"Vogue" women--New York City W11 1952 - 1953

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, "Vogue" women--New York City W11, from a series of photographs. I love seeing these kinds of process-based works, it demystifies the image and shows us how the artist has worked. The black and white images have a wonderful surface quality, a bit grainy, like you could almost feel the texture of the film. Look at the individual frames and how the light shifts across each shot. In the center of the sheet, notice the sequence of images of a woman in a beret, framed by the city. The framing feels so casual, so in-the-moment. It’s fascinating to see the range of shots that Frank took, from street scenes to portraits, all with a similar sensibility. It makes me think about how we construct narratives through images and the power of editing, of selection. His work reminds me of other artists like Helen Levitt who also found poetry in the everyday. Ultimately, Frank invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, appreciating the beauty in the mundane and the unexpected.