Guggenheim 435--Los Angeles 1955 - 1956

Editor: This is Robert Frank's "Guggenheim 435--Los Angeles," a gelatin-silver print made between 1955 and 1956. It presents several different shots from city life. The film roll format gives the whole piece a very raw and immediate feel. What can you tell us about this work? Curator: The contact sheet itself becomes the image. The various pictures contain potential stories. A close reading, however, exposes more: look at the repeated “H” shapes in the lower right of the image – perhaps standing for “Hospital,” hinting at the stories within those walls. And what do you make of the markings? Editor: The "2" and other symbols marked on the sheet—do these also carry significance? Curator: Absolutely. These could be read as the artist’s directions to himself, or to his printer, reminding them which images matter, perhaps for later symbolic re-use. He marks what captures his interest. Think of these markings like medieval glosses, drawing out threads in an important text. Frank directs our eyes to the images' emotional, cultural, and psychological weight. They’re fragments of cultural memory he deemed important. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. The “H” and these almost hidden marks - it's like we're excavating the artist's thoughts. I would never have looked for that myself. Curator: Exactly! And think about this gelatin-silver print medium. Photography is meant to "capture" or "record" something; but photography, like all images, does not represent “the world.” Rather, they represent cultural ideas *about* the world. Frank's image subtly reflects, and shapes, the culture that views and interprets it. Editor: I am re-considering photography now; it’s not only documentary! Thanks. Curator: My pleasure. Looking closer makes all the difference.