Wales 27 1953

Robert Frank shot this roll of film, titled 'Wales 27', at an unknown date. It's not just the images but the whole object of the film strip itself that gets me thinking about the nature of picture-making. The images are all black and white, but look closer, and you'll see red marker pen on the surface, and even a blue crayon circle. These are manual annotations by the photographer: marks, crosses and encirclings that tell us something about the artists own process of selection, the ones that are meaningful to him. Look at the single frame surrounded by a red rectangle, perhaps the artist thought that the composition or subject matter was better than the others? Frank had a knack for capturing everyday life with a raw, unflinching honesty that reminds me a bit of Diane Arbus. Both artists embraced the beauty in imperfection. As you look at other works, consider how artists make decisions, not just with the lens, but with a more physical, human touch.