Guggenheim 672--Reno to Elko, Nevada 1956

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print called "Guggenheim 672--Reno to Elko, Nevada," and it's all about the process. It’s like a storyboard, a series of stills, each with a different tone and texture. The blacks are so rich, like ink, and the whites feel almost brittle. It's a real study in contrast. I love the grainy quality; it gives the piece a rawness, an immediacy. It's not slick or polished; it feels like you're right there with Frank, seeing through his eyes. Look at the frames with the crosses, or maybe they’re explosions? They're kind of scrawled on, like graffiti. It's like Frank’s marking his territory, saying, “I was here, I saw this, and I felt this.” It reminds me a bit of Danny Lyon's work, that same kind of documentary grit. Like them, Frank wasn’t just taking pictures; he was making statements. It’s all in the way he crops, the angles he chooses, the way he lets the light tell the story.