Car wash, Ventura Boulevard--Los Angeles 1956

Robert Frank made this photograph of a car wash on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles using black and white film and a handheld camera. It's a snapshot of everyday life, yet the composition has a stark poetry to it. The beauty lies in the gritty details. The graininess of the print, the way the light catches the edges of the signs. Notice the contrast between the dark cars and the faded advertisements, the blur of movement against the static architecture. There's a tension there, a sense of transience. It feels as if the image was taken on the fly, a gut reaction to an interesting view. Frank's work reminds me a little of Walker Evans, but with a more personal, less formal approach. Both artists are interested in capturing the American vernacular, but Frank brings a European sensibility to it, a sense of alienation and longing. In the end, it’s up to us to make our own connections and find meaning in the mundane.