PBS高端访谈:最具影响力的摄影家罗伯特·弗兰克(在线收听

JUDY WOODRUFF: Now: celebrating a unique lens to see life. Amna Nawaz remembers one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, part of our Canvas series.

AMNA NAWAZ: He was best known for vividly capturing America's quirks and spotlighting the country's social divisions in everyday life. Robert Frank was born in Switzerland to a wealthy European Jewish family, but he was decidedly an American, one who managed to maintain an outsider's point of view, he himself noted in the 2015 documentary about his career, Don't Blink.

ROBERT FRANK, Photographer: I tried not to talk to them, and I didn't want them to talk to me.

AMNA NAWAZ: Frank emigrated to New York in 1947, and started work at Harper's Bazaar, but he soon became aware of many of the stark contrasts in American society. That perspective was a driving force behind his most celebrated work, 1957's The Americans. Starting in 1955, Frank crisscrossed the country, snapping 28,000 photos in just two years, ultimately culling them down to a collection of just 83. His work was in sharp contrast to more traditional, optimistic photos of the time. Frank reflected on that work in Don't Blink.

ROBERT FRANK: When I look at the 83 photographs I chose for the book, I think I really got the essence.

AMNA NAWAZ: Like this shot of motorcyclists in Indianapolis, a trolley car in New Orleans, and a political rally in Chicago. Sarah Greenough is the director of photography at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. She knew Frank, and says The Americans revealed a country that was plagued by racism and consumerism.

SARAH GREENOUGH, Director of Photography, the National Gallery of Art: He looked beneath the surface, seeing these ills in American society, but he also photographed novel areas of beauty within the country, subjects that other photographers hadn't previously looked at, such as cars, diners, and even the road itself.

AMNA NAWAZ: Greenough says the book also made Frank's unique artistic style influential:

SARAH GREENOUGH: Many of them have a sort of fast, seemingly intuitive look, as if he just turned around and captured the image. They're often off-kilter, which gives a great sense of dynamism to them. The book The Americans was initially reviled by the critics, but it very quickly became embraced by a younger generation of photographers and then others.

AMNA NAWAZ: Frank's work featured other cultural icons of the day. He befriended beat writer Jack Kerouac shortly after compiling The Americans. And Kerouac later wrote the book's forward. And Frank's black-and-white photos were featured on the cover of the Rolling Stones' critically acclaimed 1972 album Exile on Main St. Later in his career, Frank continued to shoot photos and film, largely focusing his lens on America's least privileged, rather than the powerful. Robert Frank died Monday in Nova Scotia. He was 94 years old.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And there's more online, where we take a closer look at one of Frank's most enduring images from his book The Americans. That's on our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour. And that is the NewsHour for tonight. I'm Judy Woodruff. For all of us at the PBS NewsHour, thank you, and we'll see you soon.

朱迪·伍德拉夫:本期节目将了解一位用独特镜头视角看生活的人。阿姆纳·纳瓦兹将带我们缅怀20世纪最有影响力的摄影师之一。本期节目是帆布系列报道的部分内容。

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹:这位摄影师最出名的是生动捕捉美国特点并突出美国日常生活中的社会分工。这位摄影师就是罗伯特·弗兰克,他出生于瑞士一个富裕的欧洲犹太家庭。但他显然带有深刻的美国烙印,他始终能以一个旁观者的视角来展现美国。他本人因2015年一部讲述他职业生涯的摄影机而闻名,这部纪录片名为《弗兰克别眨眼》。

罗伯特·弗兰克,摄影师:我试着不跟他们交谈,我也不希望他们跟我交谈。

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹:弗兰克1947年移民到纽约,开始在时尚芭莎工作。但不久后他就意识到美国社会的许多强烈反差。这样的角度促使他做出了许多知名的作品,比如1957年的《美国人》。从1955年开始,弗兰克穿梭美国各地,用短短年的时间拍摄了2.8万张照片,最后竞选出一个只有83张照片的合集。他的作品与当时更为传统积极的照片风格形成鲜明对比。弗兰克在《弗兰克别眨眼》中回顾了这部作品。

罗伯特·弗兰克:每次我回顾这部书里挑选出的83张照片时,我都觉得我真地选出了精华。

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹:比如在印第安纳波利斯拍的这张骑摩托的人、在新奥尔良拍的有轨电车以及在芝加哥拍的政治集会。萨拉·格里诺是华盛顿特区国家艺术馆的摄影指导。她认识弗兰克,她说《美国人》揭示了一个有种族主义色彩和用户至上主义的国家。

萨拉·格里诺,摄影指导,国家艺术馆:他不只能看到表面的东西,也能看到美国社会的诸多弊病。与此同时,他也拍摄了美国许多令人惊奇的美,拍到的许多主题是其他摄影师之前未曾涉足的,比如汽车、晚餐甚至是道路本身。

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹:格里诺说,这本集册也让弗兰克独特的艺术风格变得更有影响力了:

萨拉·格里诺:其中很多人都在他要拍照的时候很快有了可拍摄的造型,仿佛有知觉一般,就这样,他捕捉到了画面。他们的状态都很好,有一种很棒的动态平衡感。《美国人》这本集册一开始备受抨击,但迅速受到年轻一代摄影家等人的喜爱。

阿姆纳·纳瓦兹:弗兰克的作品在同时代中也是标杆一样的存在。他在做完《美国人》之后,跟随队记者杰克·凯鲁亚克成为了朋友。随后,杰克·凯鲁亚克写了这本书的前言。弗兰克的黑白照片登上了滚石的封面,也成了1972年《颓废大街》的封面。在后期的职业生涯中,弗兰克依然在拍摄照片和电影,将镜头聚焦在美国最弱势的群体上,而非最有权势的群体上。罗伯特·弗兰克于周一在新斯科舍去世,享年94岁。

朱迪·伍德拉夫:我们线上还有更多内容——会更细致地回顾弗兰克在《美国人》中影响最为深远的照片。可戳官网PBS.org/NewsHour。以上就是今晚的《新闻一小时》,朱迪·伍德拉夫为您播报。谢谢各位听众,我们下期见。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/pbs/yl/499886.html