Hot dog vendor, convention hall--Chicago 1956

Robert Frank made this photograph, Hot dog vendor, convention hall--Chicago, with a camera and film, and with light, time, and the decisive moment. The tonal range is gorgeous, from the steam rising above the hot dog machine to the gentle faces in the background. I wonder what Frank was thinking when he made this? I bet he was compelled by the same things that interest me in painting: the poetry of everyday life, the feeling of a place. Here, Chicago, with its no-frills architecture, and the working people eating lunch. I'm imagining the smells and sounds of the convention hall, the steam hissing, the chatter of the crowd, the clatter of cutlery on plates. Frank has a way of capturing a feeling, like Hopper, but rougher, quicker, less composed. It is almost a painting, in a way, with all the elements perfectly aligned, like a still life, and then – click – it’s done! Like a painter, he's not just recording, he's composing, making a story, making art.