Guggenheim 655--San Francisco c. 1956

Robert Frank made "Guggenheim 655--San Francisco" using photography, a series of film strips, that weave together the fabric of a place, a city. Each frame offers a fleeting glimpse into a narrative, a story, or a fragment of life. The artist is like a cartographer charting a territory not just of physical space, but of human experience. I can imagine him wandering through the streets of San Francisco, his camera his faithful companion, trying to capture the raw, gritty essence of the city, the feeling of it. Like I am when I paint in the studio. There are people, buildings, flags...it's like a puzzle, with each image a piece of something bigger, a feeling, an idea. I love how Frank lets the film speak, complete with its perfs and edges, and also marks it up with these big, casual red marker circles and lines...He’s present in the work. Photography is a way of thinking, a way of seeing, and a way of feeling, like painting, that connects one artist to another across time.