Franz Kline no number 1962

Robert Frank captured this contact sheet, "Franz Kline, no number," on film, freezing a moment with a great abstract painter. Imagine Kline in his studio, that painting looming large, all assertive black strokes on white. The painting feels like a conversation. It’s Frank’s eye, of course, but Kline's work, bold and stark, really grabs you. I get how Frank, with his own gritty style, might see a kindred spirit in Kline’s raw energy. Those strokes are so physical, like a dance, or a primal scream on canvas! Thinking of that era, the dialogue between painters and photographers was so intense, like they were egging each other on. Frank shot the painters, and they, in turn, captured a modern, sometimes harsh, world. It's like visual call and response, this exchange of ideas. Art inspires art. Each creating a new way of seeing, and being seen.