Greek parade--Long Beach, California 1956

Robert Frank created this photographic print of a Greek parade in Long Beach, California sometime during his lifetime, documenting what was in front of him. I wonder what it was like to be him, walking around with a camera. Frank was interested in the social landscape, in how people exist in public space. The composition feels immediate and candid. The light is flat, yet there's a distinct contrast between the dark robes of the priests and the bleached white of the buildings. The graininess of the image only adds to the sense of urgency, as though Frank was trying to capture a fleeting moment. He was interested in the unposed. I bet he wanted to capture something real, something authentic. This image can remind us that art is, ultimately, a way of seeing and of being in the world.