The Americans

I really don't know how to judge a photograph beyond the instincts of "what I like" and "what I don't like". Though several Intro to Photography classes in both high school and college (as well as a degree in film/video) have given me a basic understanding of exposure, printing, contrast, and composition, I am still at a loss to explain what makes a good photo. I am even more puzzled when presented with what has been declared a great photograph that I just can't connect with. Certainly there is something more... more than subject matter, more than when things are printed correctly, or intentionally incorrectly. There is a connection that I cannot grasp that makes a photograph pleasing and provoking. And then there are images that are important (whether these qualifications lie within subject matter or technique or both is not for me to say). Things really get exciting when the importance of a photograph is in harmony with this unspeakable connection. It all feels right.

In 1955, fashion photographer and photojournalist Robert Frank received a grant from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to travel the US and photograph its citizen and society from all angles. With his wife and two children alongside for part of the journey, Frank traveled continuously for two years, capturing almost 30,000 pictures (83 of which made the exhibition and publication). Upon returning to New York in 1957, Frank befriended Beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, who shared similar experiences of rambling travel across the United States and a unpolished presentation of the cultural American landscape.

Originally finding it difficult to get a publisher (it was published in Paris in 1958 before a US edition in 59), Frank's association with the Beats and Kerouac's introduction to the US edition helped the work gain widespread popularity despite harsh criticism of the work as "sloppy", "muddy", and "drunken". It has gone on to be considered a giant step forward in raw journalistic photography and has become the most popular photography book of all time.

The Americans has been reprinted in different editions many times, the latest being the deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition from publisher Gerhard Steidl. It uses modern scanning and tritone printing techniques. Some of the images are cropped a little wider in this edition as well. And, apparently, two images have been switched out entirely. The original Kerouac introduction is again presented. This book will be released in June in conjunction with the new tour of The Americans photo exhibit (coming to SFMOMA in mid-2009).

I must say that many of these images strike me visually and powerfully beyond their subjects and context. Often in much darkness and hazy focus, the architecture and portraits do seem truly American and offer a counterpoint to the antiseptic portrayal of Americans in the 1950s. While this sub-genre of "honest, ugly portraiture" has become the norm with contemporary young photographers, I can imagine how amazingly fresh and brutal this work seemed 50 years ago. The Kerouac essay is some classic Beat ramblings, which I enjoy. Like I've said, I don't really know why a photo works for me but this book definitely feels good without beeing "feel-good".

Special thanks to the folks at D.A.P. for flowing me a press copy of this edition for this review. There is a great essay on The Americans by Brian Appel over at artcritical.com. The images in this review were taken digitally by me from my copy of the book, so don't judge the photographs by them.