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The Americans

Robert Frank

The book The Americans gave people an insight into contemporary life in America. Frank presented American life in alienation, angst and loneliness. His photos showed casual compositions, rough out-of-focused foregrounds and sometimes tilted horizons. His techniques were seen just as controversial and influential as his subject matter.

Frank looked beneath the surface of American life. He photographed people that werent exactly living the American dream of the 1950s. This book changed the way Americans looked at themselves. Joel Meyerowitz described Franks photographs as The lunatic sublime of America

Franks photo of Barber Shop through Screen Door used a window and screen to created a masked vision of reality. In many of his photos he uses glass and windows to draw in dimensions that others could not notice. Here he focuses on both the outside and inside world but markedly blurs out himself. These two dimensions-the interior and exterior are physically impossible to see without the added dimension of Franks shadow negating the glare. The barbers chair then looks as if it is contained inside Franks head, as if in a dream.

Franks story with this photo is about the fate of the children sitting between the stony White woman before them and the appeal of the black man behind them. Frank wants to Show that the children will mature in some version or combination of these directions But we are not sure which one. Frank does not photograph to insist or predict, he just Snaps one space in their development.

Indianapolis 1955-56

Frank realized the major three components of the photograph framed America perfectly; Blue jeans, colored people, and a Harley. The away gaze of the couple keeps the viewer wanting to wait and find out the feelings of the couple. Motorcycles were seen as a sign of rebellion. Frank found it ironic that the couple have the right to ride the motorcycle but not the freedom it represents. They are people who have genuine reasons to defy authority.

Bar is photographed in New york. He has quite a few pictures of jukeboxes. Glass panes on the front of the jukebox show a warped reality within another world. Jukebox is centered, the mans arm draws you towards the subject. The high contrast adds an empty feel to the picture. Jukeboxes should unify Americans because music brings people together but no one is around the jukebox and it looks as if a man is leaving, therefore it portrays an empty feel.

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