Cadillacs no number 1955 - 1956

Robert Frank made ‘Cadillacs no number’ sometime in the mid-20th century, using photographic film. What hits me first is the raw, process-oriented feel. It’s like a painter leaving the underpainting exposed. Frank gives us the whole roll, complete with sprocket holes and frame numbers. It feels like peeking into the artist’s studio, seeing the outtakes, the almost-but-not-quite moments. The grainy, high-contrast black and white adds to this sense of immediacy. Look at how the Cadillacs recur throughout the frame, each one slightly different. There are people milling, some sitting at tables. But it’s the cars that seem to dominate, reflecting the culture of mid-century America. Like a Cy Twombly painting, Frank’s work embraces imperfection and the beauty of the unfinished. It's not about perfect composition, but about capturing a feeling, a moment in time, raw and unedited.