sad poems.

​In his introduction to The Americans, poet Jack Kerouac claimed that photographer Robert Frank’s images “sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film.” This exhibition, sad poems., explores the notion of sadness by presenting photographs that focus on American life by artists such as Ansel Adams, Roy DeCarava, and Frank himself, and captures these poetic and tragic qualities. To investigate this relationship between photography, poetry, and sadness, and to acknowledge the universality of this emotion, the images in this show are placed into dialogue with poetry from around the world. Whether the lament of an ancient Japanese poet upon seeing a snow-covered meadow, or the eerie stillness haunting the frame of an American living room, each image and text reveal the power and ubiquity of sadness.​

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.