Greek baptism no number 1955

This is Robert Frank’s ‘Greek baptism no number’, a series of photographs on paper. Look at the way Frank layers image upon image, like a painter might layer strokes. The silver gelatin print gives everything a grainy, high-contrast feel. It’s almost like he’s carving into the light with the camera. I find myself drawn to the blurriness of some of the frames, that accidental poetry that happens when the moment’s too fast for the machine. There’s one frame, maybe halfway down, where the light flares and obscures everything. It's like a visual echo of the spiritual experience. Frank reminds me of Garry Winogrand, both of them grabbing moments from the street, never quite in focus, never quite perfect, but always, always real. This work is an embrace of imperfection, an ode to the fleeting, messy, beautiful world.