Peru 1948

This photograph, "Peru," was captured by Robert Frank sometime in the 20th century. I feel for Frank here, trying to capture the uncapturable! I imagine him scouting this location, struck by the high verticality of the trees, the way the light reflects off the water, and the stillness of the figures. What was he thinking when he cropped half of the picture out? So much bright nothingness! What a weird gesture that makes me think about absence as much as presence. The house, the boat, the people all gathered together like that - the way they are casting shadows. Look at the children at the front. What are they doing? I think it is their gaze that Frank was trying to catch. Like other photographers of his generation, Frank documented everyday life in ways that were both poetic and raw. But he was never afraid to experiment with form and composition; this strange picture being another great example. It reminds me that the best art often comes from asking questions rather than providing answers.