As the polar opposite of an avid photographer I can not possibly truly appreciate the work of Robert Frank in his work “The Americans.” However, I can truly equate his reaching for his goal much like the way Philippe Petit pursued his. Of course Frank’s work was much less dangerous, but it still showed his great commitment to his work.
He was very influenced by his origins in Europe. Growing up under in Europe during the time of Naziism, he experienced oppression from the government. Luckily his art was able to provide him some comfort and when he traveled to America he was hoping to experience the freedom the United States promises to any prospective immigrant. When he got here however he was shown a different side of the United States that many citizens were not able to see because essentially their eyes grew blind to it. There still was a lot of oppression just not on all, but some. Racism, classism, and sexism were rampant, and his work “The Americans” had shown this and displayed America in this light. It makes sense why there was an uproar of this title. It was bold, and painted the world’s newest growing superpower in a negative light, somewhat jeopardizing its credibility on an international scale. This much like the opera reflects the power and influence of a piece of art on politics and society.
Hi Kevin,
Your point about showing a different side to the United States that others were blind to reminded me of Jacob Riis’s photography book, How the Other Half Lives. It is a fascinating book to flip through if you ever get the chance. It depicts the residents of New York tenement slums living in awful, unsanitary conditions and, like The Americans, really opened society’s eyes to a side of the country that others could not fathom for themselves. I think both these works are a testament to the power of media and arts in effecting change in society or politics. The bold nature of art commands attention, so using art is a great way to gain attention for something.