Robert Frank Americans

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FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT MARCH 12, 2009 PAGE 1 Photo: Museum Directions PART ONE: The National Gallery 1. Take time to walk through the entire exhibition. 2. Draw (in your sketchbook) a quick thumbnail of one image that you find particularly inspiring and one that you dislike in the exhibition. If titled, mark down the title and year photographed. 3. Why did you select these images? What did you like and what did you dislike about each of the images? 4. What principles of composition (light, rule of thirds, etc.) did Frank employ in the images and how do they contribute to the success of the photograph? The Americans Robert Frank Photo Exhibit: Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans First published in France in 1958 and in the United States in 1959, Robert Frank's The Americans is widely celebrated as the most important photography book since World War II. Including 83 photographs made largely in 1955 and 1956 while Frank (b. 1924) traveled around the United States, the book looked beneath the surface of American life to reveal a profound sense of alienation, angst, and loneliness. With these prophetic photographs, Frank redefined the icons of America, noting that cars, jukeboxes, gas stations, diners, and even the road itself were telling symbols of contemporary life. Frank's styleseemingly loose, casual compositions, with often rough, blurred, out -of-focus foregrounds and tilted horizonswas just as controversial and influential as his subject matter. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the book's publication by presenting all 83 photographs from The Americans in the order established by the book, and by providing a detailed examination of the book's roots in Frank's earlier work, its construction, and its impact on his later art.

Transcript of Robert Frank Americans

FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT

MARCH 12, 2009

The AmericansRobert FrankPhoto Exhibit: Looking In: Robert Franks The Americans

Photo: Museum DirectionsPART ONE: The National Gallery 1. Take time to walk through the entire exhibition. 2. Draw (in your sketchbook) a quick thumbnail of one image that you nd particularly inspiring and one that you dislike in the exhibition. If titled, mark down the title and year photographed. 3. Why did you select these images? What did you like and what did you dislike about each of the images? 4. What principles of composition (light, rule of thirds, etc.) did Frank employ in the images and how do they contribute to the success of the photograph?

First published in France in 1958 and in the United States in 1959, Robert Frank's The Americans is widely celebrated as the most important photography book since World War II. Including 83 photographs made largely in 1955 and 1956 while Frank (b. 1924) traveled around the United States, the book looked beneath the surface of American life to reveal a profound sense of alienation, angst, and loneliness. With these prophetic photographs, Frank redened the icons of America, noting that cars, jukeboxes, gas stations, diners, and even the road itself were telling symbols of contemporary life. Frank's styleseemingly loose, casual compositions, with often rough, blurred, out-of-focus foregrounds and tilted horizonswas just as controversial and inuential as his subject matter. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the book's publication by presenting all 83 photographs from The Americans

in the order established by the book, and by providing a detailed examination of the book's roots in Frank's earlier work, its construction, and its impact on his later art.

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FIELD TRIP ASSIGNMENT

MARCH 12, 2009

PART TWO: AFTER FRANK...AFTER THE MUSEUM FOLLOW-UPThings to think about...and answer in your sketchbook! 1. Why is Franks book The Americans such an important photographic collection? 2. Why was the series of images considered so controversial and inuential after its publication. 3. Considering the context and time period that The Americans was published...what type of images were being produced before the series by other photographers? 4. How (in your own words) did Franks images and shooting techniques alter the way photographers made images and select subject matter?

PART THREE: MAKING SOME DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHSCreate two digital images that are inspired by the selected Robert Frank images that you chose to sketch earlier (one you liked and one you disliked). You will need to shoot the images digitally, import the images onto a computer and then place a print of the images in your sketchbook along with the original sketches. See any similarities? -depth of Field -composition -value range -use of geometric shapes -implied glance of the subject Robert Frank Image from The Americans Danny Wilcox Frazier A young girl dreams of becoming a summer festival queen like her older sister, Conesville, 2003

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ROBERT FRANK CHECK OUT THE PHOTO CLASS BLOG FOR LINKS, IMAGES, AND INSPIRATION!!! Consider doing some research by surng the web for a bit to see how others have been inspired by Robert Frank and listen to audio tracks about Frank and The Americans series/book publication. Links can be found on my class blog at: http://rhhsphoto2molno.blogspot.com/

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