【50摄影大师介绍】之十九, 罗伯特·弗兰克 Robert Frank

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2011-1-13

【50摄影大师介绍】之十九, 罗伯特·弗兰克 Robert Frank

 

50 Masters of Photography (19) --- Robert Frank 华翰斋 (born November 9, 1924, Zürich, Switzerland) one of the most influential photographers of the mid-20th century, noted for ironic renderings of American life. Frank became a professional industrial photographer at the age of 22 and in the 1940s became a successful fashion photographer for Harper's Bazaar magazine in Paris. He felt, however, that the scope of the work was too limited. He abandoned fashion photography about 1948 and went to the United States and then to Peru to explore the expressive possibilities of the 35-mm camera. After photographing in Europe in 1950 and 1953, Frank returned to the United States. There in 1955 and 1956 he made a series of photographs ultimately published as The Americans (1959), a photographic book with a text by the American novelist Jack Kerouac. Photographs such as Chicago, 1956 in The Americans reveal Frank's mature style, which is characterized by bold composition and ironic, sometimes bitter, social commentary. Their publication established Frank as a major creative photographer. After 1959 he turned primarily to cinematography. His first motion picture, Pull My Daisy (1959), was based on a play by Kerouac and featured the poets Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and Peter Orlovsky, as well as the painter Larry Rivers. Pull My Daisy was a critical success, but Frank's later films were not so well received.   More 中文

本期评论: 虫庆通勤

Robert Frank的代表作是那本从2万多张底片中选出83张的《美国人》。当时他很郁闷：他既对时装影楼里肌肤般深浅的粉黛人生感到厌倦，也不为马格南图片、生活周刊所容。在他看来，生活虽不是雪松岩石、但也不是锦衣香水。从Harper杂志社辞职后，他作了几个私人项目，包括法国鲜花、桌椅专集，以及逐显"反决定性瞬间" 风格的英国雾都绅士、煤矿工人专集。在秘鲁，他不拍那大好的马球皮球，却专和些山民打堆，拍了本帽子专集。 其实他构图、空间很讲究, 不列松那套玩得也烂熟。

Frank敏锐、逆向思维。这是有来头的。他生长于二战中瑞士一个德国移来的无国籍犹太家庭，天天活在德军马上要打进来了的恐惧中，养成了敏锐的感觉和同情心。后来和凯鲁亚克、金斯堡等混在一起，思想上更加无拘无束。Harper之后，在几位已/将介绍过的大师们的强力推荐下，他得到资助，得以自由地晃荡了两年, 包括出入牢房，造就了一本撼世的《美国人》。

Frank 的反"决定性瞬间"老间巨滑。他不拘小节（如被PopPhoto猛批的粗颗粒、对焦不准等），目的是专拍些直指人心的东西。 Frank拍的不是记实。他的图前后串连，上下呼应，好似在作诗赋词。最要命的是，他不是捕捉有趣的瞬间，而是胸中早有命题，然后技术熟练地随手去拍出一大堆证据。所谓命题，是别人视而不见，他却以外乡人的敏锐观察和情怀，先哲似地看穿了当时50年代蒸蒸日上、 进军全球的的美国社会中的巨大问题。政客弄权，物欲横流，种族冲突、弱者受压、人民被愚，都被他一一列举，拍得触目惊心 (如象圣母圣婴般的黑护白婴、社会排排坐的公车照）。同时，他也很擅长从凡人琐事、社会边缘中捕捉出美丽的火花（如电梯服务员、黑色飙车党)。

有人说他是视欢乐不见，别有用心地传播对新祖国的仇恨。他却认为，和谐社会必须建立在对实事了如指掌的基础上 (Destiny through awareness)。 83张照片，象匕首一样刺穿了50年代的美国神话。

依我看，Frank讲的那事还没完。现世乱象横生，在美国、中国正以不同形式轰轰烈烈、惊心动魄地上演的一切，是否与己有关，就看我们的眼神和定夺了。

有关URLs:
展览： http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2009/frank/index.shtm

秘鲁： http://www.photoeye.com/bookteaselight/bookteaselight.cfm?catalog=DQ018

其他画册： http://www.photoeye.com/magazine/reviews/2008/05_21_frank_reviews.cfm, 点击BookTease

喜欢youtube的请看：

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHtRZBDOgag&feature=related 或
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nraJaGI7Dl8&feature=related