From the bus 18 1958

This is Robert Frank’s photographic contact sheet, called ‘From the bus 18’. It shows a process of selection – akin to the process of artmaking itself – with different moments and angles arranged into a grid. Photography has always been about light and shadow, but here the contrast feels particularly stark; the dark frames surrounding each picture feel like a heavy border. It's almost gothic. This enhances the individual frames, making each image feel like a fragmented memory, a glimpse into a past moment. Look at the bottom right frame, with its distinctive teal marking. The colour feels out of place, like graffiti scrawled over something old, highlighting the process of editing and decision-making. It's like Frank is saying, "This one. This one matters." Frank's work often captured the overlooked corners of American life. He was always looking at the world through a lens of his own making, reminding us that art isn’t just about what we see, but how we choose to see it. Much like the painter Gerhard Richter, Frank was interested in the way that photography could create something new from reality.