Congressional T c. 1954 - 1955

Robert Frank’s ‘Congressional T’ gives us a peek into his photographic process, a kind of storyboard of his mind made using gelatin silver. I imagine Frank on the train, his camera his constant companion, observing the minutiae of travel. Each frame seems to capture a fleeting moment of observation. I wonder, was he trying to make a point about travel? Or, more likely, searching for images that sing? The crosses marked over some images feel like a brutally honest edit, a ruthless but necessary cull. It is the kind of decision-making all artists have to make: what to keep, what to discard. They are the artist's gestures. Like a painter layering and scraping away, Frank is building a narrative not just through what he includes, but what he excludes. Like a painter with sketches, this contact sheet gives an intimate glimpse into the artist's creative process. It's about the ongoing conversation between the artist and the world, each influencing the other, each learning and growing through the act of creation.