Building under construction, "city"--Houston, Texas 1955

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, "Building under construction, 'city'--Houston, Texas," sometime in the mid-twentieth century, and what strikes me is its provisional quality. It’s like Frank wasn't trying to make something slick or perfect; he was after something else. The textures here are so important. There's the rough grain of the photograph itself, and then there's the subject: a building under construction, caught at an in-between moment. The "CITY" sign on the building has a makeshift feel, too, like someone just slapped those letters up there. It's all about process, change, and how nothing is ever really finished. Look how he frames the shot. It's not a postcard view of Houston. It's gritty and real, like he’s saying, "Hey, this is what's really going on here." Robert, you get it. I get it, too. I'm always trying to find that raw, unfinished quality in my own paintings. It's where the truth lives.