Venice, Italy 17 1964

Robert Frank made this picture, Venice, Italy 17, from photo film. You can see the sprocket holes along the edges, and it looks like it's made up of different strips, almost like he's playing with time itself. The blacks are deep and velvety, and the whites pop with this stark contrast. You can almost feel the texture of the film. It's a bit gritty, a bit raw, but that's where the beauty lies. See the top strip, there’s a red rectangle outlining two bicycles hanging upside down. It’s the kind of mark that comes with working in the darkroom, proof of the artist’s hand. Frank’s work reminds me a little of Garry Winogrand, but with a bit more shadow, a bit more intimacy. It's all about the moment, about capturing the world as it is, without any pretense. Isn’t it interesting how a single frame can hold so many stories?