Die Tiere (Animals) 13-19 1942 - 1946

Robert Frank made this photographic contact sheet called "Die Tiere (Animals) 13-19" sometime between 1953 and 1956. You can see how Frank tests and plays with the range of greys and blacks, working to achieve a certain kind of tonality. He understood artmaking as a process and it shows. There's a fascinating interplay between the sharpness and softness in this piece. The tight focus on the grazing sheep creates a beautiful texture of wool and earth. Look at the composition of the image, where the dark, dense mass of the herd fills the frame, only interrupted by the open, lighter area of field and sky. It is through contrast that he evokes feeling. The contact sheet suggests art as an ongoing conversation, in particular the work of Minor White, who explored similar themes of texture and tonality in his photographic work. Frank's animals invite multiple interpretations and feelings. It is through ambiguity that art stays alive.