11th Street story 56/People You Don't See 15 1951

Here is a photo-collage of sorts, made by Robert Frank, of people he saw on 11th Street, maybe in the 1950s or 60s. I can imagine him wandering around with his camera, seeing, framing, clicking, and catching all these little moments of life on film. I wonder if he knew at the time that each frame captured a different story, or if he was thinking about the bigger picture, the overall rhythm and flow of life. The contact sheet format makes me think about the editing process. Like, he’s trying to figure out what to keep and what to cut. That’s what I do too, when I make a painting. You know, layering and scraping, adding and subtracting, until something emerges. It's like he's sifting through memories, trying to piece together a narrative from fragments. Each image is so small and fleeting, but together they create something bigger, more lasting. And he shares it with us. We get to see what he saw, and maybe even feel what he felt. That's the power of art, right?