Funeral--New York City no number 1955

This photographic strip by Robert Frank is called Funeral--New York City no number, but we don't know when it was made. It's a sequence of moments, a funeral parlor perhaps. The film reel becomes a kind of painting here, a register of time, a series of attempts to frame the world. I can imagine Frank, camera in hand, as a kind of painter, making quick sketches, trying to pin down an elusive feeling, or memory, or scene. The surface is grey and grainy, and the subjects are people gathered outside of a building. What was Frank thinking, what did he want us to see? Was he trying to capture a sense of loss, or the ritual of mourning? I am interested in his ability to allow this image to remain open, so suggestive. It reminds me of other artists who have used photography as a means to reflect on mortality, or question the state of American life, like Diane Arbus. They're both part of a larger conversation, where each artist builds upon what others have done, while still searching for their own voice.