Peru, page 2 1948

This is 'Peru, page 2' by Robert Frank. I imagine Frank came across this continuous form paper, maybe left over from a printer, and thought it was evocative of the place. That row of holes down the right side—it's so systematic, so unlike the kind of chaos you might expect to find in Peru. The page is almost blank, just slightly off-white, a kind of nothingness that invites contemplation. It makes you think about what's not there, what's been erased or never recorded. Maybe Frank was thinking about memory, or the way a place can slip through your fingers, leaving only the faintest trace. You know, painters often talk about the importance of negative space, the areas of the canvas that aren't painted. It gives the eye a place to rest, a space for imagination. With this piece Frank is in conversation with painters, using this everyday object to play with light, space, and the weight of absence.