Theater--Hollywood 68 1958

Robert Frank made this contact sheet entitled Theater--Hollywood 68, at an unknown date. It’s a bit like looking over an artist’s shoulder, isn’t it? Seeing the process of selecting a single image out of many, this sheet shows his thought process through drawing and annotation. The texture is flat and matte, because it is photography of course. Look at the marks made in red pen, how Frank has slashed through certain images, or circled others. It's as though he’s saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I like how raw this feels, how immediate. That little circle on the top row reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbles; a sort of language beyond words. Which makes sense when working with images. It’s as though this sheet is a conversation between Frank and the world, captured in light, and edited in ink. Art is an ongoing conversation, don’t you think? One without fixed meanings, thankfully.