Guggenheim 348--Esso oil refinery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1955

This is a contact sheet by Robert Frank, showing images of the Esso oil refinery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It's this matrix of small, grainy images that creates a kind of intimate distance. Frank’s work often reveals the behind-the-scenes process. It's almost like a painter leaving their brushstrokes visible, or a sculptor leaving the chisel marks on the stone. You can see the raw edges of the film, the sprocket holes, and the notations. Look at the row of images showing the refinery against the sky. Each frame offers a slightly different angle, a different moment in time. The repetition emphasizes the act of looking, the process of selecting and framing. It reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter’s “4900 Colours” panels. Both artists explore the possibilities of seriality, the idea that meaning emerges through repetition and variation. It's like they are saying, “Here are all the options. Now, what do you see?”