Guggenheim 107/Americans 2--Hoboken, New Jersey 27 - 1955

Robert Frank made this contact sheet, Guggenheim 107/Americans 2--Hoboken, New Jersey, with a camera, light and photographic paper; the process of photographic development seems so similar to painting somehow, doesn't it? This contact sheet is like looking into Frank's mind. It’s all about the editing process, the way he sees and selects. The red markings are where Frank himself has made marks on the surface, to show his process, his thought - the editing process itself becomes the art. You can see his decision-making right there on the surface. There's a real back and forth. Like a conversation. The red marks are so bold, playful. It feels like he’s literally drawing on top of reality, questioning, pointing, engaging. For me it brings to mind the work of Cy Twombly, the way both artists bring a kind of immediacy to their work by making their mark making so visible.