Wales 30 1953

This is Robert Frank's "Wales 30", a photo contact sheet with marker edits. I imagine him, after shooting, sitting in a darkroom squinting at these tiny images. The artist has marked up the print with red, yellow and black marker, drawing our eyes to certain frames while rejecting others with an "X." You can see him thinking and reconsidering, editing and arranging, as if these marks form a conversation between him and the work. It's like he's saying, "Pay attention to this one… No, not that one.” I like to think about process, and in this work, it is plain for us to see. It reminds me that all great paintings are also the result of editing, revising, and even accidental discoveries. It suggests a continuity between art forms and the artists who make them.