Bal des Beaux Arts, Bal des Etudients--Paris 62B 1951 - 1952

Robert Frank created this gelatin silver print, "Bal des Beaux Arts, Bal des Etudients--Paris 62B," sometime around 1962. It's like looking at a painter's palette, or maybe a storyboard of blurred moments, all held together on this one surface. You know, as a painter, I often think about how photographs can be like paintings—capturing light and shadow to evoke a feeling. I wonder what Frank was thinking, arranging these strips of film. He probably had to get down low, be light on his feet, and move fast to capture all the excitement of the Beaux Arts Ball! And look at that big "62" scrawled across the image! It seems to be telling us something, like the whole image is one big thought bubble. It's a way of fixing a moment in time, not unlike painting itself. When you see a gesture, or a flash of colour, you are capturing an idea. So much is unsaid in Frank's images, but it’s all there, buzzing under the surface.