Dogs 1 1957 - 1959

Robert Frank’s photographic print, *Dogs 1*, presents strips of black and white film laid against a black background. I love how Frank arranges his film strips like a painter composes elements on a canvas. I imagine him in the darkroom, sifting through negatives, deciding what to include, what to leave out. He’s pulling back the curtain to show us the raw material of his art, rather than presenting a polished, final image. You can almost feel Frank’s excitement here. I wonder what he was thinking when he selected these particular frames. There are images of dogs, as the title suggests, but also people and scenes that hint at a larger narrative, or maybe several narratives intertwined. This feels very much in line with Frank’s other work, where he captures fleeting moments and leaves the interpretation open-ended. It reminds us that art is not just about what is shown but also about how it is shown, inviting us into a conversation that spans across time and artistic practices.