Congressional 1 c. 1954 - 1955

This is Robert Frank’s ‘Congressional 1’, a series of black and white photographs, printed on a single sheet. The contact sheet presents many images, each one a small window into a moment in time, marked with grease pencil edits. It's like the artist is thinking out loud, making decisions about what to include or exclude. The texture here is inherent to the photographic process; the grain, the contrast, and the surface sheen all speak to the physicality of film. There is an immediacy to the images, as though Frank is searching for something authentic. The red marks scribble across the frames. They're like casual thoughts, connecting different images, maybe even obscuring some to emphasize others. This process reminds me of what Rauschenberg was doing at the same time; breaking down barriers between mediums, and bringing a sense of action into the art itself. Ultimately, the work invites us to consider how choices shape meaning, and the many ways one can look at the world.