Maidie

"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."-- Robert Frank

Robert Frank was born November 9, 1924 in Switzerland. His most notable work was his photography book “The Americans”, which was influenced by the post-war period. He saw America as a bleak and lonely, which he displayed through his photography. In 1955-1956 Frank earned a grant to travel across America and photography all levels of society. His photographs displayed the difference between the optimism of the 1950’s and the tensions between class and race. His use of low lighting, unusual focus, and different cropping techniques made it difficult for Frank to initially find a publisher. Frank eventually moved from photography to filmmaking. In 1972 he made a documentary on the Rolling Stones, but was eventually sued to prevent the film’s release because of the extreme display of sex, drugs, and loneliness of life on the road. In 1970 Frank returned to still image and published his second photographic book, “The Lines of My Hand”, which consisted of mainly personal images. His later work was a construction of images and collages made from a combination of negatives. Frank continues to produce both films and still images.