Kite IV 1957 - 1958

This is Robert Frank’s ‘Kite IV,’ a photographic contact sheet. I love seeing these, the artist's selection process. It’s almost like a painting, where the artist adds and subtracts, trying to find the “it.” Frank was obsessed with documenting everyday life. Looking at this collection of small images, I can feel him on that beach, watching the light, the people, the kite maybe. He's trying to capture a fleeting moment. I know that feeling. You have an idea but it escapes you. There’s a real sense of immediacy to his work, like he’s just grabbing what he can. It reminds me of painters like Gerhard Richter, who also played with photography and chance. Artists are always looking, borrowing, and riffing off each other. These images make me think about failure and the beauty of what we leave behind. He chose a few frames from this roll, but left the rest for us to consider.