Electronic store window--Santa Cruz, California 1956

Robert Frank's "Electronic store window--Santa Cruz, California" is a photograph that captures a slice of American life with a direct, unadorned quality. The tonal range in this black and white image, the way the light bounces off the glass, the dullness of the shop displays is what's so incredible about it. Looking at it, I'm drawn to the reflections and the layers of transparency that Frank creates. There's the glass of the window, of course, which both separates and connects us to the objects inside. The stacks of TVs, and the small radios give off a feeling of repetition, of manufactured desire. The way the light interacts with the surfaces adds depth. It reminds me a little of Walker Evans, who also had this way of capturing the everyday in a way that felt both documentary and deeply personal. It's like Frank is saying, "Here it is, take a look. What do you see?" And what I see is a reflection of ourselves.