Guggenheim 312--Arkansas 1955

Robert Frank made this photo, Guggenheim 312--Arkansas, sometime in the middle of the 20th century, probably with a small handheld camera. It's not about a single image, but a strip of negatives, a kind of sketch or thought process laid bare. The high contrast and grainy texture feel very personal, like a diary entry. Look at the range of tones, how the blacks push forward and the whites recede. Each little frame is a world, butting up against the next. In the lower frames you can see a group of figures amongst simple wooden structures. The red pen circling certain areas pulls you in, asking you to consider the relationship between these scenes. It reminds me of how Agnes Martin would draw faint grids, allowing the underlying structure to peek through. The whole thing has a rhythm, a syncopated beat that makes you want to keep looking, even when you're not sure what you're seeing.