Guggenheim 674/Americans 31--Elko, Nevada 1956

Robert Frank's film strip, Guggenheim 674/Americans 31--Elko, Nevada, probably made with a 35mm camera, shows us a series of black and white images. I love that we can see the edges of the film here, it reminds us that seeing is a process. The high contrast emphasizes the grain, making each image feel raw and immediate. The composition varies from tightly cropped interior shots to wide, desolate landscapes. There's a tension between the close-ups of people and the empty, almost haunting, views of the Nevada landscape. Look at the frame near the top, with the group circled in red, it's like a little stage, a moment captured in the midst of the surrounding darkness. Frank is a bit like Walker Evans, finding beauty in the mundane, but with a much more rough and ready approach, reminding us that art isn't always about perfection, but about feeling.