Opera no number 1965

Curator: This is Robert Frank's gelatin silver print from 1965, "Opera no number." It captures a filmstrip of moments outside what appears to be an opera house. Editor: My first thought is about time, actually – how Frank freezes it and multiplies it across the filmstrip. There’s almost a cinematic quality to these fragmented frames, like outtakes. Curator: Exactly! Frank's decision to showcase the raw, uncut roll implicates a whole industry in the construction of images. It's not just the final product but the discarded, the incidental, that become the story. What does this do for us? How is this work, consumed, understood by the audience? Editor: I'm drawn to the contrast and light. It’s stark and unforgiving in a way that really pulls you into the scenes – the glint of a smile here, a shadowy figure there. I can make out how Frank skillfully handles tonal values to draw my eyes toward certain subjects – these elegantly dressed theatergoers that comprise the images. The dark surround further accentuates the images – very clever choice to create greater emphasis and drama. Curator: He captures the in-between spaces of urban life, challenging the polished image with what many consider visual “noise”: blur, grain, odd compositions... Editor: I think "visual noise" sells it short! I perceive this piece as more about offering glimpses of narratives, not neatly resolved images, but the beginnings and middles that create more interesting compositions for sure. What were these people talking about? What production was the opera? These open ended suggestions make this a great work. Curator: That ambiguity certainly seems purposeful. Instead of grand narratives, he offers micro-narratives focused on the experience and social fabric of 1960's New York – in this case, cultural pursuits. The black and white underscores that sense of an unvarnished, yet dramatic slice of life. Editor: It does give a certain timelessness too. Removing the vibrant distractions of color enables greater focus on texture, expressions, and those little interactions you were talking about. It would be so different had Frank created the artwork with color techniques! Curator: Indeed, Frank prompts us to consider the labor, context, and medium that goes into image making itself. And how what society decides to create in the fine arts actually impacts consumption and behavior for others who make art. Editor: The whole composition feels really self-aware, in both production and message. "Opera no number" allows the viewer to interpret these subjects however one feels relevant!