Guggenheim 117--New York City 1955

Robert Frank made this photographic contact sheet collage called Guggenheim 117—New York City at an undetermined date, using gelatin silver prints and tape. It's like looking over an artist's shoulder, right? Seeing how they play with images, trying this, trying that. I can imagine Frank in his darkroom, surrounded by strips of film, scissors in hand. The city is captured in these little frames, but it's more than just documentation. It's like he’s trying to capture the feel of New York, the way it pulses and shifts. This isn't about perfect composition; it's about the grit and the rhythm. There's a raw energy here, almost like a painter attacking a canvas. Frank is pushing the boundaries of photography, just like painters pushed the boundaries of representation. It’s this constant exchange, this conversation between mediums that keeps art alive and kicking. It is like Robert said: "Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected."