Shoe store before old house--Los Angeles c. 1955 - 1956

Curator: Robert Frank’s photograph, "Shoe store before old house--Los Angeles," created circa 1955, strikes me as immediately unsettling. There’s something about the sharp contrasts and the stark composition that evokes a sense of unease. Editor: Unsettling is an interesting descriptor. Visually, my eye is drawn to the dynamic relationship between the architectural structures; the symmetry and verticality establish formal connections between organic shapes that are also arranged vertically, as the two palms visually mirror one another while the Victorian architecture looms above. Curator: Precisely! The house, an echo of past affluence, looms behind the mundane reality of the shoe store. This positioning becomes a cultural artifact, reminding us how time erodes value. The shoes symbolize aspiration, perhaps, but are ultimately ephemeral consumer goods. It reveals so much about cultural anxieties concerning aspiration. Editor: Agreed, however the light should also be addressed. It strikes the shoe store in a direct glare and renders it in contrast against the flat light around Crown Wholesale across the way, and the shadowed stairs. Curator: This photograph resonates with similar themes explored by other "street photography" artists in its period. I read a societal narrative in Frank’s photograph: an elegiac remembrance for the American promise, which has been replaced by a vapid display of commodities. The old house, no longer a home but a backdrop. It feels forgotten and imposing. Editor: Yes, in effect this is what the lines are building towards! And this layering creates distinct registers. Notice that he isn’t using shadows to articulate any inherent dramatic potential here. Rather the interplay is used to create planes of meaning within the structure of the frame. Curator: A final reflection then… This isn't merely a photograph; it's a haunting commentary on a society grappling with change. Editor: It's a testament to Frank’s capacity to reveal meaning, encoded, yet always there beneath the surface of appearances.