1. Research a photo-book and describe the story it is communicating with reference to subject-matter, genre and approach to image-making.
‘The Americans’ – Robert Frank, Published 1958.
“The Americans” is Robert Frank’s vivid firsthand reportage from the contradictory and out-in-the-open society of America in the 1950s: alienation, social rifts, and chasms between the American dream and reality. Here indeed is the documentation of life, through unpolished, often unorthodox images, with grainy, blurred compositions and odd views where even the emotional intensity is powerfully felt in the visual representation. A documentary style mixes personal vision and brutal facts: an aesthetic deprivation in full strength with a critical, nuanced view of America.
2. Who is the photographer? Why did he/she make it? (intentions/ reasons) Who is it for? (audience) How was it received? (any press, reviews, awards, legacy etc.)
Robert Frank, 1924 – 2019.
Robert Frank created The Americans for a personal, critical view of American society, a reaction to the gulf between glamorized imagery and lived social realities. He was intent on assaulting the conformity of 1950s America, with a special focus on the racial and economic disparities that he believed the country bred. The book was targeted at just about anyone, but especially the people who were in doubt about what postwar America stood for. Reaction was mixed at first: some hailed its innovation, while others spurned it as a false view of America. Over the years, it became one of the most talked about works in the picture world, transformed the documentary photograph, and made Frank’s name as a pioneering visual artist.
Sources:
https://www.moma.org/artists/1973
3. Deconstruct the narrative, concept and design of the book and apply theory above when considering:
- Book in hand: how does it feel? Smell, sniff the paper. -A book smells like a delicate blend of fresh paper, ink, and time—an earthy, nostalgic scent that mingles the crispness of the new with the mustiness of the old.
- Paper and ink: use of different paper/ textures/ colour or B&W or both. -In The Americans, Robert Frank uses black-and-white photographs printed on textured paper, enhancing the raw, gritty realism of his documentary style.
- Format, size and orientation: portraiture/ landscape/ square/ A5, A4, A3 / number of pages. –The Americans is a large, landscape-format book with 83 photographs spread across 128 pages, allowing Frank’s images to have a wide, immersive impact.
- Binding, soft/hard cover. image wrap/dust jacket. saddle stitch/swiss binding/ Japanese stab-binding/ leperello – The Americans has a hardcover binding with a dust jacket and uses Swiss binding, allowing the book to open flat and display its photographs with durability.
- Cover: linen/ card. graphic/ printed image. embossed/ debossed. letterpress/ silkscreen/hot-stamping. -The cover of The Americans is made of cardboard with a printed image and embossed title, reflecting the raw, simple aesthetic of Frank’s work.
- Title: literal or poetic / relevant or intriguing. – The title The Americans is literal, referring to the subjects of the book, yet intriguing as it suggests a deeper exploration of the complexities and contradictions within American society.
- Narrative: what is the story/ subject-matter. How is it told? -In The Americans, Robert Frank tells a story of postwar America through raw, black-and-white photographs that capture moments of alienation, social tension, and vulnerability, offering a critical and fragmented view of the nation’s complexities and contradictions.
- Structure and architecture: how design/ repeating motifs/ or specific features develops a concept or construct a narrative. –In The Americans, Robert Frank uses a deliberate structure of seemingly unconnected, yet thematically linked, images to create a visual rhythm that reflects the fragmentation and diversity of American society, with repeating motifs such as shadows, reflections, and isolated figures reinforcing the themes of alienation and social disconnection.
- Design and layout: image size on pages/ single page, double-spread/ images/ grid, fold- outs/ inserts. – In The Americans, the design and layout feature a mix of single-page and double-spread images, with varying image sizes that create a dynamic flow, while the use of sparse grid-like arrangements and occasional full-bleed photographs enhances the emotional impact, allowing the viewer to experience the narrative in a way that emphasizes both intimacy and expansiveness.
- Editing and sequencing: selection of images/ juxtaposition of photographs/ editing process. -In The Americans, Robert Frank’s editing and sequencing of images carefully juxtapose moments of stark contrast, such as joy and despair, to highlight the tension and complexity of American life, with each photograph chosen for its ability to convey a deeper narrative, while the overall sequencing creates a rhythm that intensifies the emotional resonance of the book.
- Images and text: are they linked? Introduction/ essay/ statement by artists or others. Use of captions (if any.) -In “The Americans”, Robert Frank links images through sequencing rather than captions, allowing the photographs to speak universally, while Jack Kerouac’s poetic introduction provides a thematic frame, inviting viewers to interpret the fragmented reality of post-war America on their own terms.
UNDERSTANDING PHOTOBOOKS:
NARRATIVE, EDITING, SEQUENCING, DESIGN, FORM, FUNCTION