Robert Motherwell no number 1962

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, ‘Robert Motherwell no number,’ using photographic film and traditional darkroom processes. This wasn't about a singular precious image, but about the nuts and bolts of making. The raw, uncut strip offers a peek into Frank's photographic method. The sprocket holes, frame numbers, and manufacturer markings, typically cropped out, are all visible, revealing the labor behind the final product. The photos show artist Robert Motherwell at work, but more interesting is the working process of Frank himself. Contact sheets were a common tool, a means for photographers to review their work, select images, and plan prints. In this case, the contact sheet itself becomes the artwork, elevating a utilitarian object to a subject of artistic interest. This reframing challenges traditional distinctions between the artistic image and the means of its production, inviting us to consider the broader context of photographic practice.