Circus--New York City XII 1952

This is Robert Frank's "Circus--New York City XII," a photographic work that utilizes the material of celluloid film and silver gelatin printing to present a contact sheet from a roll of 35mm film. The inherent qualities of the film – its grain, the sprocket holes, and the sequential arrangement of frames – all influence the image's appearance. Frank captured these moments using a handheld camera, likely on the fly and in available light, documenting a circus scene. The contact sheet format shows the artist's editing process, marked with red grease pencil, crosses indicating rejected frames, and the number XII perhaps denoting the roll number. The decision to present the raw, unedited contact sheet elevates the behind-the-scenes labor of photography. The artist's hand is evident, challenging traditional distinctions between the finished art object and the working process. Frank invites us to consider the artist's choices and the physical effort involved in capturing and selecting these fleeting moments.