On ship--New York to Paris 1 1949

Robert Frank’s ‘On ship—New York to Paris 1’ is a gelatin silver print on paper. I see cut strips of film laid out like a storyboard. I imagine Frank developing these, holding them up to the light, editing and tearing, making something new and raw. He’s on a ship! Sailing from New York to Paris, probably feeling like he’s in between places, full of anticipation and maybe some uncertainty. I get the sense of a journey, of being in transit, caught in a restless moment, and then framed and sealed with a splash of red. These images overlap, some people in them, some seascapes. A series of cropped visions, like a film director making a pitch. He probably wanted to capture the journey. Isn't that what all artists want? To capture something? Frank's work reminds us that art is in constant conversation, always referencing and reinterpreting, and that the exchange of ideas is what keeps the creative spirit alive.