Willem de Kooning 13 1961

Robert Frank made this sheet of film negatives of Willem de Kooning sometime during his life, though it's hard to say exactly when. The silvery blacks and grays of the photographic paper create a really evocative and pensive mood, don't they? The way the photographs are laid out reminds me a little of a storyboard, or maybe even a musical score. Each frame feels like a note in a larger composition, and the repetition of de Kooning’s figure gives it this rhythmic quality. My eye keeps getting drawn to the center of the sheet, where the images get darker and more obscured. It's almost like Frank is using the shadows to create a sense of mystery around de Kooning, like he's trying to capture something that's just out of reach. Thinking about other photographers, I am put in mind of Warhol's polaroids. Ultimately both artist’s work invites us to consider the slippage between the still image and the moving picture. It's about the unfolding of time, and how we try to freeze moments in our minds.