Willem de Kooning 11 1961

Robert Frank’s, "Willem de Kooning 11," is a contact sheet, a matrix of monochrome frames offering a glimpse into the life and work of the painter. It's a behind-the-scenes look, not a posed portrait, and the process of film making is laid bare. There's a grainy texture throughout, a physical record of light hitting silver halide, and the dark bands divide and contain the frames. I'm drawn to the sequences where de Kooning is painting, it's a snapshot of the creative process as a physical act. He is suspended in thought and action. Look how the camera angle shifts, how we move from face to the brush in hand. In some ways, this reminds me of a Francis Bacon painting, with its interest in chance and movement. The series of images suggest that the act of artmaking is never fixed, never quite pinned down, but always fluid and open.