Congressional A c. 1954 - 1955

This is Robert Frank's 'Congressional A', a photo strip on paper. Look at these frames, these little windows into the world. I imagine Frank, eyes peeled, grabbing these moments, composing in a split second. There's a tension here, isn't there? A push and pull between what's included and what's left out, what’s sharp and what’s blurry. The red marks feel like the artist's hand, choosing and discarding, almost like a painter layering and scraping away. I wonder if he was thinking about the passage of time when he took it? You can feel the influence of someone like Walker Evans here, but Frank adds a layer of grit. It's a reminder that art isn't just about the final product, it’s about the whole messy process of seeing, feeling, and making. The work invites us to consider the artist's decisions, the limitations of the medium, and the endless possibilities for expression.