Gandy Brodie--Painters no number c. 1950s

This roll of film, "Gandy Brodie - Painters no number," was captured by Robert Frank. When I look at this, I think about the process of painting, that struggle to capture something, anything. Frank gives us a glimpse of Brodie in his studio, probably painting. I feel like I'm seeing a sequence of attempts, a kind of start and stop. How he keeps at it, wrestling with the canvas, hoping it’ll work out. I wonder if Brodie was aware he was being photographed; perhaps he didn't care. It must have been an act of trust to allow Frank such access. It reminds me of the dialogue between painters and photographers. Each observes and interprets the other's world, capturing fleeting moments and the persistent, evolving nature of art-making. It shows that art-making is a conversation across mediums, where artists inspire and challenge each other to see and create differently.