Horse show opening 5 1954

This photographic contact sheet, *Horse show opening 5*, was made by Robert Frank, though I can’t tell you exactly when. What you see is a collection of different shots of the same subject, unified on a single sheet, like a storyboard. The looping red marks feel impulsive and kind of contradict the supposed perfection of photography. The surface is matte, and the grayscale tones give the piece a timeless feel. There’s a lot of contrast; look at how the light bounces off the spectators faces. In the fifth row from the top you can see a woman wearing a fur stole and she reminds me a lot of Diane Arbus’ interest in capturing a certain type of wealthy New Yorker. I am always intrigued by the relationship between photography and painting. Both are about capturing a moment, and both rely on the eye of the artist to select, frame, and interpret the world around them. Like a Gerhard Richter painting, this piece makes me question the nature of seeing.