Newburgh, New York II 1955

Robert Frank made this black and white photograph, Newburgh, New York II, most likely in the late 1950’s, on film, a medium that feels both immediate and historical to our digital eyes. I love seeing the whole roll like this. It's like looking over the artist's shoulder as he searches for the right shot. In this piece, Frank presents a sequence of images depicting a motorcycle race, but it's the texture and rhythm of the film itself that really grabs me. The graininess, the sprocket holes, and the way the images bleed into each other create a sense of movement and urgency. Look at the images framed in red, how the contrast is so intense there, and in so many others. It really emphasizes the starkness and grit of the scene, placing you there, in that moment, with the sounds and smells of the race. It reminds me of Warhol's screen prints, but with a rawness that is distinctly Frank's. This feels like a visual poem, a fleeting glimpse into a specific time and place.