On ship--New York to Paris 2 1949

Robert Frank made this intriguing work, "On ship--New York to Paris 2," with gelatin silver and paint. It’s all about the process, you see the strips of film, the artist’s hand right there with that red number 2 painted on. It's like he’s saying, "Here’s how I see, how I choose." The physicality of the medium is striking. The texture of the film, the contrast between the glossy black and the silver grains, even the scratches and imperfections. Check out the third strip. There's a sequence of three images of a man with dark hair, staring into the abyss of the ocean. Each frame captures a slightly different angle. This reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s photo paintings, where the blurriness and imperfections become part of the work, a way of embracing uncertainty. Just like art, life is not about finding fixed meanings but embracing the journey.