Kite I 1957 - 1958

Robert Frank made this film strip, Kite I, using photography. The way Frank arranges the photos, all these different moments of a kite in the sky, it’s like he's not just showing us a scene, but breaking it down, piece by piece. It’s the art-making process itself on display. Look at the contrasts, the gritty blacks and soft grays; you can almost feel the wind. The texture is less about the paper and more about the story these images tell together. Each frame, each moment, adds to a feeling that’s both free and a bit melancholy. The way he overlaps images and lets the edges of the film show really emphasizes the rawness and vulnerability of the moment. Thinking about contemporaries, someone like Andy Warhol, who also used repetition and serial imagery, comes to mind, though Frank’s work feels more personal, more about the lived experience. It’s a reminder that art can be about capturing a feeling, a fleeting moment.