Guggenheim 29/Americans 23--Georgetown, South Carolina 1955

This is a Robert Frank contact sheet, titled *Guggenheim 29/Americans 23--Georgetown, South Carolina.* The images are black and white, but they aren't really about tone - they're about light as information. The harsh light flattens everything, making the image almost brutal in its directness. There's a raw honesty to the grain and the way the film strip is presented, complete with markings. Look how Frank frames each shot. It is as if each one is a memory, each frame with a slightly different angle. The red marks over the images suggest some sort of decision-making process, where Frank is asking himself, “What do I want you to see?” The answers are in the choices, the selection and rejection of moments. It reminds me of Ed Ruscha's photographic books. Like Ruscha, Frank creates a narrative out of everyday American life, embracing the accidental and the unposed. Both artists remind us that art is about seeing, selecting, and sharing a particular view of the world.