Guggenheim 497--Los Angeles 1955 - 1956

Editor: This is Robert Frank's "Guggenheim 497--Los Angeles," a gelatin-silver print made between 1955 and 1956. It looks like a film strip, with multiple images. There's something fragmented about it, like a series of glances. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The structural arrangement itself commands attention. The juxtaposition of frames creates a non-linear narrative, encouraging the viewer to construct meaning through the relationships, or lack thereof, between images. Consider the tonal range—the stark contrasts between light and shadow. Editor: The contrast does make it striking. What about the content of the individual frames? Some seem like a construction site, others show indoor scenes. Curator: Precisely. The abrupt shifts in subject matter, from infrastructure to interior spaces populated by figures, deny a singular focus. The materiality of the print itself, the granular texture of the silver gelatin, adds another layer of complexity. Does that granularity serve a formal or functional purpose in your eyes? Editor: I suppose the texture adds to the feeling that we are seeing fragments. Like fleeting moments that can't be completely grasped. Curator: Indeed. These ‘fleeting moments’ captured within the rigidity of the film strip create tension. A disruption to what one might expect the medium to offer the viewer. What does the choice of black and white communicate to you? Editor: Maybe a sense of distance? It feels very different from how photographs look today. This piece has definitely encouraged me to reconsider photography as more than just documentation, especially given how its components all tie in to elevate Frank’s idea of temporality. Curator: Absolutely. Recognizing Frank’s work within the discourse of formalist photography allows one to better grasp the structural syntax that visual artists offer.