Throughout history, marginalized groups, particularly in white, predominantly male, Anglo-Saxon-shaped American society, have turned to alternative forms of expression in order to gain access to ôvoiceö and in order to help fashion an ôidentityö that is outside of the mainstream dominated images that typically define them as the ôother,ö most often in a negative manner. Mural painting is one form of expression and Frank RomeroÆs Going to the Olympics is one such ôvoiceö in the mainstream that helps affirm Mexican ôidentityö as surely as it ôhelps to bind us into a kind of warped citizenship,ö (Cintron, p. 129). This analysis of RomeroÆs Going to the Olympics will explore the ideas and theories offered by Cintron in ôA Boy and his Wallö as they relate to the artwork.
Frank RomeroÆs murals often convey a number of themes that affirm the identity of his culture, the social ills that plague his culture, and a connection betwden his culture `nd mainstream culture that both affirms his own culture while promoting optimism for both cultures in future. As one art history for the Getty maintains, RomeroÆs works often present the following themes: ôan acute sense of history; the influences of the Latinos on the political and cultural fabric of America; the ongoing environmental and racial problems facing our communities; an unabashed love for this city; and an optimism for the future,ö (Mexican, p. 1).
RomeroÆs love for the city of Los Angeles can be readily observed in the artistÆs commemoration of the history of the American automobile and the Olympics in his Going to the Olympics. In this image of a series of colorful cars in a line that is in front of the hills and palm trees of sunny Los Angeles, the artist evokes the history of the styling of automobiles as well as presents images that are linked to the history of the Olympics. In this manner, the artist provides a metaphor of life in Los Angeles, sun...