Sue Lyons, "Lolita" 1 1962

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, "Sue Lyons, 'Lolita' 1," with gelatin silver print on paper, at an unknown date. It feels raw and immediate, doesn't it? Like a painter who leaves the underpainting visible. The texture here is all about the grain of the film, that gritty quality that makes you feel like you could almost touch it. The stark black and white intensifies the contrast, highlighting the subjects, Sue Lyons and the American flag. Look at how the flag appears, fractured across multiple frames, almost like a puzzle. It's this fragmented view of Americana that feels particularly striking. Frank’s work reminds me a little of Walker Evans, in the way he captures the everyday. But there’s a restlessness here, an anxiety, that's pure Frank.