Guggenheim 612--Westlake, California c. 1956

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, Guggenheim 612--Westlake, California, using gelatin silver print. There is something cool about seeing this series of frames. The dark borders of each image and the red marks that Frank used to edit feel so present, and like the images themselves, unfiltered. It is like seeing someone's thought process laid bare. What was he looking for? What was he trying to say? I see a bunch of almost identical, bland suburban scenes, punctuated by some road shots. I keep getting drawn back to the road, the only thing that connects these otherwise disconnected and anonymous places. It seems to be a metaphor for Frank's life, who was, after all, a traveler and outsider. This reminds me a little of Ed Ruscha, but Frank is rawer. Both artists were interested in the vernacular landscape, but Frank injects more of himself into the equation. What does it all mean? Well, it's up to you to decide, isn't it?