Dog show 4 1960

Robert Frank shot this, 'Dog show 4', using photography. This piece is all about the push and pull of light and dark. It’s interesting because it’s made up of multiple frames, like a film strip, each capturing a different moment of the same scene, all slightly out of kilter. I imagine Frank circling this dog show, his camera hungry, trying to capture the essence of this chaotic, concentrated event. He probably had to be quick on his feet! The high contrast and dramatic shadows could reflect his own emotional landscape, anxieties, and intensity. The beauty of these frames is that they’re not so different from a painter’s working process. They show the progression of an idea, a kind of trial and error. Frank's work makes me think about how we all try to capture something elusive, whether it's a dog at a dog show, or something much more complicated.