‘Black and white is the vision of hope and despair. This is what I want in my photographs.’ – Robert Frank
Robert Frank is the kind of Photographer that I nickname a ‘depressionist’, because he records things in history that are somewhat depressing, such as the devastation left after the holocaust.
Robert Frank was half German and half Jewish. He is a documentary photographer who wanted to document the remains left after the holocaust. He lived in Paris for a while, before moving to New York.
His main claim to fame was a book titled ‘The Americans’. He shot over 20,000 photos in America alone, the images taken during the time when black people were made to sit at the back of the bus whilst white people sat at the front. The image below is the books cover, where you can see the different classes separated on the passing bus.
Some of Robert Franks interests in Photography are racism, patriotism, African Americans and Americans. He shows in his work how America is not like it is in the movies. People think of America as ‘the land of the free’ and a place of hope and prosperity, when it actually isn’t.
He also did some film work for a while, an example of his work is Cocksucker Blues with The Rolling Stones.
Robert Frank is one of those photographers that I have mixed feelings on if I like their work or not. I’m not a fan of depressionists personally, because their work leaves me feeling empty and cold, but at the same time I like how they are actually able to portray this feeling. I admire his images and work, but I hate them at the same time.
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