New York City 2 c. 1950s

Robert Frank captured "New York City 2" with his camera, presenting us with more than just an image, but a contact sheet—a visual record of a process. Frank's compositions aren't about perfection; they’re about finding something real within the chaos. He's not tidying up the frame, or making everything legible. Look at the strip where one frame is circled, for example. It's as if he's inviting us into his thought process, into the messiness of image-making. The physicality of the medium is right there. The grain is visible, the blacks are deep. You can almost smell the darkroom chemicals, or hear the shutter snapping. It's this raw, unpolished quality that makes Frank's work so compelling. Frank reminds me of other artists who embraced the beauty of imperfection, like Cy Twombly, who made scribbles into high art. "New York City 2" is not just about the city. It's about seeing, feeling, and recording.