South America and Spain 19 1948

Robert Frank’s photographic contact sheet, titled *South America and Spain 19*, is a series of small, intimate black and white images. This piece feels like a visual diary, a collection of moments captured during his travels. I imagine Frank, camera in hand, moving through different landscapes, his eye constantly searching for something real. Each frame is a glimpse into his world—a roadside scene, a portrait, a slice of nature. You can feel his presence, his curiosity. The film strip shows his process, editing, and selection. It’s like looking over his shoulder as he decides what to keep and what to discard, but all of it is the thing. As a painter, I love this process of selection. Each little rectangle contains a whole world of experience and emotion, and you realize he is talking to other photographers, and to painters too! Frank’s work is all about making a life and making art, and the conversation between both. This piece invites us to embrace the spontaneous, the imperfect, and the deeply personal.