Guggenheim 608--Daly City and Westlake, California c. 1956

Robert Frank made this piece, Guggenheim 608—Daly City and Westlake, California, using photography. It presents a series of images, a contact sheet with multiple frames capturing scenes of suburban life. I like how the images suggest a journey, a kind of visual wandering through space. I can imagine Frank looking through the lens, trying to make sense of this new landscape. What was he thinking, what was he feeling as he documented these scenes? Each frame offers a different perspective, a slightly altered composition, revealing the artist’s process of searching for the right shot. It reminds me of how painters often work—layering, scraping, and adjusting until the image reveals itself. There is a raw and immediate quality here. The red markings and numbers are so interesting to me. What a conversation and exchange he has with the world of photography. He allows for multiple interpretations.