Saint Patrick's Day parade--New York City 4 17 - 1958

Here is a black-and-white photographic contact sheet of the Saint Patrick's Day parade in New York City, by Robert Frank. It’s a series of shots on film, and you can see how the artist has played with the borders, marking them up with red, white, and blue. It’s a record of time passing. I know as a painter that the physical act of creation is a site of inquiry. You're pushing and pulling, making decisions, and seeing what emerges. I wonder what it was like for Frank, framing each shot, waiting for the right moment. Did he consider his decisions intuitive, or based on his prior theoretical knowledge? You see the street scene, the buildings towering above. I feel I am there with him, experiencing the energy and the rhythms of city life. Photography, like painting, offers a way of seeing and thinking. It’s a conversation across time, inspiring creativity and expression. Just like a painter, the photographer embraces ambiguity, leaving us with multiple interpretations.