Fishbowl--New York City no number 1954

This is a photographic contact sheet by Robert Frank entitled Fishbowl--New York City no number. What’s striking here is how Frank embraces the photographic process, laying bare the sequences and outtakes. The image is a matrix of black and white squares showing iterative images taken of shop fronts, streets, and people. The light is harsh, direct, and unforgiving. Each frame feels like a snapshot of a moment, fleeting and raw, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Frank's way of seeing. The dark borders create a rhythm, a grid that contains each moment, yet the flow from one frame to the next hints at a story unfolding. The work reminds me of the raw, unfiltered energy of the early New York School photographers. Frank's contact sheets are like a painter's sketchbook, revealing his artistic process in real-time, embracing chance and accident. They show us that art is not just about the perfect shot, but about the journey of seeing and capturing the world around us.