Paris 27A 1949 - 1950

This is Paris 27A, by Robert Frank. A series of black and white photographs stacked in rows, moments captured on film. I can imagine Robert Frank walking around Paris, camera in hand, a curious eye framing the world. He must have been like a hunter looking for something, the light a bit like chiaroscuro. What was it like to peer through the viewfinder, compose a frame, and press the shutter? There’s a man in a hat, the Tuileries garden, chairs standing empty, a splash in the water. Each image a micro-narrative, like a visual poem. He was part of a generation of photographers who looked at everyday life in new ways. The darks are dark and the lights have a silver hue. It feels immediate, like a diary. Maybe a bit like how painters like Bonnard would take small cameras with them and then turn those snaps into paintings? Frank reminds us to look closely, with heart, at the world around us.