Wales 53 1953

Robert Frank made this photographic work, Wales 53, layering several strips of black and white 35mm film positives on a piece of paper. The different strips remind me of the way Cy Twombly would layer information in his paintings and drawings, letting us see the archaeology of the work. Each of these celluloid strips contains a sequence of images which Frank has then grouped together on the page. A lot of information here! My eye is drawn to the red marker, the number 53 which seems to indicate the sequence of the film or work within the artist’s broader project. Adjacent to this a frame has been heavily marked around, and the negative itself is scratched. The red seems to bleed into the images adding another layer of information and gesture to the work. This piece echoes Frank's approach to photography, emphasizing process, experimentation, and the layering of images to create deeper meaning. Like all good art, there is no correct way to view it.