Gallery Review
I saw the Robert Frank exhibit at Blue Sky Gallery on 2/3/18. It displayed his street photography
in various cities, contact sheets, portfolio work as a retoucher for other people’s images, his films, and his
books. I loved the way his work was displayed on the wall. Instead of framing the photos, they were
printed on long, large strips of paper, so every paper had multiple images on it, leading to a unique
viewing experience. The show had much more work than I expected. About 15 different series were on
display. I think his strongest work was London / Wales, The Americans, Me and My Brother, and the work
from the book The Lines of my Hand. I think the weakest work was his Peru series, at least in my opinion.
I just wasn’t as drawn to it as the other series and I didn’t find the photos as interesting. My favorite series
was by far London / Wales. I love the bleakness of the images, especially in contrast with the more upbeat
imagery of The Americans. The photos had a strong atmosphere and showed men in black clothing and
tall hats, foggy streets, and miners covered in soot. Another highlight was the contact sheets. It was
interesting to see what photos he decided to print. I found myself liking many of the photos he didn’t
circle and was curious to know why he didn’t choose them. I saw The Americans at the Portland Art
Museum last year, so I recognized a few photos from that series, but was surprised to learn that he also
shot many videos, including an 85-minute film, as well as the fact that he made so many books. I would
highly recommend this show because there is a lot of work to look at of vastly different subject matter
from different time periods.
in various cities, contact sheets, portfolio work as a retoucher for other people’s images, his films, and his
books. I loved the way his work was displayed on the wall. Instead of framing the photos, they were
printed on long, large strips of paper, so every paper had multiple images on it, leading to a unique
viewing experience. The show had much more work than I expected. About 15 different series were on
display. I think his strongest work was London / Wales, The Americans, Me and My Brother, and the work
from the book The Lines of my Hand. I think the weakest work was his Peru series, at least in my opinion.
I just wasn’t as drawn to it as the other series and I didn’t find the photos as interesting. My favorite series
was by far London / Wales. I love the bleakness of the images, especially in contrast with the more upbeat
imagery of The Americans. The photos had a strong atmosphere and showed men in black clothing and
tall hats, foggy streets, and miners covered in soot. Another highlight was the contact sheets. It was
interesting to see what photos he decided to print. I found myself liking many of the photos he didn’t
circle and was curious to know why he didn’t choose them. I saw The Americans at the Portland Art
Museum last year, so I recognized a few photos from that series, but was surprised to learn that he also
shot many videos, including an 85-minute film, as well as the fact that he made so many books. I would
highly recommend this show because there is a lot of work to look at of vastly different subject matter
from different time periods.
My favorite photo is the above image, which is from London / Wales. I was first drawn to it
because I have an obsession with photos of miners and tend to automatically love any photos of
them when covered in soot. But I love this miner photo especially because of the intense lighting.
The background is completely black and the miner’s face is only illuminated by the lighter he
holds up to his face. The most prominent principle of design is contrast because of the contrast
between light and dark. The most prominent element of design is space because most of the photo
is just black. The composition is asymmetrical because the man is slightly off center and there is
something white in the top left corner. The photo has a slightly unsettling atmosphere because of
the extreme lighting and black background, but the man’s expression is calm and relaxed, which
makes me feel calm looking at it. I don’t think this was the intent of Frank by taking this photo,
though, since most of his work is more journalist.
because I have an obsession with photos of miners and tend to automatically love any photos of
them when covered in soot. But I love this miner photo especially because of the intense lighting.
The background is completely black and the miner’s face is only illuminated by the lighter he
holds up to his face. The most prominent principle of design is contrast because of the contrast
between light and dark. The most prominent element of design is space because most of the photo
is just black. The composition is asymmetrical because the man is slightly off center and there is
something white in the top left corner. The photo has a slightly unsettling atmosphere because of
the extreme lighting and black background, but the man’s expression is calm and relaxed, which
makes me feel calm looking at it. I don’t think this was the intent of Frank by taking this photo,
though, since most of his work is more journalist.
Other Work from the Show:
from London / Wales
from Household Inventory Record
from London / Wales
full London / Wales display
contact sheet
