Cowboys IX 1954

Robert Frank made this photographic work, *Cowboys IX*, at an unknown date with gelatin silver print. It's a whole roll of film, almost like a storyboard, raw and direct. What strikes me is the way Frank leaves everything on the surface. You can see the sprocket holes, the frame numbers—it's like he's saying, "Here's the process, take it or leave it." This honesty makes the image feel incredibly immediate. The texture of the silver gelatin print has this beautiful, grainy quality. The blacks are rich and deep, and the whites have this subtle glow. It's like you're right there in the darkroom with Frank as he's developing the film. Look at the row of cowboy boots, a monument to labour, and the everyday. Frank reminds me a little of Walker Evans, another artist who captured America with such starkness and beauty. Both of them show us that art isn't about perfection, it's about capturing the messy, complicated truth of being alive.