RE: [Leica] Robert Frank in Ottawa

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

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From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of m
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 4:09 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: RE: [Leica] Robert Frank in Ottawa


>mr. Colen, I imagine that a book like "The Americans" must still be a huge
weight on Frank's shoulders. I mean, how can you top work like that? So he
worked on other things, films and stuff. (he's not a one-book photographer
though: the rest of his photographic work, before The Americans and the
scarce material after The Americans, are amazing)
His movies are not as good as The Americans? Maybe. But the Rolling Stones
tour film is an underground classic. Maybe he got discouraged by the
horrible personal tragedies who marred his later years.
And anyway, do you judge Michael Jordan by his baseball career? I don't. So
why judge Frank by his film and experimental art work when he is a
photographer?
Maybe HCB drawings are as good as his photography, maybe not. Who cares?
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Matteo - I'm NOT judging Frank by his later work - or, as you put it,
judging Michael Jordan by his baseball. I'm judging Robert Frank by The
Americans, which is like judging Michael Jordan by his jump shot! And I wish
he had continued to do the kind of work he did in The Americans. Could he
top it? I doubt it. But so what. Can you imagine the body of work he would
have ultimately had had he continued photographing on that level?

And, too, I am not criticizing him for the path he choose - I'm aware of the
personal tragedies, and, besides, who am I to say what an artist should or
should not have done with his life. I am simply saying that, as one who
appreciates photography - particularly documentary photography and serious
photojournalism - I consider it a tragedy that he didn't continue working in
that vein.

B. D.


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