Family and Barbara Forst--New York City no number 1954

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, titled 'Family and Barbara Forst--New York City' with gelatin silver print, and it shows his process. It is all about selection and the moments between moments. It's fascinating to see the texture and materiality of the film itself. The dark, solid border contrasting with the translucent, grainy images offers a visual reminder of photography's chemical and mechanical origins. In frame 22, the light catches the figure in a way that feels both intimate and accidental. Was this the decisive moment? This reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s series of overpainted photographs, another artist who messes with the photographic image. Both play with the tension between capturing reality and manipulating it through artistic intervention. Like Frank, they demonstrate that art is not about fixed meanings, but about the ongoing dialogue between the artist, the medium, and the viewer.