s on the surface. This makes me want to look into more of his photographs! Curator: Me too! It is nice to think about pictures being more than the surface implies, like peeking into another, deeper reality!