The Final Project

Robert Frank- The Americans

One of the most celebrated American photographers of the twentieth-century, Robert Frank used his camera to document the good and bad in American life. Born in Switzerland in 1924, Frank turned to photography as a way to escape a stifling business-oriented family. At the age of twenty-three he moved to New York and began work as a photographer. As time passed in the United States, his previously optimistic view of “the American Dream” gradually dimmed as he observed the rampant greed and pride afflicting American society. This disapproval is apparent in many of the photographs in his most famous work, The Americans, a book comprised of pictures taken as Frank traveled across the United States. In ingenious, creative ways, Frank utilized the medium of photography to address issues of race, cultural divides, and disillusionment in the American public. (Wikipedia, “Robert Frank”)

Frank, to me, embodies a modern artistic genius. The composition and spontaneity of his pictures is spectacular, and the ways in which he subtly infused moral lessons into his works is equally impressive. He was not afraid to employ low lighting, unusual focus and cropping to create a new brand of photography. It was a complicated time in the States, and Frank recognized and portrayed perfectly these mixed emotions and ethics in The Americans.

In 2008, an updated edition of The Americans was released to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. His photographs are relevant today, and their lessons are just as applicable. Certainly America has come a long way in racial equality since Frank’s time, but there still exists obvious feelings of racism and superiority. Also just as prevalent is the greed and vanity showcased by so many American citizens; class distinction remains a very real aspect of modern American life. While some critics argue that Frank’s photographs were overly negative, and didn’t truthfully depict American life, I would contend that Frank was keenly aware of and sensitive to the painfully real problems around him. Furthermore, Frank should be praised for working as an artist to help bring about change.

I chose to pay tribute to Robert Frank and The Americans for several reasons. Firstly, for the past few years I’ve had a growing appreciation of photography as an art form. Secondly (and perhaps as a direct result of the first reason), as we were discussing Frank and looking at his photographs in class I was instantly impressed and drawn to his work. When deciding what to do for the final project, taking pictures in the style of Robert Frank was literally my first idea.

Like Frank who traveled America to document the lives of Americans, I got in my car and traveled Provo to document the people and places of the city we all know and love. It was an interesting experience to try and think like a photographer, always looking for a good thing to take a picture of. It was difficult, and my respect for Frank’s talent and keen eye for a good picture grew immensely. I tried to add an aspect of spontaneity to my photographs by taking them from my car as I drove. More than once I saw something I liked and had to make a rapid u-turn to go back and capture it. I also felt uncomfortable taking pictures of strangers, and I tried to make it very subtle whenever I took out my camera to take a picture of someone. I suppose I could have gotten out and asked if I could take a picture, but I thought the portraits would have lost the element of candidness. It was also really hard to try and make social commentary through the pictures. It was a fun project, and I hope to be able to take better pictures in the future as a result.

Here is one of the photos I took as part of my final project. I call it, "Lost".

The Rothko Chapel

Mark Rothko is one of the most prominent American painters of the twentieth century. Although he is considered by art historians to be associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement, Rothko himself denied this. Born in 1903 in Russia, he migrated to the United States with his family when he was just ten years old. He had an interest in art as he advanced in his schooling, and after leaving Yale after two years he began his career as an artist in New York City. During his early years as a painter he painted portraits, aquarelles, and urban scenes, but gradually his focus in painting shifted to its most elemental component—color.

Rothko’s most famous paintings came as a result of this shift in focus. His paintings of large rectangles floating in fields of color led to the Color Field movement of the 1960s. His earlier works featured shades of bright yellow, red, and orange. Later paintings featured darker colors, such as black and deep purple. It was during this phase of more somber paintings that Rothko was commissioned to paint several large murals for what has come to be called the “Rothko Chapel” outside of Houston, Texas. The paintings were done in his studio in New York, and were installed in the chapel in 1971 just prior to its dedication. Unfortunately, Rothko’s suicide earlier in the year prevented him from being present at the ceremony.

For Rothko, the chapel was meant to be a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to get away from the center of art in New York. Upon entering the chapel, one is surrounded by Rothko’s paintings—triptychs of soft brown, and rectangles of deep black. His belief in the transcendentalism of art is apparent in every direction. Thousands of visitors walk through the chapel every year, experiencing this same transcendent feeling. If I ever find myself in the Houston area, I plan on making a visit to this religious masterpiece. Like Rothko, I cannot deny the divine power and inspiration associated with great art.

Sources: rothkochapel.org; Wikipedia, "Mark Rothko" & "Rothko Chapel"