Bullfight--Spain 2 1952

This is Robert Frank’s “Bullfight – Spain 2”, a contact sheet most likely made with a 35mm camera. The thing that gets me about this piece, is how Frank wasn't just taking pictures; he was *making* pictures, and even this matrix of frames can be considered the final work. Look at the composition of the contact sheet itself, it's like a painter's canvas with its own grid! I love how the dark edges of the film strip frame each shot, turning everyday moments into a series of fragmented narratives. The images include a bullfight crowd, interior shots and portraits, all in this grainy black and white that feels immediate and raw. It's like a visual diary, where the process of seeing and recording becomes the point. Frank, like the Beat writers, was all about breaking from tradition. He’s like a visual cousin to the poet Frank O'Hara. This piece is just a jumping off point for so many ways of seeing and thinking about the world, a world that is ambiguous, layered, and totally engaging.