Valencia, Spain 15 1952

This is Robert Frank's film contact sheet from Valencia, Spain, probably created sometime in the 1950s. I love how Frank’s mark-making here isn't about obscuring the process but revealing it. It's like he’s thinking out loud with his grease pencil! The red grease pencil marks, thick and waxy, jump right out, boxing certain frames like a director calling “Action!” The density of the marks contrasts with the transparency of the film. You get a sense of Frank sifting through these moments, deciding what matters. It’s so physical, so hands-on. That big “15” scrawled at the top – is it a count, a rating, a day of the month? It reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbles, a kind of personal language laid bare. And then there's that blurred blue line slashing through the middle, like a horizon or a moment of doubt. Artists like Frank and Twombly remind us that art is less about perfect images and more about the beautiful mess of trying to make sense of the world.