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.

Robert Frank: Redefining American Perception one Frame at a Time

Robert Frank was born on November 9th, in Zürich Switzerland; as a young boy, Frank realized his interest in the medium of photography. At age 22 he moved to Europe to become a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. He, however, disliked the ability to only take pictures for the fashion sector of photography as he felt it limited his aptitude to take pictures of the rest of the world. As a result, he continued to travel from country to country to explore new outlets; eventually, he received the opportunity to embark on a road trip across the United States. During this road trip, Robert Frank developed his style that was known to portray “alienation, loneliness and spiritual desolation;” this style provided insight into an unfiltered look into the life of each state’s inhabitants (IPHF). As an immigrant, himself, Frank frequently moved countries; this helped him develop astyle of images from the perspective of an outsider looking in.

In the image on the left, Frank’s “outsider” perspective can be in full effect as Frank, a Jewish immigrant, captures this image depicting the lens of a European unaccustomed to segregation recognizing the alienation of African Americans. Delving deeper into this image the metal bars could be juxtaposed to the constraints the south placed on African Americans. Onlookers can see a sense of class structure: starting with a White male adult, moving on to a White woman, to two while children, to an adult African American, and finally to a female African American. Unfortunately, this picture highlighted the stark reality of which white children were treated with more respect than African American adults with the metal bars limiting their social mobility.

The image pictured on the right portrays a group of Orthodox Jews observing the practice of tashlikh on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana in New York City. This picture is the only one in Frank’s book, The Americans where it can be clearly inferred that Frank is a Jewish photographer; the young boy, for example, can be seen wearing a Kippah. As Frank stoops down to the same eye level as the other Jews with a rather unfastidious frame, Frank depicting his “outsider” perspective as this image shows two people a man and a child out of place as they are the only ones in the frame that are not wearing black. The suits can be juxtaposed to show Frank’s inner struggle as a immigrant to fit in America. As Frank’s blurry photograph showcases what looks like Jewish immigration to America in a raw and uncut manner, however it is really showing them conducting a prayer. Furthermore, the title of his picture states the wrong holiday, signaling Frank’s reluctantness to associate with his religion. 

Frank’s Jewishness affected this picture as he is depicting the Fourth of July; this holiday is supposed to signal a unanimous day of celebration across America. Families are supposed to get together and celebrate life and the country as a whole. Americans are used to the flag being eulogized in the media; however, Frank’s image presents this iconic symbol, which represents American freedom, to be battered with a tear and patches. Robert Frank, instead, is focused on illustrating the raw unadulterated version which didn’t follow the American dream a euphoria commonly advertised that the public grew accustomed too. Frank doesn’t even realize this because he just traveled and shot his images the way he saw them. This removes some of the glamour and glorification of a holiday that, during this time period, was rarely portrayed in an unattractive manner. 

Sawyer,

This is an excellent beginning and a strong opening statement. Please insert the photograph you are discussing into the text. You have a number of statements that are should be corrected. Frank did not work for Harper’s Bazaar until he came to NYC in 1947. In Europe he took photographs and assembled his first photobook, 40 Fotos. When you quote from a source, please insert the hyperlink into the text (in addition to having it in the sources section).

It would be appropriate to identify the photographs by the titles that Frank gave them. The photograph of “Yom Kippur, New York City” is not a photo of immigrants arriving in NYC. As I mentioned in class, it is actually a photograph of Orthodox Jews observing the practice of tashlikh on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana.

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?

A blast from the past: Preserved Americana

In Robert Frank’s book The Americans many different perspectives of America; discriminating against none, Frank photographed people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. As a Jew, Frank was already a member of a minority group, making him no stranger to being an outsider. Through his lens, the true essence of America is shown. Frank was unfamiliar with the American way and his “book was thought to be an indictment of American society, stripping away the picture-perfect vision of the country and its veneer of breezy optimism put forward in magazines and movies and on television” (Gefter). This is what I will be striving for in my pictures, displaying my images as more natural and simplistic. Frank was known for his disorganized and grainy images depicting loneliness and highlighting the oddities present in American life. He was an innovator, years ahead of his time, revolutionizing the way the medium of photography presented pictures many years later.

Frank had an innate ability to get close enough to his subjects without intruding, a skill that only a true outsider would possess. He was careful not to insert himself into the lives of his subjects, maintaining a perfect distance between himself and the subject of the photograph. Through his lens, we can see lovers picnicking with the contrast of many vehicles behind them. Frank does not solely focus on the couple in love, but adjusts the frame to include the father and son in the vehicle behind them; this allows for multiple viewing angles.

This photo displays just what made Frank’s work unique in comparison to that of his peers. A bar is normally a social place to unwind with friends, not usually portrayed to be a lonely atmosphere. Frank’s subject is by himself, dejectedly staring into a jukebox; the music from the jukebox acts as a coping mechanism to aid him in his internal struggle. He was known to document photos as he saw them, no matter whether the annotation was good or bad. Frank’s images didn’t hide anything from the viewer, with this image, for example, capturing this man at a low point in his life.

I will be traveling to a local farm that has an extensive collection of Americana from 1910 on, helping me in my task of recreating Frank’s iconic style. This destination was selected as I am part of Generation Z. Therefore, I am also an “outsider looking in,” as many of the things I will display in my pictures are foreign to me, from a time way before I was born.

Sawyer,

I will be interested to see the photographs you take on the farm. It is ironic, considering that Frank largely ignored agriculture in his travels across the U.S.

Please insert the photographs you are discussing, with their titles, into the text.

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?

Selected Images:

Slideshow 1 (Left to Right):

Slideshow 2 (Left to Right):

Sawyer,

You’ve got a good gallery of photos and slide show. You need to get the second slide show up and think about the images you want to choose.

DDM

While taking my own photos I learned alot about both myself and Frank, as I went to Triple S Farms, a location I was unfamiliar with making it difficult to decide what to take photos of. At the end of my photo shoot I had amassed one hundred and ten pictures and the revision process began. It became clear to me while analyzing The Americans that every picture Frank used had a purpose and more specifically was hand picked to be ordered in a way that flows both aesthetically but also artistically, conveying Frank’s style and message. Frank really zeroed in on “the individual,” portraying him/her in a vulnerable state. His photos were all about point of view, as he was radically different from his peers at the time. It was this, I would say, that was my greatest challenge as an outsider; I struggled to not only find, but establish this sense of non-belongingness with my lens.

Frank was able to masterfully create a brand; when you think of Robert Frank, his distinct style precedes him. “Mr. Frank’s photographs — of lone individuals, teenage couples, groups at funerals and odd spoors of cultural life — were cinematic, immediate, off-kilter and grainy, like early television transmissions of the period” (Gefter).I used only one model in my photos as it was a main point and theme of isolation and loneliness I intended to depict. “Frank shunned the principle of balanced compositions in favor of crooked, grainy high contrasts in black and white and his revolutionary approach to his subjects was to prove decisive in the development of a more authentic reportage photography” (The Art Story).

After looking at Frank’s work in comparison to mine, I found that none of my photographs were grainy and instead much more clear. This was something I was unable to replicate as I used an iphone camera and have little knowledge on how to effectively operate one. The location I chose was originally due to the immaculate collection of Americana, but I later learned that the owner, Saul Schwartz, was also Jewish and was able to acquire all these possessions as he became successful pursuing the “American Dream,” an idea that piqued Frank’s interest. Upon learning this, I found that this was most certainly a place Frank would have been interested in photographing as it is a collection of the past, a memory and reminder of Mr. Schwartz’s past life. A place he could frequent to help him relive his younger years, a time where the landscape of America was much different.

Much about this experience reminded me of Frank as I was truly an outsider, looking in, exploring a place that was so foreign to me with an individual who, in effect, was alone in reliving his past, trying to amass a collection of the days he yearned for when cars had hood ornaments and numbers were dialed using a rotary phone. I had no idea I would experience this, as I was surprised to learn Mr. Schwartz’s story, unaware of the many parallels it would have to Frank. Yes, Frank did not visit many farms or capture pictures of many animals, but given the circumstances of COVID-19 I tried to get creative and try a rather unorthodox approach just as Frank used to achieve his later success as a photographer.

The building that housed the antique cars had many mannequins that I first thought were very odd, originally deciding that I would not include them in my photographs. As an outsider these figures were just simply weird to me as I pondered why they were placed in many locations around the farm. I later realized that these mannequins were a great example of how Frank portrayed the “odd spoors of cultural life,” (Gefter) and was surprised to realize how beneficial they would become to my project. I originally intended on capturing mainly the antique cars, but I found myself drawn to take pictures of American Buffalo, a horse wagon, and mannequins. Mr. Schwartz has had his farm for over 30 years, having one of the only exotic animal permits in New Jersey. He has a herd of American Bison, one of the iconic animals of America, and furthermore, an unusual animal to have on a farm in the suburbs of New Jersey, especially as they are not typical domestic animals.

It was liberating to try to develop my own style with Frank’s technique being the inspiration. Furthermore, it was an unbelievable experience as I had no idea what I was embarking on as I set out to this farm. I was able to see a collection of over 50 antique cars, first hand, and a vast collection of Americana witnessing its history, and in doing so, visually being able to see what the world of the 50s onward was like in person. This was particularly interesting because many of the photographers we studied in our class were active during that time period.

Overall, it was a very rewarding experience learning about Jewish photographers. It isn’t clear just how much work goes into each photo, but when I actually took them myself it was an enlightening process. It was very surprising as I never quite really understood why Frank’s images were so controversial until it was I who was tasked with recreating a similar style. I had to constantly restrain myself as to what I took photographs of as I was not used to focusing on the odd things but rather the visually appealing ones. This process made me respect Frank as a visual storyteller so much more as this task is not a facile one, needing a trained refined eye to undertake it. Usually, I would describe myself as an artistic person but this project was very eye-opening as I learned I enjoy taking pictures. In the future, I hope to further explore my surroundings, as if it weren’t for this project, I would have never learned about the fascinating areas around my town.

Sawyer,

Very thoughtful reflections on your own experience trying to take photographs where you would be an outsider as Frank was. I think it’s fascinating that the farm’s owner was Jewish, engaged in his own effort to accumulate Americana from the 1950s. It’s hard to tell from your photos whether any of them have a mannequin in them but I think that you are correct that Frank would have been intrigued by the mannequins, seeing them somehow as expressions of America.

I like the single photograph that you selected of the man by the jukebox. It would be good to pair it with one of Frank’s jukebox photos. You’re missing the second slideshow that should be in dialogue with your own.

When you revise the final project, please add links to the quotes within your text in addition to listing them under photo sources.

DDM

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

Robert Frank was a true Jewish photographer as he was interested in the oddities of American life, constantly capturing the vulnerable individual. When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice” (Frank). He was interested in piquing the onlookers’ interest, giving them a different perspective every time they viewed his work. Frank wasn’t afraid to take pictures that were different from the norm society placed on photography. I found when trying to channel Frank’s style, it is difficult to redefine something that has already been done. Therefore, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I focused on the oddities, learning just how unconventional Frank’s approach was first hand. Before trying to recreate Frank’s technique I was naive to think it wouldn’t be a challenge. Initially, I thought depicting America would be an easy feat but after reading The Americans it became clear how wrong I was; Frank always had a purpose, meticulously deciding on every minute detail, from how to shoot the picture to the order in which it would be presented. As a result, my thesis did change due to my lack of understanding as to who Frank really was. It was originally created with preconceived ideas which drastically changed as I delved deeper into both my research and my own photography shoot.

My original thesis focused on the car collection on the farm, but when I actually took the pictures it became clear I had to change my focus to anything odd, or display the individual which is why my photographs only picture one man, the owner of the farm himself. Furthermore, after learning Mr. Schwartz’s story, that he himself was a Jew whose parents immigrated, I decided that Frank would have been captivated with him as he created an 81 acre recreation of his life with the fruit of his labor. Doing this project in the 21st century gave me an “outsider’s” perspective as I was unfamiliar with the 20th century as a whole. This gave me a blank slate to interpret the Americana from the 20th, on the fly without direction. I found it to be an advantage as it allowed me to impartially create shots of eccentric parts of the farm I visited.

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.artic.edu/artworks/119414/yom-kippur-east-river-new-yorkhttp://www.artnet.com/artists/robert-frank/public-park-ann-arbor-michigan-YNa3GbYcp6FyJ2DefYtxsg2
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265012
http://www.artnet.com/artists/robert-frank/public-park-ann-arbor-michigan-YNa3GbYcp6FyJ2DefYtxsg2
https://collections.artsmia.org/art/23124/motorama-los-angeles-robert-frank

Website Sources:
https://iphf.org/inductees/robert-frank/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/arts/robert-frank-dead-americans-photography.html
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/robert-frank?all/all/all/all/0
https://www.nga.gov/features/robert-frank/the-americans-1955-57.html
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/frank-robert/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/48591.Robert_Frank

Book Source:
https://oscarenfotos.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/robert_frank_-_the_americans.pdf