Dimensions: sheet: 25.3 x 20.3 cm (9 15/16 x 8 in.)
Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0
This is Robert Frank’s "Hershey story 9," a photographic contact sheet. What strikes me first is the presentation itself. It's not a single, decisive image but a collection, a sequence, a glimpse into the artistic process. I am drawn to the raw, unedited quality. Each frame offers a slightly different angle, a variation on a theme. The high-contrast black and white tones emphasize the starkness of the images, heightening the sense of immediacy. Look closely at the frames depicting crowds; the graininess almost dissolves the figures into abstract forms. It reminds me of early Gerhard Richter, how he worked with blurry photographs, embracing imperfection as a way to capture the elusive nature of reality. Frank isn't trying to give us answers; he's showing us how to ask questions. He reminds us that art isn't about perfect images. It's an ongoing process of discovery.
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