On ship--New York to Paris no number 1949

Robert Frank made this gelatin silver print, "On ship--New York to Paris no number," by layering images, so the process is right there on the surface. Look how Frank shoots strips of film, each a sequence of frames, and puts them together like a collage. The images themselves give you a sense of being on a ship, sailing, seeing masts and riggings, other people, and a bit of city in the distance. It’s all held together by that black background, with the film strips like a series of windows. But Frank doesn’t hide the process: the edges of the film are visible, and the sprocket holes that move the film through the camera are right there. This reminds me of someone like Gerhard Richter, who also used photography in his paintings, embracing accident and chance to disrupt and question the image. This piece embraces art as an ongoing conversation across time, where clarity isn't the only voice.