Guggenheim 540--Benediction of the Waters, Long Beach, California 1955 - 1956

Robert Frank created this series of photographs in Long Beach, California. It's this beautifully messy sequence of images laid out like a film strip, complete with sprocket holes. The high contrast gives it a gritty feel. The texture of the film itself becomes part of the story, like a painter leaving their brushstrokes visible. You can almost hear the click of the camera, feel the artist deciding when to snap the picture. In one of the frames you can see a crowded room with paintings hung on the walls. The red pen marks highlighting certain frames makes me think of a kind of obsessive editing process. It reminds me of the work of someone like Gerhard Richter, where the process is as much the point as the final image. It’s like Frank is saying: here’s the evidence, make of it what you will. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions we ask.