Guggenheim 431--Los Angeles 1955 - 1956

Editor: This is Robert Frank’s "Guggenheim 431--Los Angeles," a gelatin-silver print made between 1955 and 1956. It’s a contact sheet, showing rows of different exposures and perspectives of the city. I am really struck by how raw and unpolished the entire piece feels, like we are getting to look behind the scenes in some way. What do you see when you examine this work? Curator: Well, structurally, the contact sheet presents us with a grid. Frank’s intentional choices concerning what to include or omit in the final selection can be investigated here. Consider the lines between each image. Are they boundaries, or do they create relationships between the frames? Editor: That is a really interesting way of seeing this layout. I never would have considered what those empty spaces and borders might contribute to the viewing experience. It makes you question what exactly the work of art is in this context. Curator: Precisely. And the tonal range—from the deepest blacks to the near-whites—serves to accentuate the textural qualities of the urban landscape captured. Frank employs light and shadow not merely for illumination, but as compositional elements in their own right. Note how these high contrast choices highlight details the subject or its narrative. Are there any images here where these techniques strike you in particular? Editor: Frame twenty-six jumps out to me. The way it captures both shadows and people walking below a lit sign. This technique really isolates them in a sort of abstract but still raw representation of life. Curator: An excellent observation. Frank is definitely working on two levels here by employing his own structural techniques but while using "everyday" imagery as his material. This creates a relationship between the familiar and how a photograph and photographs in sequence function and operate. Editor: So it's about drawing our attention to both the artifice and the reality of photography. I feel like I've gained a richer understanding of how a piece’s structure shapes its meaning and the creative practice. Curator: Exactly! By considering elements such as its materiality and how Frank manipulates it we gain key insights into his message.