Free Air

Since 1973 Robert Frank’s Bleecker Street studio and home was the crucible of his creativity. Yet just as important (and for even longer) was the weather-beaten fisherman’s cottage he bought in 1969 with his wife, artist June Leaf, in Mabou, Nova Scotia. Here they spent much of the year for the following half-century: working, reflecting and quietly integrating with the local community. Frank the photographer is revered for his eyes’ ability to explore and record the world with unprecedented understanding, compassion and empathy. Less known is the remarkable work he made with his hands—in many ways Frank was a sculptor using found objects, old photographs and the camera as just some of his tools. In the first part of this book, “Land,” Clark Winter captures the energy of the Cape Breton landscape and documents Frank’s hands as they consider possibilities: contemplating a contact sheet, magnifying glass in hand, warmed by the wood-fired cast-iron stove. All around are talismans and mementos: faded postcards, trinkets and bric-a-brac, a photo of a younger Leaf and Frank laughing at us from a joyful day. The second series “Tables” shows found objects dancing and mingling on tabletops. Finally, “Boxes” takes us to the boxes containing Frank’s photographs and films at Bleecker Street. The worn containers sit upon one another like layered memories, Frank’s handwritten labels the only clue to the contents within: “Family,” “Circus,” “Japan,” “Peru.” Seen together, Winter’s photographs reveal yet unknown facets of a creative mind ever fearlessly at work.