Show at Reuben Gallery no number 1957

This sheet of black and white film, called "Show at Reuben Gallery no number," was made by Robert Frank sometime in the mid-twentieth century. I love how the different frames offer glimpses into a world, moments captured and strung together like beads on a necklace. You can see the texture of the film itself, the sprocket holes running along the edges, and the way the light and shadow play across the surface. It’s a very physical thing, film, and Frank reminds us of that. Look at the frames at the bottom of the sheet, where figures stand before abstract paintings. The contrast is stark, almost ghostly. The paintings themselves seem to float, caught between representation and abstraction. It reminds me of how art is always in conversation with itself, each artist building on what came before, responding to the present, and reaching towards the future. Like Jasper Johns said, "Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it".