Archives for Video category
If you can’t see the video click here
If you can’t see the video click here
If you can’t see the video click here
If you can’t see the video click here
These days if I’m watching cable, I’m watching movies. Rarely do I actually watch “TV.” Aside from a couple of shows most television is crap today anyway, with brain dead “quiz” shows and reality TV. I get enough reality. I want to escape reality and go on adventures, and be entertained with comedy, action, and decent drama. When cinema gives us a good art flick, I’m hooked. So don’t be surprised if I’m a little biased in my ratings- I’ll try to be objective.
This is the second list of movies about painters, the first of which you can read here if you’d like. In that list I mentioned Basquiat (1996), Caravaggio (1986), Surviving Picasso, Love is the Devil, The Agony and the Ecstasy, and I briefly wrote of Pollock, which I had not seen at the time. This time I’ve included a link to the trailers so you can see for yourself. They’re all worth checking out.
Goya’s Ghosts ****½
I did a more in depth post about this one a few weeks ago, but it’s certainly worth mentioning again. It is rare that I give a full 5 star (outstanding) rating but this one came close (I gave 5 to There Will Be Blood and Vanilla Sky). As you can imagine I really liked this one. It’s hard to warn you not to have expectations about something while writing a review. That’s akin to telling you not to think about something specific- of course you’ll think about it. Yet one of the reasons I think the critics didn’t like this was because they were expecting something different. It is not exactly a biography on Goya, but involves him in a story about two of his sitters- one being a powerful inquisitor of the brutal Spanish Inquisition, and the other being an innocent victim of such.
The movie is full of suspense and action, as well as good acting. I consider the political messages and parallels to the modern era welcome, but I will warn that you may disagree with me. However, if you are a Goya fan you will enjoy the many paintings you will see in this with an impressive collage at the closing credits. There’s also a scene which shows the artist making a print from soup to nuts- pretty cool stuff.
Pollock ***
I’ll Admit I mentioned this in the first 6 Films About Painters, and I am also mentioning it here in 6 More Films, which doesn’t make sense entirely- so sue me. But this time I actually watched it and I was impressed. Ed Harris (nominee, Best Actor) directs and plays New York abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock alongside Marcia Gay Harden (winner, Best Supporting Actress) who plays Pollock’s wife, artist Lee Krasner. It also stars Val Kilmer as Willem De Kooning, and Jennifer Connelly as Pollock’s love interest who survived the crash that took the life of the artist and another passenger in 1956.
This is a decent artist biography about the man, the artist, the husband. It is no surprise that Harris was nominated for his performance of an often disturbed and extremely alcoholic artist. We see his frustrations with his wife, his rough dealings with critics, and his reaction to success. You’ll see plenty of abstract paintings throughout Jackson Pollock’s history from his early days to his creative drip paintings - all of which were executed by Harris.
Downtown 81 ***
Ed Harris convincingly portrays Jackson Pollock, Stellan Skårsgaard acts as the deaf Spanish painter Goya, Anthony Hopkins as Pablo Picasso, but how often do we find the actual artist in a movie? This is Downtown 81 starring the New York artist Jean Michel Basquiat. Basquiat was played by Jeffrey Wright in Basquiat, which I talked bout in the first post. Basuiat (1996) was a biographical movie about the young artist’s rise to fame in in the 1980s and his friendship with pop artist Andy Warhol. Downtown 81, made in 1981, is more of a “beat movie” providing a documentary on the hip sub-cultures of the city.
Semi-biographical of the artist it portrays, the movie is a fictional account of his daily life. At one point the landlord throws him out after a fruitless attempt to offer some paintings as rent. The movie progresses to show the dealings and interactions with various unique New York characters. Saying this movie is “artsy” is an understatement. While the movie stars the real life Basquait, the audio has been unfortunately lost, and is dubbed over. Of course this adds something to the hipster indie quality.
Factory Girl **½
I hope I’m not being too harsh on this movie. Let me say it is about Edie Sedgwick, one of Andy Warhol’s Factory Kids, and it does not center on Warhol. Nevertheless a movie involving Warhol is worth mentioning. Even though it is about Edie, she and the other Factory Kids, along with the crazy things they did, and the jet set popularity and fashion, and crazy lifestyle was what Andy’s life was all about at the time.
I guess I didn’t like it that much because of the portrayal of Warhol. Usually I like Guy Pearce. He was good in Time Machine, and the first movie I saw him in Ravenous (now that’s a good movie!). We all know Warhol was gay- he was what was called a “dandy,” fashionably ambiguous, yet didn’t come “out” as it is known today. I’ve read through Andy’s unabridged diaries and even there does he not talk so much of the male member as he does in Factory Girl. So it seems his portrayal was just a little over the top.
That said, I’m sure it was a decent flick on the life of Edie Sedgewick- which is what the movie is about anyhow. So I’m probably judging it wrong. Either way I still give it two and a half stars. But to be fair I think I’ll have to check it out again and reappraise it.
Factory Girl trailer.
Frida
I’ll have to file this under “To be watched” but it looks good enough. It stars Selma Hyeck (whose uni-brow I believe is real-but don’t quote me on that one), and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera, Kahlo’s husband. It was directed by Julie Taymor (Titus).
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently showing “Frida Kahlo,” in celebration of the Spanish artist’s birthday. It includes 40 paintings with a focus on her numerous self-portraits.
Girl With A Pearl Earring
Another I haven’t seen yet, but looks like I’ll give it a try. It is about the novel of the same name about the Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer and the mysterious girl in the famous painting.
Thought you’ve seen everything, haven’t you? Check out this video I stumbled across of elephants who were trained to paint.
When I first heard about this, I expected random Pollock-esque splatters of paint on the canvases or the animals holding a brush in their trunks and making random brush strokes. But see for yourself, these elephants are actually painting. Elephants are a very intelligent animal, capable of grief, self awareness, empathy, compassion and even altruism. They can play, use tools, have an excellent memory and can be trained to make music (elephant orchestras) so it’s no surprise they can make art, as seen above.
In 1997 elephant experts teamed up with artists to create an elephant art academy to raise money and awareness. They taught the animals to hold the brushes and create lines or dots on parts of the canvas to produce pictures, many of which were abstract, but some resemble objects such as flowers and even self portraits. Other times the elephants were allowed to paint how they chose, which resulted in truly abstract and original art which is also sold at auctions.
This reminds me of Koko, the gorilla who could speak sign language, who, along with other gorillas, can create art with finger painting. They are able to distinguish colors and surprising even attach emotional value to them, for instance making a predominantly red painting and calling it, “anger.” You also may remember Tillamook Cheddar, the dog whose painting sales were making the owner quite happy.
Some argue the authenticity of the elephants paintings which is why in the Thailand group seen in the video, paintings are made before a crowd so there can be no doubt. I’ve seen videos where a baby’s arm was shown finger painting, which was obviously the parent holding the arm off screen to paint the picture. In this video I see no such foolery, and certain “myth buster” websites have confirmed its authenticity.
After reading some of the comments to the video some people argued against the captivation and training of elephants. Unfortunately these days it seems there can be no safer place for this beautiful dying species than in the care of professionals and veterinarians in wildlife refuges and zoos across the world. The artwork created by the elephants is sold or auctioned off, sometimes bringing in up to $25,000 at auction houses such as Christies. All of the money goes to the preservation of the elephants, whose numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate.
They may not be able to make truly creative works of art but can be trained to reproduce the same paintings over and over. If you think about it, that is our own situation on a much smaller scale in terms of most of the art we create, as well any other specializations in our jobs and every day life.
Elephants can paint and make artwork time and again. You have no excuse!
The Spanish Inquisition is at the height of its power and witch-hunt atrocities are rampant throughout the country. Charles IV, an Italian, is King of Spain. A revolution is unfolding in France which threatens to turn the social class system upside down and to change the face of government across Europe. Meanwhile a painter works for the crown, and tries his hardest to stay out of politics and tries, as we all do, to ignore the horrors of the world and to live in peace. What could the world look like to a simple court painter, in this time and place, who was slowly going deaf?
In the beginning of “Goya’s Ghosts,” Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem), a leading Inquisitor, is at the Holy Office defending some of the prints by Fransisco Goya (Stellen Skarsgård) which the priests are considering vulgar. These prints portrayed witches, goblins, monstrosities, and pagan rituals- possible condoning of heretical beliefs. “The art is not evil,” defends Lorenzo, “they only portray the real world.” A few gasps are heard by the others as the monk goes on to explain that one only need look around and see the world as it truly is: horrible and unholy. Lorenzo pleads for and receives more power to weed out the heretics of society and use any means necessary to prove their unholiness.
To Goya, a painter of royal portraits and high society, life was good as long as he was paid well. His quiet world, however, would be changed as one of his favorite models (Natalie Portman) finds herself in the sights of the Church for refusing pork at an inn. This, of course, means she is a heretic and should be made to confess. After torture she confesses, as anyone would after such pain as her wealthy father points out to Lorenzo after he is invited to dinner at the rich merchant’s mansion. The father even asks Lorenzo if he would confess to being a monkey and a heretic if Lorenzo would be subject to the Church’s holy questions. As Goya laughs at such a thing, the man inquisitive of Lorenzo shows no such sense of humor.
Thus begins the turning of table after unpredictable table in this story of a poor girl who posed for Goya and found herself in Christianity’s dungeons. Having a baby in the prison, she knows the father is a certain monk, who has begged for the Church’s release of the girl to no avail. Throughout the movie we see the invasion of Emperor Napoleon’s Egyptian marmalukes- paid mercenaries who take no mercy on the Spanish populace. At the time of the French invasion the artist is completely deaf. He watches the explosions of the cannons but hears nothing.
Goya later searches for the girl in an asylum where he witnesses horrors that will become noticeable in some of his later works. Remaining neutral and simply trying to make a living, the former court painter watches regimes rise and fall from Charles IV, to Joseph Bonaparte, then the British forces under Duke Wellington. We see inquisitors turned prisoners, then priests again; we see the rich end up in rags, and the rags end up in riches. Will the poor girl survive Catholicism? What will become of the disgraced monk who confessed to being a monkey and a heretic? Will the terrifying events of an aged lifetime cause a genius to go mad, and create brutally dark masterpieces such as Colossus?
I really liked this movie and thought it was very suspenseful, dark yet humorous, and overall well written and directed. Don’t expect a complete biography on Goya, but do expect plenty of shots of many of his masterpieces. I’m glad it wasn’t just a total look at his life, as sometimes there could use a bit more story than simple biographies. Rather this movie lets the whole landscape of Spain at the turn of the 19th century unfold with its political and religious climate.
Every actor did a perfect job for his/her role, even Randy Quaid who played Charles IV. A critic asked if someone could believe such a portrayal. I’m a bit puzzled. I’m sure it was a put down for Quaid, but even if this was true I think they were misinformed. Charles IV wanted to be perceived as a powerful monarch but in truth was not, only a figurehead hiding behind the queen. Look at the buffoons we vote into office today. Parallels are made elsewhere as Napoleon’s generals motivate the French invaders by promising to be met as liberators, when this couldn’t be further from the truth. Say what you like, but the truth is the same today as it was back then. With political candidates literally saying they don’t care what the people want, and promising a century of pointless wars, after entering the new millennium with a ridiculous war, I believe Goya hit the nail on the head when he portrayed humanity as the two men in quicksand beating each other (see below).
Coming from the director of Amadeus you can expect an excellent soundtrack with Spanish guitars in some scenes, and bagpipes of the advancing British troops in one shot, as well as music for an excellent montage of paintings in the end. Randy Quaid even gives a little violin solo! But it’s not that good- you’ll see what I mean.
In summary, don’t believe the critics (who does, anyway?) and watch this film. It’s good for history buffs as well as art buffs. Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) really steals the show as Lorenzo with a fantastic performance. It’s full of irony and just downright entertaining. We witness a world full of atrocities which are no different than the world we live in today. Goya’s ghosts are just as likely to be the same as yours or mine.
Goya’s Ghosts (2006) **** 1/2
The 10 Scariest Paintings: #1, Saturn Devouring His Children
This post was guest blogged by Mandy.
I’m not talking “I threw together some bell bottoms and a peasant shirt, pass me the face paint” kind of Halloween stuff. I’m talking the rich, amazing world of professional costuming, specifically, movie costumes. There have been some amazing big-screen concoctions over the years, so I am going to focus on those recognized by the Academy this year.
This year’s Oscar winner was Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Alexandra Byrne is widely considered one of the greats in the field. She has only been lead costume designer for 9 movies in her career, and, besides her win this year, has received Oscar nominations for 3 of them. (The first Elizabeth, Hamlet, and Finding Neverland.) Her other creations have received wild acclaim, and it’s easy to see why. One only has to look at the rich detail involved in the gowns that Cate Blanchett wore and the amazing attention to historical accuracy; the incredible talent it took to make garments of such complexity has rarely been matched since the days these gowns were originally made.
The other nominees included Jacqueline Durand (Atonement), Albert Wolsky (Across the Universe), Marit Allen (La Vie en Rose), and Colleen Atwood (Sweeney Todd). It always amuses me that period pieces seem to be nominated far more often than any other (with the possible exception of fantasy, I don’t know I’ve never done or seen a statistical analysis). While the use of color and perspective by Mr. Wolsky, the almost achingly nostalgic look of La Vie en Rose, and the rich, almost decadent, feel of Ms. Durand’s work make for amazing studies in and of themselves, I honestly think Colleen Atwood was robbed this year.
The costumes of Sweeney Todd… gosh, they are just so nuanced and amazing; I can find something new to admire every time I look at them. Whether it is the arrogant leather clad Beadle, the faded, possessive Judge Turpin, or the almost ridiculously flamboyant Signor Pirelli, Ms. Atwood has really gone the extra mile in her meticulous pursuit of these characters. Sweeney Todd himself is the picture of years of hatred made (in)human. The once celebrated Benjamin Barker, has allowed himself to become, almost literally, unraveled in his quest for vengeance.
Honestly, though, my favorite has to be Mrs. Lovett. Her dark humor, and occasionally her undying optimism, shines through in her wardrobe. One of the best bits, I believe, is in the song “By the Sea,” where they are walking along the beach in bathing suits. The Broadway version of the song has a line, “Oh, I can see us now, in our bathing dresses! You in a nice, rich navy, and me… stripes, perhaps.” Though ultimately cut from the version in the movie, Colleen used it as her inspiration for those suits (though, obviously reversed).
There are so many, many more unsung heroes of the costuming world. You really pick up a lot of the mood of the scene, the personality of the character, from the costumes involved. Instead of just registering it subconsciously, next time you go to a movie, any movie, pay attention to the clothing. It is just as important as the actor in creating the character, just as crucial as the scenery for setting the stage.
Many people worked very hard to make the visions of one person come to life.
Technorati Tags: costumes, sweeney todd, movies, elizabeth golden age, academy awards
The Agony and the Ecstasy ***½
Just a few days ago I posted about Films About Painters and how you can use movies to learn. I don’t need to tell you movies are the most fun way to go about this. I mentioned the movie The Agony and the Ecstasy about the 16th century Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarotti.
It was made in 1965, you know, when Hollywood actually put effort into their movies, and aimed to educate and entertain at the same time. Not only will you walk away entertained, but you will learn something. The movie even starts out with a good twelve minute introduction showing some of Michelangelo’s sculptures from different periods of his career.
The main premise of the film is Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel, and dealing with the abusive Pope Julius II. Julius was a military man, and constantly at battle attempting to reclaim the Papal states for the Vatican. I found it humorous hearing the line, “ATTACK,” to which was replied “Yes, your holiness.”
The best parts of this movie really get into the tension between Pope and artist. Keep in mind that the Florentine artist considered himself a sculptor and not a painter, but the Pope cared not about what Michelangelo wanted and would not take “no” for an answer.
Some of the problems between the two were due the Pope skimping on the payments while attempting to fund his never ending wars. The Pope tells Michelangelo he will be paid, “Three…uh, two thousand ducats- less the rent, of course.” At one point Michelangelo is ecstatic that a message comes from the Vatican treasury, thinking he finally got paid. But when he opens it, he almost falls off the scaffolding when he reads it is a bill for two months rent. One humorous scene shows Julius making a cardinal out of an obviously young and inexperienced priest for payment to pay for the ceiling.
Meanwhile the Pope constantly asks when the ceiling will be completed (it took four years), and claims it an endless “purgatory of a ceiling.” The Holy Father and the feisty artist constantly clash. Michelangelo several times attempts to give up on the ceiling, once when he collapses of exhaustion. The Pope at this point releases Michelangelo, saying that he has already hired Raphael to finish it. This of course won’t do, and the sick Michelangelo agrees to get back to work at once. Later, when the Pope has retreated his armies and almost loses his fight for Rome, Michelangelo tells the sick Pontiff he will not finish his ceiling, if the Holy Pope will not finish his own work.
I gave this movie three and a half stars for its entertaining value, excellent acting, excellent dialogue, and plenty of artwork including numerous closeups of the ceiling’s themes and subjects, such as the Creation of Adam. Charleton Heston as usual acted well, and I was particularly pleased with Rex Harrison as Julius II. Much of the movie’s humor came from Harrison, and he made a very convincing 16th century Pope/ military commander. Very good/excellent film, giving the viewers a glimpse of what it must have been like in 16th century Rome, and an idea of the life and hardships of one of the most important Renaissance artists, Michelangelo Bounarotti.
Cinema is an art form in itself. Regardless of the subject, all films are judged by its mastery of cinematography, the creativity and genius of the director and screenwriters, and the skill and believability of the actors.
One need not forget that they are in fact watching a film, a representation of some subject. It’s like staring into a moving painting, as entire experience of sight, sound and imagination. Andy Warhol used to purposely put little mistakes and blips into his screen shots to remind the viewers that they are not actually seeing a situation as you would looking out your window, but rather you are experiencing a movie of one.
The never ending quest for knowledge takes us through books, articles, lectures, blogs, and so forth to teach us about any particular subject. It can also give us movies on our subject and this, of course, is the most exciting way of learning. Movies about art and art history can be found all over and there are plenty of good ones. Here I have a short list of some of the movies about painters, most of which I’ve seen. And of course, you can’t get away without having to put up with some of my opinions on them.
1. Basquait ***
This movie is great and filled with an all-star cast including David Bowie (as Warhol), and Dennis Hopper (as dealer Bruno Bishofberger), with parts played by Benicio del Toro and Gary Oldman, and cameo appearances by Christopher Walken and Courtney Love. Jeffrey Wright plays the New York “graffiti”-style artist Jean Michel Basquiat, and although he doesn’t look exactly like him, portrays the artist pretty well. The film is directed by artist Julian Schnabel.
This really is a fun, upbeat movie that gracefully goes from scene to scene with non stop entertainment. It follows the years of the American painter when he seemed to explode onto the art scene with his abstract graffiti inspired art. It centers on him catching the interest of the pop-artist Andy Warhol. This odd couple instantly forms a bond. The older, more experienced and successful Warhol used Basquiat’s young, new energy to re-inspire his own art, while Basquiat took the guidance and help from Warhol to get ahead. The two form a friendship and collaborate on some paintings.
If you want to catch the real artist at work, check out Downtown 81, which stars the young Basquiat himself in New York, and features some of his original artwork.
2. Caravaggio ****
I love this film for its uniqueness. This is truly one of those films about art that is a piece of art itself. Its main story involves the love triangle between the artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, a character named Lena, and Rannucio, who poses for some paintings. Just like the style of the Baroque painter, it blends historically accurate items and clothes with modern ones.
Not everything in movies needs to be believable, in fact this movie is only loosely based on the real life of Caravaggio. This film is high quality for its attention to detail and the poetic narration of the dying artist as he looks back on his life in his death bed. It was directed by Derek Jarman, with the production design by Christopher Hobbs, who also painted all the reproductions seen in the movie.
Of course, if I really like a movie, you can expect it to be weird. So I’d recommend watching this movie when you’re in that kind of mood. 
3. Pollock
This one I admit I haven’t seen yet but will as soon as I can. I thought I’d share it with you because it looks interesting to me. It stars Ed Harris as abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock known for his drip paintings where he would lay linen or canvas on the floor and stand above it and splatter paint onto it with brushes, sticks, and anything else he could get his hands on.
This wouldn’t be the first time Harris played an artist, having acted as Beethoven in Copying Beethoven, which centered around the stormy final years of the German composer. Apparently Pollock was the quite the character and I’m curious to see Harris portraying him. Interestingly all the paintings in the movie were done by Ed Harris himself.
4. Surviving Picasso ***
“Only his passion for women could rival his passion for painting,” is what the poster says of 20th century Spanish painter Pablo Picasso. And that’s mostly what the movie is about, the interesting and often stormy relationships the artist had, leading double lives and falling in love with several women at the same time. It is about Picasso’s personal life as seen through the eyes of François Gilot.
This movie really got me into Picasso, partly because it was well acted with my favorite actor Anthony Hopkins excellently playing the artist. It’s very entertaining, and although not very many of the painter’s work is shown, it does show the man at work sometimes (the film makers did not have permission to show the paintings).
5. Love is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon ***
This one I discovered not too long ago about the Irish figurative painter Francis Bacon, played by Sir Derek Jacobi. I was very pleased with it in general: great acting, great cinematography, and interesting story. It follows the relationship Bacon had with George Dyer, 16 years his junior, who he had met, believe it or not, while Dyer was burgling Bacon’s apartment.
Like Caravaggio, it is poetically narrated, only this time giving us a glimpse into the mind of the painter responsible for such disturbing works as Head I and Head VI. Throughout the movie, faces are seen in mirrors and other reflective surfaces and often distorted, which is characteristic of Bacon’s work. It’s well written, and comical at times, although the movie as a whole is very dark and foreboding- with Dyer’s images of blood and death, leading up to his suicide ending a tortured life and relationship.
6. The Agony and the Ecstasy
This is another one on my list that I have yet to see. It follows the Italian painter Michelangelo and his difficult dealings with the church, namely Pope Julius II, who commissioned the painter to paint the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel. This job would take over ten years of the painter’s life, give him serious eye problems due to the paint dripping into them, and numerous other physical troubles, all without receiving very much gratitude at all.
I haven’t begun to get my fill of Michelangelo, so I’m looking forward to this one. I also like Charleton Heston, being a big fan of Ben Hur. So I’m sure the acting is good, and I hear several works of art are shown in the movie, including Raphael’s School of Athens, and the 12 Apostles and the Creation of Adam, being parts of the Sistene’s ceiling.
So I’ll check out Pollock, and The Agony and The Ecstasy and scope out some other movies about painters and I’ll let you know what I find. I’m sure I’ll think of some other ones. Any good ones I missed?
