Second Set of Readings

Several things stood out to me in the readings focused on Robert Frank’s The Americans. The first was the way the sequencing of people before images (even ones on the next pages) and the orientation of their eyeline could create the effect that the people are looking at or away from the following image. I had previously realized this worked in a more literal sense when two photographs are next to each other on a spread, but the way this works subtly in Frank’s photos sequenced one after the other is powerful and one I think I will consider when making other photobooks for class.

I also found interesting the discussion of motion vs. stasis in Frank’s photos. While Frank doesn’t do too many effects to visually simulate motion (although there is some blurred imagery such as the blurred car behind the people on the bench), there is still a strong visual presence of motion or stasis by the subject matter and composition of his photos. I think this is focus on motion and statis is also tied to his motif of the car which he constantly repeats as a way to show both potential for extreme motion and, when still, powerful stasis in American life.

Finally, I started to think about whether Frank’s book was more a work of art or a work of photojournalism (or a combination of the two since they are not mutually exclusive). What I came to think was that the creation of photos themselves, while certainly having artistic intention behind them, seems to be much more along the documenting lines of photojournalist work. However, it is in the sequencing of these photos that Frank creates his art, using repetition and juxtaposition to express his ideas about American life.