Valencia, Spain 18 1952

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, Valencia, Spain 18, by cropping and marking a roll of 35mm film. I am super curious about what was happening in his mind when he put this together. Look at his marks, they are a way of seeing, like when a painter might sketch or do studies before embarking on a painting. And the images themselves. Here are pictures of people, of boats on a shore, and desolate cityscapes. Together, they could be pages out of a travel journal. This piece makes me think about all the things that can be done when you embrace the process, the mistakes and the happy accidents that come with seeing, thinking, and feeling. Isn't it so cool to think of Frank here, doing all of that? It’s like we get to be in the studio with him.