Guggenheim 120--New York City 1955

This is a photographic contact sheet by Robert Frank, made in New York City. Frank was known for his gritty, street-level photography, and here, we see the artist's working process laid bare. Each frame captures fleeting moments of urban life, and the way they are arranged shows Frank's editing, his conscious decision-making about what to include and exclude. Photography is, of course, a mechanical medium, one deeply implicated in modern modes of production and consumption. Film is manufactured in factories, and the darkroom itself, where images are developed, is a kind of assembly line. But Frank's subjective eye and hand are very much present in this work. He isn't simply documenting reality; he's interpreting it, shaping it, and sharing his unique vision. Ultimately, this contact sheet demonstrates how even the most seemingly objective medium can be transformed by the artist's intentionality. It blurs the lines between mass production and individual expression, reminding us that all art is, in some sense, a product of both.