Well, now we know what Frank looks like at every age and all about him, but what about his work? All those faces? Photographers aren't about words, wasn't it they who proclaimed a picture is worth 1,000 of them? How about showing us?
8
I've known about Frank for 40 years, and I learned more then I knew...
9
This weekend's Sunday Times Magazine is worth reading from cover to cover. It has another one of those "you can't be black if you have the option of choosing white" and "you can't understand black if you don't descend from slaves" op-eds, a story on the imprecision of government statistics and how they fail to capture not only who we are but what we do, a story on what is hidden in print in the Oxford English Dictionary, a story on what lies behind the politics of entertainment, a story on watching the Syrian disembowling from the comfort of the Jordanian border, and a story on the Swiss-American photographer Robert Frank which I think is misstated "The Man Who Saw America." Had the bundlers of the Sunday Magazine titled that lead article on the front cover "The Man Who Saw What Is Hidden in America" (or better even just simply "Hidden in America") they would have captured what they wanted to say (but didn't dare to).
6
As a photographer myself, I've never heard of the guy. And though the photos in this article were few, I saw nothing that would make me want to further investigate his work.
5
You mean you're a picture taker, not a photographer.
20
why not? part of being an artist is keeping an open mind and searching further.
8
I have begun to notice that the least smart comments begin with "As a photographer myself". Owning a camera makes you no more a photographer than owning some aspirin makes you a doctor. All you're telling me when you say that you "never heard of the guy" is that you have very little concept of your place in history, if, that is, you have one.
31
One of the last of the Beats still standing. "The Americans" has been republished in a very nice facsimile edition Steidl. Striking how small it is. Really a perfect photobook. A masterpiece. The apparent casualness of the work belies its technical perfection. Like the best Miles Davis of the period.
Like others, I find the "most influential" tag troubling. No effort to substantiate it. Would have been interesting to solicit comments from Koudekla, Davidson, Friedlander, Meyerowitz, Paar, Soth. Especially Soth.
Like others, I find the "most influential" tag troubling. No effort to substantiate it. Would have been interesting to solicit comments from Koudekla, Davidson, Friedlander, Meyerowitz, Paar, Soth. Especially Soth.
9
all of those photographers came after frank and were influenced by his book:
first photo book parr bought. koudelka less so since he was in easter europe.
first photo book parr bought. koudelka less so since he was in easter europe.
2
I didn't come away with from this ready to deify Robert Frank but, I did immediately clock the author & I now wish to devour repeatedly everything that Nicholas Dawidoff has ever written.
In the course of this work, I became jaded and irritated, dismayed and disinterested with Robert Frank but, Dawidoff's writing propelled me forward & ultimately I felt transcendent; as if Kerouac's prose applied to this peice.
Artists are messy. Artist's lives are messier and Robert Frank would probably be dismayed at how utterly predictable he is. I do not bow to his largesse. I am interested in redemption, not justification and had this piece been written by anyone else, I am quite sure that I would have stopped halfway through, bored beyond reason with another tribute to the "artist as reprobate".
Dawidoff allowed me to see Frank without judgment, without contempt, as a man simply searching for meaning in the noise of humanity.
More than anything, I would love to see a Robert Frank photograph of Nicholas Dawidoff; I wonder what truths it would reveal.
In the course of this work, I became jaded and irritated, dismayed and disinterested with Robert Frank but, Dawidoff's writing propelled me forward & ultimately I felt transcendent; as if Kerouac's prose applied to this peice.
Artists are messy. Artist's lives are messier and Robert Frank would probably be dismayed at how utterly predictable he is. I do not bow to his largesse. I am interested in redemption, not justification and had this piece been written by anyone else, I am quite sure that I would have stopped halfway through, bored beyond reason with another tribute to the "artist as reprobate".
Dawidoff allowed me to see Frank without judgment, without contempt, as a man simply searching for meaning in the noise of humanity.
More than anything, I would love to see a Robert Frank photograph of Nicholas Dawidoff; I wonder what truths it would reveal.
18
A lot of the material about the grant for his project, his traveling, his young children, the NY art scene, etc., was very familiar because I have read about Frank in the past. IOW, there wasn't much new unless people did not know about Frank. I did find fascinating the anecdote about his father rewarding his mother with 100 Swiss francs after a good day at his business and a nice dinner, (a wife bonus!) but Frank found that offensive. Why that was offensive was not explained. Also not mentioned was whether Frank had any siblings or what he did during the years of WWII since he did not come to the US until 1949. I am very curious about that.
1
The monetary reward was offensive because it was a sign of abundance and ease, while Frank was obviously more interested in scarcity and struggle.
2
What happened to Mary Frank? The details -- and omissions -- about her are so haunting.
11
Is she the artist, Mar- Frank-
I haven't enjoyed an article like this in years. Good to be reminded that there are still people who couldn't give a damn about fame or fortune.
12
Robert and June are incredibly generous. For decades they have opened up their home and hearts to strangers, young artists. To just stand silently next to Robert, is an honor, as in that moment you can see through his eyes. This is the power of his work, a singular, brutally honest view that reveals something truthful. How can honesty, modesty, revelation, innovation, and non materialism be overrated in a time of self aggrandizing indulgent copy "artists"? Sixty years ago when Robert elevated the "snapshot" to fine art he didn't just open a door he bulldozed a highway. Yes, many brilliant people have come down the path he forged, but the he's the most influential for being the innovator.
7
What a breath of fresh air after a day of which saw at least 20 selfies being taken.
15
fascinating! how the man differs from his work. then again, it seems often the case. the artist is so often judged by her behaviour. his work is what counts. her lifestyle, or his bad manners are simply the byproduct of such extraordinary endeavor, creation and achievement.
biographies so often rely on scandalous chatter, when in fact an artist's achievement ought to take precedent.
biographies so often rely on scandalous chatter, when in fact an artist's achievement ought to take precedent.
1
Are you giving your local, unemployed artist the right to burglarize your house, steal your bicycle, without censure? Just asking.
1
I enjoyed this article as a story about life as an artist. It reminds of certain seemingly banal but often forgotten truths: about the unresolved competition in each person's life between duty and desire, or one goal and another, and about the differing time required for any particular metaphorical flower to exhibit its full bloom.
2
Who decides what is "art" an what is not? especially in photography? It's the rich, influential "critics," or people in ivory towers. If you know the right rich and influential people then you might be a great artist if they like your work. For every "great" photographer who is well known and admired, there are 10 others who were equally talented but didn't have the right connections to have their work shown and praised. Now with digital pictures everyone is a photographer. So who are the "greatest" photographers today? Flicker is full of them.
3
So much vitriol expressed in some of these comments. Makes it crystal clear why he has lived outside of the establishment for most of his life. Was he perfect, absolutely not. The author is not suggesting that you like his work, but provides a deeper view of the "why" of his art. Thankfully Frank listened to his own guru, and allowed himself to be guided by instinct. Not ever an easy, or popular path. He not only recorded what he saw along his journey, but participated as well. I salute his authenticity, something that many of his peers, then and now lacked. Contrast that to many of the big names in the art world today, whose studio work is carried out by others, under their name as artist, not directors, which would be a more fitting title. I'll take Robert Frank, warts and all.
10
Frank's disdain for celebrity to the point of escaping even recognition is so unusual these days. Reminds me of something Gary Trudeau was reported to have said 20 years ago: "America is the only country in the world where failing to promote yourself is regarded as being arrogant." We would all do well to read (or reread every 20 yrs) Daniel Boorstin's The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. I think he is the first person who defined celebrity as the being famous for being famous. But I guess that maybe Ambrose Bierce made the point even earlier when, in Devil's Dictionary, he defined "achievement" as the "death of endeavor and the birth of disgust."
8
Have any of you people ever met Robert Frank? What suckers you are. He's a great man, and his humility should not be exploited by the NYT. He denied his own integrity cooperating with the Magazine. The media is exactly the problem - tell your kids to throw their I Phones in the toilet? Fat chance. And don't try to rewrite history just because you have a big platform.
2
This is a fine article. What many people fail to appreciate is that an artist is free to start or stop doing whatever is is that occupies rhem whenever they want. Robert is his own man. He is a great artist; that should be enough, but the art world always wants more and more. Whenever I met him, just casually in my store, he was always incredibly gracious. He is a real mensch.
7
Frank's iconic "New Orleans Trolley" was take 60 years ago in city governed by Jim Crow laws.
If taken today, the trolley would show passengers of color no longer relegated to the rear. It would be of passing interest only.
What the 2015 image wouldn't reveal is the manner in which racism is practiced today.
Voter ID requirements, reduced availability to polls, re-districting to limit minority influence, resistance to minimum wage increases…
These persistent violations of equal rights are as flagrant as the experience of the Trolley riders of 1955 New Orleans.
If taken today, the trolley would show passengers of color no longer relegated to the rear. It would be of passing interest only.
What the 2015 image wouldn't reveal is the manner in which racism is practiced today.
Voter ID requirements, reduced availability to polls, re-districting to limit minority influence, resistance to minimum wage increases…
These persistent violations of equal rights are as flagrant as the experience of the Trolley riders of 1955 New Orleans.
9
(re: "Fourth of July –– Jay, New York") "At closer inspection, the flag is torn, while along the photograph’s edge is the only visible face: a sneering boy."
Why does the author of this article think the boy is sneering? What objective criterion gives the author leave to write that? That inscrutable word choice made me annoyingly suspicious of all subsequent observations of the subject matter in Frank's photos.
Why does the author of this article think the boy is sneering? What objective criterion gives the author leave to write that? That inscrutable word choice made me annoyingly suspicious of all subsequent observations of the subject matter in Frank's photos.
8
Writing As deliberately understated and unsentimental as the man and the work being described -- or rather gifted into portrait. Robert frank's treasure, in and behind the photographs and films, is surely his loving wife. Obviously talented in her own right. She (the wonderfully named Leaf) gave him the structure but also the freedom he needed to circumvent or at least pretend to ignore it. But without it, then what? Hard to imagine this body of work making its quiet, and not always so quiet, way in the world.
2
While 24 hours late New York your twisting yourselves in knots for no reason. While Frank showed the human experience through photography he would be the first one to watch the camera put upon a sea turtle in the Australian sea corals. Which we have all been priviledged to see.
here is a link to the photo of robert that goes along with the comment that i made earlier.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgnyc/2511522643/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgnyc/2511522643/in/dateposted-public/
2
Frank has been the ultimate provocateur, his pictures always prone to incite, to push the boundaries. What I like is their honesty, their total vulgarity. It is important to penetrate the darkness as Frank has, at least to better understand the human dilemma. He has been a very good teacher indeed.
1
At the end of the film "Nixon", Anthony Hopkins as the title character is walking alone late at night through the White House hallways when he comes upon the official portrait of of a pensive, heroic JFK. He looks up at his nemesis, immortalized on canvas, and intones, "When they look at you, they see what they want to be; when they look at me, they see what they are". Robert Frank's photographs captured his subjects as they "are", in a moment of unvarnished, "ordinary", real-world, multi-layered honesty and illumination, "warts and all". He's lived long enough and painfully enough to personify his own art.
6
The article says “only college students and avant-garde cineastes knew the film [“Pull My Daisy”] existed.” I saw it at a regular movie theater in Manhattan shortly after it came out. I don’t know how long it ran but its existence was well known and publicized.
2
I remember the day I heard of Andrea's death. It was told to me by a former school friend of hers, they had both attended in school in the East Village. She was the daughter of a women I loved, who also died too soon.
I remember how I felt when I first heard of Andrea's death, I thought Mary and Robert will never get over this, their life's are now set in darkness forever and there's no turning away no matter what happens, then years later when Pablo committed suicide, that was beyond and too much to bear. Today I was reminded of that great pain and decades of memories collapsed on me and I thought as I did then, how can one survive this, how can one survive this relentless pain and while reading these are thoughts and feelings that dominated, realizing had it happened to me I would have not survived, never the art, it was too much.
I remember how I felt when I first heard of Andrea's death, I thought Mary and Robert will never get over this, their life's are now set in darkness forever and there's no turning away no matter what happens, then years later when Pablo committed suicide, that was beyond and too much to bear. Today I was reminded of that great pain and decades of memories collapsed on me and I thought as I did then, how can one survive this, how can one survive this relentless pain and while reading these are thoughts and feelings that dominated, realizing had it happened to me I would have not survived, never the art, it was too much.
7
I was sent this great piece and imagine my surprise at seeing that pikkie of me and Robert - I hadn't actually seen it before, and it brought back some memories, I can tell you! Which is apposite because I'm currently writing my own memoirs. Didja know that shortly after Me and My Brother was first shown, MOMA ran an exhibit of stills from the film. One featured about 4 consecutive frames from my scene, and I don't know many other actors who can claim to have hung in MOMA! Thanks so much and all huzzahs and respect to Robert, a great artist.
2
Kudos to Nicholas Dawidoff for this moving piece. Robert Frank has lived a rich, complex, multi-layered life: driven by creativity, rewarded with riches and love, tortured by loss and regret. I hope that Mr. Frank has found wisdom and, if possible, peace.
4
When Robert and I took pictures together in Zurich Switzerland (and some days before in Brooklyn, NY) we bought tickets for our ride in the streetcar. Watch Robert shooting in his native city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axHqPLIhCwE
7
while photographing, i happened to see robert outside madison square garden in 1972 as he was making a film about the rolling stones that would later be called 'cockersucker blues.'
i took a picture of him as he was filming a girl who was walking inbetween us and looking at me.
i sent him a print and he sent me back a short and humorous note written in green ink, on a piece of paper cut with a scissors.
it was as hand made and personal as any one of his photos.
later i saw my picture appear in a documentary about him.
i took a picture of him as he was filming a girl who was walking inbetween us and looking at me.
i sent him a print and he sent me back a short and humorous note written in green ink, on a piece of paper cut with a scissors.
it was as hand made and personal as any one of his photos.
later i saw my picture appear in a documentary about him.
13
this is the photo i took of robert frank.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgnyc/2511522643/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rgnyc/2511522643/in/dateposted-public/
4
What makes "most influential" ? The story doesn't tell me.
It does tell me I should look for his pictures and that extraordinary gifts come with a huge price.
It does tell me I should look for his pictures and that extraordinary gifts come with a huge price.
6
Genius as an excuse for bad behavior. How tiresome!
14
Frank has always seemed overrated to me--with much of his reputation based on the "emperors new clothes"phenomenon.
6
Seemed? Is.
That's what most of America thought back in the 1950s, and why it took a long time for people to catch on. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to figure out why he's great someday.
Personally, I have photography books by over a hundred artists, and would name Frank among my three favorites of the 2nd half of the 20th Century. And by far the best crafter of a photo book.
Personally, I have photography books by over a hundred artists, and would name Frank among my three favorites of the 2nd half of the 20th Century. And by far the best crafter of a photo book.
5
The description that comes to mind is "selfish."
7
All great art is probably necessarily created by selfish individuals. At least this one was not motivated by money.
2
Once in a while humanity is blessed with a gift like Robert Frank. what an honor to share a piece of time with him, on this planet.
3
"The Americans" is many things to many people. To me it represented American wanderlust, hitting the road, a long tradition especially resonant in the late 60"s (when the book achieved its initial fame) as youth crisscrossed the nation in unprecedented numbers. It also represented another kind of freedom, to see America as deeply flawed and imperfect. It was the antithesis of the "Family of Man" (which opened the year Frank began his sojourn across America), a cliched-ridden gloss on so-called world unity, and as such became a kind of visual anthem for the anti-war, anti-establishment movements.
6
Certainly Frank was a pacesetter. But, the article only touches, by its focus on Frank's career as a Bohemian, the surface of life then when several other photographers emerged with a special vision of life in America. One is the completely unrecognized New York photographer Homer Page whose Guggenheim sponsored work on life in New York rivals any photograph that Frank ever made. Page taught me to follow "my unique view of the world," when I was a working photographer, and that was the essence of the documentarian's approach in the 40' and 50's. Frank was certainly near the top of the heap of street photographers work then. But, any reader of this article does themselves a disservice by not digging more deeply into the work of other photo artists who worked then. Check out the "Family of Man" photos by Page (who was an editor of the famous project) to see this kind of vision in action.
6
Wonderfully written, very interesting story.
3
I enjoyed reading this excellent piece and it motivated me to pull The Americans off the bookshelf. I enjoyed seeing the photos of Mr. Frank, but it would have been nice to show some of his influential work as well. Especially on the web version where space is not really an issue. Thanks for a great read.
2
The link is here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/02/magazine/robert-frank-the-...®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
1
"The Americans" are us and we are them. We haven't changed - just started having things in technicolor.
I can have nothing but admiration for a man of such brilliant eye refusing to be "an accordion." So rare.
I can have nothing but admiration for a man of such brilliant eye refusing to be "an accordion." So rare.
3
Wonderful article. Thank you, Nicholas Davidoff. I had never even heard of Robert Frank until now, and I was born in the 1940s! Agree with Sidecross (CA), below = now I can go look for his work.
3
Yes, yes. Like all our other Left-wing artists, he found the dark, evil, oppressive, mean-spirited America that he originally set out looking for. Here's my surprised face.
4
left wing? mr frank has never voted and liked rudy guiliani
10
I think I've seen your surprised face, many times, in the work of Norman Rockwell.
2
Left-wing, really? That's your take on this? There were plenty of publications, musicals, movies, and TV shows (all thoroughly FCC censored) during the 1950's describing the "gilded life". Much like Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath", Robert Frank simply offered some realism and contrast.
4
As a student of photography, I devoured his work, especially The Americans. The impact I felt was powerful, as are Mr. Frank's vision. The highlight was meeting him at Yale where I was a graduate student where he showed a film about his son Pablo--he left during the showing, and returned to talk quietly about photography and look at student's work.
2
Brilliant. Thank you.
2
It's interesting in analysing a photographer's work how often the question "What was the make of the camera used?" comes up and not "How many photographs did she take before she found these gems?" The fact Frank took some 27,000 photos for his Americans project and from those culled 83 gives you an idea of the relative weight of those issues and an important element of the photographer's art.
7
The San Francisco park where Robert Frank took his favorite photograph in the Americans is Alamo Square Park. I live a block away, and everyday I see tourists taking pictures of the famous Painted Ladies, an iconic row of Victorian homes, without paying any attention to the site of Frank's image!
3
...doesn't look like he saw any of the native peoples.
1
Cosseted by lake and mountain!!!
Cosseted by Nicholas Dawidoff. I am off to buy your book Mr Dawidoff!
Cosseted by Nicholas Dawidoff. I am off to buy your book Mr Dawidoff!
2
Robert Frank even after my own Seven Score and Ten Years is still relevant as a photographer and human being.
I only wish some of his often not seen photographs could have been shown, but at least people can search out his work to view.
I only wish some of his often not seen photographs could have been shown, but at least people can search out his work to view.
8
Seven score and Ten? 150? Not bad at all. Just keep going.
1
I meant Three Score and Ten and was wondering if I would be tapped for this mistake.
Thank you for the kindness in showing my error. :)
Thank you for the kindness in showing my error. :)
I wasn't happy with my post after I put it up, and thought afterwards it was a touch mean-spirited. I'm glad you didn't take offense.
Photographs should inspire hope in people by capturing those few precious beautiful moments in life, which is dreary and miserable already for most people most of the time. Robert Frank seems an expert at capturing random, meaningless or sad moments. I am afraid I would not take a second look at the vast majority of his output.
1
Clearly, by your personal definition of what photographs "should do", Frank does not oblige.
And how are you to know what are the meaningful or "beautiful" moments for others?
Lastly, as unfathomable as you might find it, I assure you he never once took a picture at whose subject matter was random-ness.
And how are you to know what are the meaningful or "beautiful" moments for others?
Lastly, as unfathomable as you might find it, I assure you he never once took a picture at whose subject matter was random-ness.
21
Your definition of what photography can and should achieve is too exclusive. Art exists to express the entire breadth of human experience, including the dreary and miserable. We should be awestruck by Frank's capacity to reveal to us who and what we truly are-- anonymous souls navigating in the dark.
27
You have a right to your own opinion, no matter what these two other responders have written about your feelings of life's "dreary and miserable". Perhaps Frank's photographs are just "too much", for you, but not for them.
1
Didn't Rudy Wurlitzer play a large role in Frank's move to NS? Would have loved to hear more about that.
2
Frank's signature vision was obviously too direct for most Americans to behold back in the fifties. The images he composed from life, are really what photography is about, and is photography's power component over other visual arts. Katy Grannan's portraits of RF are perfect. How lucky she must feel to have spent time with the Maestro, doing what she does extremely well in her own right, also sharing pages within the ongoing history of photography. Bravo RF, KG and the NYT.
17
of course, we only recently became sophisticated enough to appreciate fully his images and the thoughts they evoke. How condescending.
Yes, I agree that the obsequious headline is a bit over done.
Some artists suffer, and others do so quietly.
Indeed there are some photos that are interesting, but I would venture that we all have our favorites, and if he's one, you'll gush.
If you don't happen to be stimulated by his photo work, then these will be another set of photos that you looked at and filed them away in an appropriate level based on your own values.
I remember being at the San Fransisco MOM one year and our business had a reception there. I was tremendously excited to learn that a 'prestigious' Japanese (or was it Chinese?) photographer would be on display, working in black and white, which is a major interest for me. After wandering through the photos, I found some relief in finding some paintings, including one small but striking Georgia O'Keefe, on display off the main hall. Thank goodness for some real art.
Again, there those of us, secure in our own likings, who don't see what the big deal is about this gentleman. So be it.
Some artists suffer, and others do so quietly.
Indeed there are some photos that are interesting, but I would venture that we all have our favorites, and if he's one, you'll gush.
If you don't happen to be stimulated by his photo work, then these will be another set of photos that you looked at and filed them away in an appropriate level based on your own values.
I remember being at the San Fransisco MOM one year and our business had a reception there. I was tremendously excited to learn that a 'prestigious' Japanese (or was it Chinese?) photographer would be on display, working in black and white, which is a major interest for me. After wandering through the photos, I found some relief in finding some paintings, including one small but striking Georgia O'Keefe, on display off the main hall. Thank goodness for some real art.
Again, there those of us, secure in our own likings, who don't see what the big deal is about this gentleman. So be it.
7
Letters like this prove that Frank was doing something right.
3
Can you define what "real art" is? Or perhaps you could explain what "real art" is not. Perhaps what you mean to say is that real art is only that which you yourself approve of.
If you are truly secure in your own likings, then why the need to denigrate the work of those you do not enjoy, by assigning to them such labels of disrespect?
If you are truly secure in your own likings, then why the need to denigrate the work of those you do not enjoy, by assigning to them such labels of disrespect?
Someone once told me, "Sometimes it's better not to meet your heroes. It can be a big letdown when they turn out not to be so likable as people." Reading this article about Robert Frank reminded me of that.
30
Beginning in the mid-20th century, a trend in art criticism arose where "biography" began to be seen as a valid filter through which the value of an artist's work could be revealed. Profiling the artist as man or woman, became the "go-to" fallback for the lazy reviewer. Which can make for a good story, but is a poor excuse for a thoughtful approach to a consideration of the work itself.
On the other hand, Dawidoff's piece doesn't pretend to be about the work itself, and does a fine job of portraying Frank as he is - a complicated and contradictory human being as we all are; From the good to the bad, cooperative to difficult, and everything in-between.
For perspective on how wrong it would be to judge him based solely on what you've read here, I suggest watching this short. In it, a see a man with many positive values: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/magazine/robert-frank-on-a-vanished-fr...®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&configSection=article&isLoggedIn=true&pgtype=article
On the other hand, Dawidoff's piece doesn't pretend to be about the work itself, and does a fine job of portraying Frank as he is - a complicated and contradictory human being as we all are; From the good to the bad, cooperative to difficult, and everything in-between.
For perspective on how wrong it would be to judge him based solely on what you've read here, I suggest watching this short. In it, a see a man with many positive values: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/magazine/robert-frank-on-a-vanished-fr...®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&configSection=article&isLoggedIn=true&pgtype=article
Maybe Mr. Frank fled from his celebrity status because knew hyperbole like 'the best photographer alive' is absolute poison to an artist. There's no constructive purpose, or algorithmic method, for ranking artists.
30
Wow! What a wonderful, well-researched essay. Thanks, so much Nicholas. NYT at its best. More please.
25
Frank received a a Guggenheim grant to photograph and create the book.
The reporter should have gone into depth about Franks's arrest in Arkansas, on a trooper's suspicion that Frank was a communist spy. Frank was held in jail for 3 days, and the trooper wanted to confiscate all the film. Lt Brown had a reputation for violence that was legendary among his fellow troopers, and terrified Frank.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3673127/Robert-Frank-melancholy-a...
and
http://leicaphilia.com/robert-frank-gets-arrested-down-south/
The reporter should have gone into depth about Franks's arrest in Arkansas, on a trooper's suspicion that Frank was a communist spy. Frank was held in jail for 3 days, and the trooper wanted to confiscate all the film. Lt Brown had a reputation for violence that was legendary among his fellow troopers, and terrified Frank.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3673127/Robert-Frank-melancholy-a...
and
http://leicaphilia.com/robert-frank-gets-arrested-down-south/
16
Wonderful artist described beautifully by Nicholas Dawidoff with amazing photographs by Katy Grannan, especially the one of Frank transparent in front of a star-filled night sky.
7
You can't print the title of Frank's film on the Rolling Stones in the New York Times? The same New York Times which devotes so much space to coverage of transsexuals and LGBT issues?
15
Thanks for making me look up the movie title; Kochsucker Blues. Not sure that is spelled correctly.
38
Are you equating obscenity with knowledge about the human condition? Millions of Americans could be hurt by such a careless comment. Why bring more pain? What is in it for you?
5
You completely misunderstand my point, Kathryn. I am not criticizing the Times for its expansive coverage of LGBT stories and don't think my comment is careless and hope it doesn't cause anyone any pain, though it seems to have done so to you. I am questioning the Times' decision not to print one particular word in the two-word title of one of Frank's films, a word which I think probably wouldn't particularly shock anyone these days. I was thinking that in one instance the Times is courageous, in the other, not so much.
15
Certainly a lengthy piece on a specific icon. Now know much more than needed to but what the heck he paid his dues. No mention of the different directions provided by the visual arts than this working class hero approach but so be it.
There's also the more formal style of Mapplethorpe, Estes, Bell, Pearlstein, Thiebaud. However when making a point using Beats, de Kooning, Leslie, etc. why bring in more polished work. Just happens to be I'm going more to the former so passing over the passed over. If I had to choose between this Pollock-like attitude and a Matisse one, no contest.
There's also the more formal style of Mapplethorpe, Estes, Bell, Pearlstein, Thiebaud. However when making a point using Beats, de Kooning, Leslie, etc. why bring in more polished work. Just happens to be I'm going more to the former so passing over the passed over. If I had to choose between this Pollock-like attitude and a Matisse one, no contest.
2
What a remarkable human being. An example of what it is like to be truly independent and totally dedicated to his medium — the work is its own reward.
Far from the centers of ambition, he used his camera as a diagnostic social instrument. Of his work and his subjects, he says, ‘‘It shows what’s on the edge of their mind.’’
Far from the centers of ambition, he used his camera as a diagnostic social instrument. Of his work and his subjects, he says, ‘‘It shows what’s on the edge of their mind.’’
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Far from the centers of ambition? This is a portrait of how white men at the epicenters like NYC work the system to give opportunity (and take) to other white men. I like his work but Frank was no outlier; he was a consummate insider with a flair for a pose.
2
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the profile of Frank I've been waiting for... for years.
11
Wow this is the New York Times at it's very best. A wonderful profile. Poetic, insightful and a lovely read. And the photographs by Katy Grannan (prefect choice by the way) are beautiful especially the one in the window. I love the New York Times. Thank you.
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The MOST influential photographer alive, that's a pretty bold statement. Based on what? Sounds like a statement made by an American... oh wait.
5
The caption on the Jim Goldberg photo of Frank is incorrect. The note on the photo in fact reads, "I’ve known Robert since 1979 and this is the first time that I photographed him.”
He seemed to work at living the artist life and was added to by several odd, tragic, and also calculated events and choices. This is just the kind of esoteric weirdness artists and art beat writers live for.
None of his work with people outweighs at least two of the best Farm Security Administration photographers.
None of his work with people outweighs at least two of the best Farm Security Administration photographers.
11
Wonderful article about a great photographer. Interesting comment by Mr. diCorcia (if indeed the comment actually comes from the renown photographer) who has made many photographs on the road as well. Not so sure that anything will diminish Mr. Frank's "greatness." Certainly not hagiographies, because the photographs endure. Also not so sure that the Times would have panned the work way back when. Having looked through The Americans recently, given the anniversary of its publication, there's a very high rate of extraordinary photographs. There are also a number that have not aged that well - which is hardly surprising. The photographs we value most today are the ones that turned out to be prescient. Frank may well have known they were that powerful and insightful when the shutter was released. It will be interesting to see how Mr. diCorcia's work is viewed at the same milepost.
3
Interesting article. However the "title blurb" , "the most influential photographer alive.Looking back with Robert Frank" is sheer hyperbole.
I suppose "living" is what beats out many other greater talents. Ansel Adams,Dorothea Lange,Robert Maplethorpe, R.Avedon, Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz,Robert Capa ,Margaret Bourke-White,and a dozens more
I suppose "living" is what beats out many other greater talents. Ansel Adams,Dorothea Lange,Robert Maplethorpe, R.Avedon, Man Ray, Alfred Stieglitz,Robert Capa ,Margaret Bourke-White,and a dozens more
13
And what's so wrong with Avedon (sp) and B-W? Oh guess not a Newton or Gursky fan either. Taste has no rules.
4
It's Avedon,btw.
1
Quite apart from my feeling that ranking photographers is a pointless and suspicious exercise, if you believe Avedon and Bourke-White were not greatly influential photographers then you, in this instance dear George Eliot, would be the one who "obviously knows little about photography". And you would also be at odds with just about anyone on the planet who does know something about photography. Which is, of course, your right.
2
Please bear with me on this. What, as I view his photos, and only his photos, without knowing anything about him distinguishes his work in any way from so very many other compelling, confounding, provocative artists. And, well, I'm not sure that "artist" applies without consideration.
5
One of the best things I've ever read. Gets at the complexity of both creativity and life perfectly, brilliantly, heartbreakingly.
14
Really disappointing not to see many photos BY Robert Frank, not of him by other photographers. Incomprehensible. What were you thinking?????
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perhaps thinking that everyone knows how to google ?
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=robert+frank+the+americans&qpvt=...
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=robert+frank+the+americans&qpvt=...
3
There's a link to another article farther down the page…
Related Coverage: Revisiting 'The Americans'
Related Coverage: Revisiting 'The Americans'
3
Brilliant photographer..
.and what a great piece of writing. That first sentence just sucks you in!
Makes me realize my times subscription is such a bargain!
.and what a great piece of writing. That first sentence just sucks you in!
Makes me realize my times subscription is such a bargain!
8
Of the few 'art' books I have on my shelves, Robert Frank's 'The Americans' and 'Aperture' are there, always at hand.
His work is as astounding today as it was when he first published it. He has both gravitas and humor in his work and that is a rare combination in anyone, much less an 'artist'.
Thank you, Mr Frank.
His work is as astounding today as it was when he first published it. He has both gravitas and humor in his work and that is a rare combination in anyone, much less an 'artist'.
Thank you, Mr Frank.
6
Really great article, Nicholas. It triggered so many memories. Back in the early 1970s, I went to the Cleveland Museum of Art where unknown to me at the time there was an traveling exhibition of "The Americans" shown on the ground floor. I just wandered into it following the crowd.. And I still remember just standing in front of a large blow-up of "Trolley - New Orleans." It had to be around four feet by eight feet. And in each window pane, he had captured individual portraits of each passenger on the trolley. I was recently discharged from the service working in a steel mill. And I had never seen working class people portrayed with such dignity and reverence and compassion. I was stunned. It was an epiphany. I went back to the museum two or three times during its run and in the gift shop I bought a poster of that faceless tuba player draped by the American flag which I framed as a souvenir.
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So many things we forget, but I'll always remember the first time I saw The Americans--as a college student at my girlfriend's parents home in Chicago in the 1970s. I was so moved and just couldn't put the book down... moments frozen in time, then and now.
8
Some people should never have children. Frank is one of them. Cannot believe how they must have suffered with such a self-absorbed father. What sadness.
"The Americans" is visually extraordinary, a masterpiece of watching and capturing elusive moments frozen forever in time. But, this absolutely does not explain the complexity of American culture and to believe so, is really misguided. It is just one piece of a mosaic that includes much more.
"The Americans" is visually extraordinary, a masterpiece of watching and capturing elusive moments frozen forever in time. But, this absolutely does not explain the complexity of American culture and to believe so, is really misguided. It is just one piece of a mosaic that includes much more.
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Vica, many artists have children and bring them up with varying degrees of success just like ordinary folks. To say that they suffered is to read too much into it.
Your last point has something to it, but photography was never meant to explain societies and their complexities. It is the fact that "The Americans" could tell us so much about what was partially hidden from view and willfully ignored by just about everyone, that is the beauty of it.
Your last point has something to it, but photography was never meant to explain societies and their complexities. It is the fact that "The Americans" could tell us so much about what was partially hidden from view and willfully ignored by just about everyone, that is the beauty of it.
1
"... Frank fled New York, moving to a barren hillside far in the Canadian north."
Yellowknife, NWT is far in the Canadian north. Whitehorse, YT is far in the Canadian north. But Mabou, NS? Not so much. Seattle is farther north than Mabou.
Yellowknife, NWT is far in the Canadian north. Whitehorse, YT is far in the Canadian north. But Mabou, NS? Not so much. Seattle is farther north than Mabou.
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Perhaps it refers to geographic mentality? It was north of Manhattan.
2
it's just another stereotype about canada and proves the stereotype canadians have of americans not having a clue about the great (not always) white north. cape breton island is south of many american states. it'd be interesting if a canadian paper ran a story about kansas and called it the deep south--i'm sure there would be an instant edit job.
7
Indeed...in the summer Mabou is pretty fabulous. Nova Scotia is not the North Pole...think Scotland.
4
A constant inspiration to me personally.
1
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Well he may or may not be the greatest photographer, but by the looks of things he (personally) found poverty.
Well he may or may not be the greatest photographer, but by the looks of things he (personally) found poverty.
3
The 4th of July, Jay, NY, cannot be from 1954. The flag in the photo has 50 stars, we only had 48 in 1954.
4
‘‘It’s the misinformation that’s important.’’
2
The flag has 49 stars (if it had 50 stars the rows would all align).
That dates it to 1959 or 1960.
That dates it to 1959 or 1960.
1
Er... there are 42 stars visible on the flag in the photograph.
Katy Grannan's images of Robert Frank are most worthy of her subject. Intimate, mysterious and bittersweet.
11
Robert Frank was one of my heroes when I was a newspaper photojournalist. In 1988 I got to photograph him for the San Francisco Chronicle. We took a walk down Mission Street to the old Greyhound bus station where Frank sat for a moment with people waiting for a bus. See photo at http://bit.ly/1Ue1e6R
6
An excellent photograph of Robert Frank, and worthy of inclusion in this article.
Robert Frank's greatness is only diminished by the constant and redundant hagiographies. His masterpiece, The Americans, was published long ago and the New york Times wouldn't have touched it then.
24
Reminds me of my friend Jim Marshall, the late, great documentary photographer of rock and roll and jazz. When he died, Time devoted a lot of space to a eulogy of "a legendary photographer". Someone they, in fact, wouldn't have dreamed of giving an assignment because he was too independent, too difficult, too unpredictable. But that's often what genius is.
1
in fact louis millstein at the Times gave frank work - New York Is and supported his work.
1
come on. This is not a hagiography. Its superb. Commentry on the man, creativity, history, and a piece of work itself!
I can't look at a trolley or streetcar, anywhere in the world, and not think of Robert Frank's beautiful image from The Americans. It's indelibly imprinted in my brain, along with his flags, tubas, diners and cars. What an amazing eye.
He's taken us on the best road trip ever.
He's taken us on the best road trip ever.
10
Several years ago I was going to put "Trolley: New Orleans" into a widely adopted college textbook that I author, but the artist refused to permit it if I could not guarantee that his photo would be the only one on the relevant page spread. This stipulation of his kept me from exposing Mr. Frank's work to thousands of college students in every US state.
3
Good for him. That's why he's a great artist, he's worried about the diminishing the power of the photo, not scoring a few fans/bucks.
7
Another modern artistic genius I never heard of. Still, when it comes to modern artistic geniuses, he seems to be light years ahead of Richard Serra.
1
Robert Frank has long been one of my favorite photographers, a truly gifted person whose incredible images say far more than a thousand words. What a wonderful profile of a singular man.
7
Happy Fourth of July to Robert Frank, who showed us the real Americans.
21
Okay, but isn't it odd that this piece showed many photos of Frank, but almost none of his work?? This raises the suspicion that this article is the usual NYT hype and that Frank's photos would not enrich the piece as much as the text suggests.
1
There's a link to another article farther down the page, showcasing his images…
Related Coverage: Revisiting 'The Americans'
Related Coverage: Revisiting 'The Americans'
2
Beautiful piece on one of the planet's great and probing artists. He and June Leaf never stop exploring. The consuming public and galleriests want the artist to continue recreating; the artist, to be true to the muse, must continue to create. The only element I miss in this article is more of Frank's most recent work with the Polaroid and assemblages.
In 1997, the NYT magazine ran this in-depth article: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/04/magazine/where-have-you-gone-robert-fr... So this new one is a great bookend!
In 1997, the NYT magazine ran this in-depth article: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/04/magazine/where-have-you-gone-robert-fr... So this new one is a great bookend!
9
I saw an exhibit of photographs from "The Americans" in Berkeley, in, I think, the 1970s. I was struck by the photographic quality of the prints.
But I'm left wondering: what model Olympus camera? Yes, it's kind of like wondering what brand brush Picasso used. But still . . .
But I'm left wondering: what model Olympus camera? Yes, it's kind of like wondering what brand brush Picasso used. But still . . .
13
Thanks for this fine article on America's greatest artist. I met him once for a moment at Washington D.c. AFI back in the 1980s when he was there to present "Cocksucker Blues." He was very gracious.
Sorry there's not more mention of his magnificent films. "LIfe Dances On" is unforgettable, as beautiful a film about family and loss as anyone has ever made.
Thanks for the commentary by other greats, in particular Nan Goldin, Ed Ruscha and Don Delillo. Bless them all.
Bless Robert Frank most of all.
Sorry there's not more mention of his magnificent films. "LIfe Dances On" is unforgettable, as beautiful a film about family and loss as anyone has ever made.
Thanks for the commentary by other greats, in particular Nan Goldin, Ed Ruscha and Don Delillo. Bless them all.
Bless Robert Frank most of all.
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