Guggenheim 379--Taos, New Mexico 1955

Robert Frank's photographic contact sheet, 'Guggenheim 379--Taos, New Mexico,' is like a visual diary, a series of fleeting moments captured on film. I can imagine Frank, camera in hand, wandering through Taos, New Mexico, his eye constantly searching for the next frame. The images, in black and white, show scenes of everyday life: people gathered indoors, a building in a desert landscape, a basketball hoop standing alone. Looking at this work, I am reminded of the way Cy Twombly would work in series, exploring a theme or motif through repetition and variation. Frank uses the film strip to explore a place, shifting perspectives, looking at the same scene from multiple viewpoints. I am particularly drawn to the red grease pencil marks around certain frames; a way of thinking through an image, a way to reflect upon a moment. These add another layer of intimacy, as if we're glimpsing the artist's own thought process.