Thesis & Background: Your thesis about the body of work and point of view you’ve chosen to explore, as well as background about the artists that lead you to your thesis.

Fracturing the Facade of the American Dream

Robert Frank was born on November 9, 1924 in Zurich to a well-off Jewish family; his father, Hermann, was a German citizen, but his mother, Regina, was Swiss. When Frank was nine years old, the Nazis rose to power in Germany; though his family was living in Switzerland, neutral at the time, they were aware that their safety could be threatened at any time. Though he was young, Frank began dabbling in the artistic field and was intrigued by the supposed “American Dream;” the idea of freedom peaked his interest.

In 1947 Frank embarked on his journey to the United States where he began his career as a fashion photographer, working for Harper’s Bazaar magazine; this, however, did not last long as Frank felt confined by the restraints of fashion photography. Frank then spent the next five years, between 1950 and 1955, as a freelance photographer, picking up gigs as he found them; during this time, he took pictures for magazines such as LIFE and Vogue. In 1955, however, Frank both applied for and received the Guggenheim Fellowship which gave him the opportunity to travel the United States; during this 10,000 mile road trip, Frank captured around 27,000 pictures, but eventually narrowed them down to 83 pictures which he published in his photography book, The Americans.

During this endeavor, Frank focused on the imperfection of the American Dream, focusing on the fact that while from the outside it seemed to be an ideal hypothetical, it was instead one of hardship and plight. Focusing on the diversity of the American people, Frank photographed people of all races, from all different walks of life, and from all different geographical locations. While on this road trip, Frank explained that he “looked at poor people, how they tried to survive, what a lonely time it can be in America, and what a tough country it is.” He, however, did not grow to resent America, but rather understood the reality behind its facade; the American Dream was not picture perfect, but required hard work, determination, and truth. His goal in showcasing the raw reality of these individuals was to challenge the photographers before him who solely captured “the good.” Frank’s intention was not to criticize the American Dream, but showcase the beauty of truth, focusing on how the majority of people in the United States actually lived.

Frank’s identity as Jew acted as a constant reminder of the feeling of isolation and fear those he photographed felt. While shooting pictures for his photography book, he faced backlash from police officers who uncovered his identity as Jewish man, accusing him of being a communist and even detaining him at points to taunt him. Rabbi Irwin Kula, the President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership explained that “there has always been a strain within Jewishness in America that has critiqued the dominant society, and Frank embodied that.” Tobi Kahn, a painter and a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts further explained further that Frank’s “work was honest, and that’s a part of Jewish tradition; the idea of looking at the world the way it is and bearing witness, seeing everyone as someone created in God’s image.” Instead of faulting those less fortunate and those who faced significant challenges in life, Frank brought light to these people, focusing his publication on their status rather than those who had achieved the picture-perfect “American Dream.”

I plan on continuing my study of Robert Frank’s The Americans, by specifically focusing on the three images below: “Trolley-New Orleans,” “Fourth of July,” and “Belle Isle, Detroit.”  I intend to analyze the harsh reality buried under the facade of the idealistic impression of the American Dream; this will uncover the simplistic, raw truth of what it meant to live in the United States during the late 1950s.

Mel,

Great introductory statement. Glad that you finally got it up. Please ask Elizabeth for help in integrating the photographs into the text itself. Your third photograph is not part of The Americans. As you note, it was taken in Paris. Please choose a different photograph. As you move forward with your project, here are a few pointers to keep in mind (and also some edits for this opening statement).

First, leave a space (hard return) between paragraphs. It makes them easier to read. Short paragraphs are best (and many of yours are short).

Second, please italicize titles of books (e.g. The Americans) and magazines.

Third, please cite your quotes through hyperlinks (unless it came from a print source and then use a footnote).

You pay excellent attention to Frank as a Jewish photographer including his sensitivities to elements of American racism and injustice. The quotes from Kula and Kahn are very good and help to connect Frank to Jewish perspectives on American society.

I look forward to seeing how your final project develops.

DDM

Methodology: What are the methods your artist uses in his/her photography? How did you attempt to see through his/her point of view by taking your own photos?

Interpreting Robert Frank’s Point of View Into My Own

During his embarkation throughout America, Robert Frank intended to capture the raw, untouched reality of the American Dream. Intending to strip away the glorified facade of perfection, Frank photographed both people and places from a plethora of different backgrounds, races, and locations to highlight the diversity within America. Though he had immigrated to the United States, Frank did not see the country as a foreigner, but as an integrated being into the simplicities of society. Following the initial publication of The Americans, the book was “denounced by many critics at the time as a sneak attack on America’s general view of themselves as happy and harmonious. But as the book’s downbeat style has been absorbed and widely imitated over the years, Frank’s detractors have retreated.”

While on the road, Frank took photographs that would be memorable, intending for people to glance multiple times at the image to truly develop an understanding of the photograph; he wanted his pictures to resonate in a way with people that it created a deeper meaning. Frank’s images were unforgiving and unsentimental, yet poetic in nature. He captured the essence of alienation, non-belongingness, and struggle throughout America as people strived to achieve the unachievable: the American Dream. 

Contrary to the standard form of picture-taking during the mid 1950s, one of succinctness and precision, Frank’s photographs were more casual, less-staged, and more “in the moment.” When photographing people, Frank did not form a connection with those he photographed because he embraced his identity as an outsider, unwilling to intrude into the scenes he photographed. With none of his subjects making eye contact with the lens of his camera, this acted as a reminder that all individuals are strangers to each other; while people are photographed together in The Americans, the art of verbal communication is not present. 

As Jack Kerouac wrote in the introduction of The Americans, Robert Frank “sucked a sad poem out of America.” In photographing highways, rural farms, jukeboxes, cowboys, tattered American flags, and empty parks, Frank hoped to disprove the idealist impression of the United States. While many struggled to accept the vision of America that Frank had witnessed and then adopted along his journey, Frank felt that it was necessary that he documented the disparity between daily life and the perceived, yet unattainable American Dream.

I plan on taking photographs that mimic more of the rural aspects Frank focused on in The Americans. As I am unable to leave my house and interact in large groups of people due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I hope to be able to recreate some of the more scenic images from inside my car while driving on an empty highway or potentially photographing a bleak park on a cold day, void of other individuals. Because my immediate family members are the only individuals I now have contact with, I hope to include them in some images as well, potentially in outdoor spaces, sitting against a tree or posed on a bench peering into the distance. Along with this, some of Frank’s other images included old technological devices, such as jukeboxes; while I do not have a jukebox in my house, I do have dated arcade games in my basement that may be interesting to photograph. All of my images will be taken with my iPhone camera and will be printed with a black and white filter. With limited human interaction and only a few locations to choose from, I plan on focusing on the natural elements of life, to create the same message that Frank conveyed; while perfection may constantly be chased after, the raw, true beauty of human existence stems from simplicity.

Mel,

Your proposed methodology is good given the constraints of COVID-19. When you get a chance, you need to revise your opening statement in response to the suggestions that I gave you. Please also make the photographs larger. They are very small.

In the first part of your methodology you write: “Following the initial publication of The Americans, critics insisted that Frank’s images harped on the typical images of nonchalant, overly enthused Americans showcasing effortless, joyful behaviors; they believed that his book held a judgmental, negative undertone towards the everyday lives of Americans. Frank, however, held a different perspective; simplicity and naturalness.”

I don’t understand what you are trying to say here. Maybe it would be better if you quoted a critic (and cited the critic) rather than this paraphrase, because the paraphrase doesn’t make sense.

DDM

Photos & Analysis: Presentation of your own photographs inspired by that point of view. Text articulating what taking your own pictures taught you about the photographer’s point of view and its relevance. What is liberating about the point of view you’ve chosen to explore? How does it challenge you to look at the world differently?

Robert Frank’s Influence on the Beal Family

Before channeling my own inner-photography creative viewpoint, I wanted to grasp a better understanding of the purpose of a photobook, to truly appreciate Frank’s intent when piecing together The Americans. Upon further consultation, I found that “a group of photographs is brought together between covers, each image placed so as to resonate with its fellows as the pages are turned, making the collective meaning more important than the images’ individual meanings” (Parr and Badger). Realizing this, I then re-looked at the photobook, cover to cover, to recognize the photographs in a different light. I came to see the photographs as a story of the unattainable American Dream, with the sentiments of sorrow and struggle plagued with almost every image. I knew, however, that Frank’s intention was not to harp on the flawed aspects of the United States and the immense hardships the majority of its population faced, but instead bring awareness and appreciation to how most lived.

Throughout his road trip, Frank assumed the position of an outsider, one that came natural to him, as he traveled and captured images of those he saw from afar. As Jack Kerouac said, “with one hand he (Frank) sucked a sad poem out of America onto film,” (Kerouac) yet he did this in an effortless, eloquent manner that gave its onlookers a newfound gratitude to the less than “easy” lives Americans faced on a daily basis. Intending to lift the false impression of the commonly embraced American Dream, as outsiders assumed that all American citizens felt this expansive sense of success, the individuals featured in The Americans, “don’t editorialize or criticize or say anything but ‘this is the way we are in real life and if you don’t like it I don’t know anything about it ‘cause I’m living my own life my way”’ (Kerouac). I found this line of Jack Kerouac’s introduction to help shape my understanding of Frank’s work as I embarked on my own photography journey; while I did not participate in a road trip across America in the mid 1950s, I made an effort to photograph my family performing simplistic actions, nothing extravagant, unable to make eye contact with the camera.

By taking my own photographs, I learned that the camera holds immense power; the angle at which a photograph is taken, the way in which the light hits the subject(s), and especially what is being photographed has the ability to construe messages. While I had to stage the photographs I was taking, I attempted to channel Frank’s ability to capture images “in the moment,” photographing events as they happened without interruption. This free-flowing skill to take such powerful images without staging what exactly the lens would capture was something I am still in complete awe of; this ability was aided in Frank’s comfortability in being an outsider, a feeling that I, as a Jewish individual as well, was able to relate to. As an immigrant to the United States in addition to his identity as a Jewish individual, he saw the world from a bird’s eye-view, more comfortable in removing himself from the scenes he devoted attention towards, rather than inserting himself into the lives and daily activities of those he spent time analyzing. 

In looking at Frank’s photos after taking my own, I found connections between those that I had taken and those that he had. Both collections captured a wide array of environments, ranging from green landscapes, to offices and kitchens, and even to antique gaming systems, such as pool tables and pinball machines. In mirroring some of the similar locations that Frank had filmed, I discovered that Frank worked to highlight the different aspects of American life, while not all glamorous at times, but that simple lives can also be ones of enjoyment. While the subjects of his work do not make eye contact with the camera, I found the theme of camaraderie to be present in a lot of his images, with people normally photographed in pairs or large groups, rarely focusing on solo individuals in an otherwise empty frame. Though the lives of these people may not have been ideal, they still had one another to interact with. While I tried to mimic the photography style Frank utilized, I found it challenging to capture people from all different walks of life in my work. With the current stay-at-home order implemented in most states across the country, and confined to my house, not even allowed to visit public parks, I was forced to alter my initial photography plan. 

When I initially brainstormed my approach for this project, the thought of being confined to my house in Marlboro, New Jersey never crossed my mind. I assumed that I would be standing on street corners in Ann Arbor, photographing both the diverse student body at Michigan as well as those who came to Ann Arbor from elsewhere to embrace all that the small town of Ann Arbor has to offer, from restaurants to stores to ice cream shops. Instead, however, I found myself unable to walk out my front door for fear of coming in contact with my neighbors and even the occasional FedEx or UPS delivery men; I was then only able to work with my family of three, the inside of my house, and my backyard. While space was limited, I was able to capture the sense of companionship Frank focused on, yet ensured that the subjects of my work did not make eye contact with the camera. This re-instated the feeling of loneliness and that of being an outsider as those who would view these images would be unable to connect with the individuals photographed. What I was not able to successfully do, however, is highlight small elements of Judaism throughout my work. While Frank only had one image in The Americans, that exposed his Jewish identity, “Yom Kippur, East River, New York, 1955,” it was a subtle enough hint that he was a Jewish photographer. While I had thought about photographing my family lighting shabbat candles or my family sitting at our Passover Seder, I could not develop a clear vision for this, unable to decide how I would take this photograph. While I was unable to do this, I still feel as if the photographs I chose to include in my photo gallery channeled my inner Robert Frank approach.

Throughout this process, I learned to appreciate the simpler things in life; while this may sound cliche, so much focus is devoted towards attaining mass amounts of wealth in order to purchase the newest and greatest inventions of today’s era. By doing this, people can then put on this facade of perfection, coming off as better than the rest. Frank’s work, however, taught me to see the beauty within simplicity, and the importance of companionship and the happiness accompanied with it. While people may walk through life feeling as outsiders in certain situations, everyone has a place where they feel comforted and accepted, and because of this, what is necessary is to recognize this and treasure those places and people you feel satisfied around. Especially in times like today, with the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking mass destruction across the world, I have learned to appreciate everything I have and the accompany in which I am surrounded by, rather than wanting and striving for the ideal.

Photo Gallery:

Selected Photos:

 

Slideshow 1:

Slideshow 2:

Mel,

Good selection of photos. I’m looking forward to your assessment and analysis.

DDM

Mel,

You wrote a thoughtful meditation on Frank and the challenges of trying to see the world through his eyes, especially when that world has shrunk to your house and the surrounding property. I am glad that you returned to Parr and Badger to revisit the question of a photo book and your quotes from Kerouac suggest a sense of the poetry that Frank’s photography can be.

Why don’t you consider including the photograph of the pool table? It is similar to one that Frank took and has the same sort of eerie quality. I would also reverse the order of your last two photographs in the slide show to work better with Frank’s images. I also think that your shot looking down on the person sitting by the house might be worth discussing among your selected photos.

You need to give a title to your final project.

DDM

Conclusion: Did you come to understand your Jewish photographer differently after taking your own photos? What did you learn about your thesis?

An Ever-Changing Viewpoint

After taking my own photographs, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for Robert Frank’s work in The Americans. While I did not come to understand him differently, as I had recognized his purposeful intent in highlighting what normally would be hidden, from the beginning, I truly viewed the world differently; this project taught me to draw my attention towards the invisible and bring both truth and light towards the concealed. Throughout his road trip, Frank approached the scenes he photographed with the hesitant tendency of an outsider, yet this sense of being removed is what makes the photographs so powerful.

This disconnect between himself and the subjects of his images provides a sense of eeriness and hostility associated with the struggle of “making it” in the challenging conditions of the United States in the 1950s. The challenge in “making it,” refers to the more common sentiment of despair and hardship to be successful in the United States, rather than the more publicized ability to easily achieve the American Dream. Through analyzing Frank’s work, I developed a new understanding as to what the American Dream embodied. From reading history textbooks to published accounts of life standards during the 1950s, it is, as Frank suggested, a false sense of perfection. Every article touts the United States as a country filled with hope and opportunity for all of its inhabitants, a sort of “cloud 9.” Frank’s images, however, discredit this facade and instead uncover the unsung heroes of the 1950s, those who had to truly work for all they had.

At the beginning of this assignment, I posed this thesis: Robert Frank worked to analyze the harsh reality buried under the facade of the idealistic impression of the American Dream, uncovering the simplistic, raw truth of what it meant to live in the United States during the late 1950s. Finding that this thesis carried my viewpoint throughout, my thesis did not change. This thesis allowed me to explore the beauty of truth, focusing on how the majority of people in the United States actually lived. I learned that focus and appreciation should be directed towards the simplicities of life, rather than attributing success in direct correlation to socioeconomic status; family, happiness, and companionship should be valued instead. Frank’s work also acted as a reminder that feeling like an outsider is okay and a normal emotion people tend to experience; sometimes, being an outsider is necessary to take a step back and re-analyze a situation. For me, especially, being an outsider to events that had taken place in the 20th century, I assumed the role of an outsider when interpreting his photographs.

By doing this project in the 21st century, I interpreted Frank’s project in the 20th century with an increased sense of curiosity as to what he had learned from his experience. As his project is more than 50 years old, the subject matter he focused on is not as relevant today, and because of this, the hardships of the American Dream was not something I was well educated on. In a world, today, that places so much emphasis on “being the best” and “having the most expensive material goods,” Frank’s photographs were a nice reminder that there are more important values in life; camaraderie, trust, hard work, and determination.

 

 

Mel,

Very thoughtful conclusion. Your opening paragraph is really too long. Consider splitting it in two starting with “This disconnect . . . ”

I like your self-position as an outsider in interpreting Frank’s photographs. That adds a layer to your analysis. It also complicates your sentence about the subject matter Frank focused on is not as relevant today, because I think that if you just update the subject matter–race, cars, loneliness, exploitation–you would find it still relevant.

DDM

Sources: List of all your sources with hyperlinks. Be sure to separate photo sources from written research sources.

Written Research Sources:

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/robert-frank?all/all/all/all/0

https://www.artsy.net/artist/robert-frank

https://www.nga.gov/features/robert-frank/the-americans-1955-57.html

https://www.danzigergallery.com/artists/robert-frank

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/the-one-robert-frank-photo-that-might-best-capture-america

times.com/2019/09/10/opinion/robert-frank-photographer.html?auth=login-google

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/robert-franks-curious-perspective-83745762/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/robert-franks-photographs-captured-the-bleak-reality-were-still-living-in-today/2019/09/10/d5d9de76-d3e6-11e9-86ac-0f250cc91758_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/nov/07/robert-frank-americans-photography-influence-shadows

file:///Users/melaniebeal/Downloads/Parr%20&%20Badger%20-%20Photobook,%20Intro%20(1).pdf

The Americans, Robert Frank

Photo Sources:

http://100photos.time.com/photos/robert-frank-trolley-new-orleans

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/87163/fourth-of-july-jay-new-york

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265028

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/267147

https://www.phillips.com/detail/robert-frank/NY040313/103

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/85779567879106354/

http://www.jeudepaume.org/index.php?page=article&idArt=849|

https://gittermangallery.com/artist/Robert_Frank/works/2578

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2015/robert-frank-the-americans-n09249/lot.6.html