When forest animals invade our cities, the world is in disarray. Office vixen Fiona struggles with her banana phone addiction. Will she succumb to it? Temperamental bunny Barbara only gives her stag sugar daddy Nestor his special massage, after he dines her and plays the big spender. This obscure short film pinpoints postmodern tropes of consumerism, eroticism, and art with an homage to the theater stage and references to literature. This work uses a fantasy language and needs no subtitles.
In The Horse's Mouth, an eccentric artist embarks on a quest for artistic integrity, creating chaos and hilarity along the way. With a satirical edge, the film explores the comedy of manners within the art world, while also delving into themes of wealth, debt, and the struggles of an artist. Set in London, the story follows the artist's attempts to create a mural on a luxury houseboat, getting into trouble and encountering eccentric characters along the way.
Impressionism and expression of a view, Mavy uses fragments of the ocean landscapes of Alice Guy's studies through fluctuations of bright nuances and an imitation of these tormented waves in the eyes of a modern camera
Explores the paths being forged by six modern artists, giving us rare insight into the minds behind this rousing new wave of painting.
An adaptation of the play "4.48 Psychosis" written by Sarah Kane. The movie consists of scenes that work as a fragmenteded voyage through the mind of a person on a deeply depressive state. Everything is shown in a raw and experimental manner to bring the feelings and emotions in the most pure form to screen.
"Elizabeth Murray: 4 Decades" tracks the artist's career and shows her moving forward fearlessly toward new shapes and concepts for her unique style of painting. Inspired by artists of the Abstract Expressionism movement such as Willem de Kooning and Philip Guston, Murray was privy to their technique and motive. Though she may share ideals with her artistic predecessors, Murray has created miraculously original work which she discusses with curator Robert Storr as they explore her MoMA retrospective.
The multiple means of making art after the end of illusionism led these artists to create performances, sculptures, earthworks, tableaux, furniture, shaped canvases, and more, using unusual materials. They explore the process of making forms and giving meanings to those forms. In this idea art, their focus is as often social and psychological as artistic. Some of their activities enlist engineering and construction techniques, others compose texts or scripts that are central to their art. Some cast the viewer in the role of a spectator, while the others demand active participation. The sources for their concepts and art works are equally diverse; the delicate proportions and balance of Early Renaissance painting, the exploration of the surface of the moon, the structure and inventions of vernacular architects, to name only a few.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, abstraction - that most quintessentially modernist innovation - maintains a peculiarly contradictory position. Used, on one hand, by post-modernist artists as just one more quotable style amongst many, it is on the other hand still considered an elitist or hermetic language by audiences intimidated by its lack of recognizable subject matter. Yet ultimately, abstraction continues to be a viable creative path for contemporary artists of all generations, many of whom embrace it as the most inclusive and fundamentally resonant of artistic languages. Filmed at the artists' studios, the Dia Center for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Museum during their exhibition, "Abstraction in the Twentieth Century."
This documentary tells the true story of a massive art forgery scandal involving abstract expressionist paintings. It explores the intricate world of art fraud and the consequences it had on the art market.
The band of American artists known as the New York School toyed with tradition and rebelled against the Renaissance.Feeling as though free association yielded their best results, the painters, poets and performers of the New York School took a surrealist approach that was concerned less with aesthetic and more with expression. Those associated with the School were unified by their desire to create from within. They created a monumental, dramatic art that remains a singular expression of the crucial modern quest for individuality and personal freedom." Never knowing exactly how their pieces would turn out, the artists of the New York School embraced their own complex humanity and worked from a place of bold, sporadic realness.
A documentary that delves into the life and art of Clyfford Still, one of the most highly respected abstract expressionist painters of his time. The film examines his artistic journey, the impact of his work on the art world, and offers insight into his unique abstract style.
Confined to an endlessly burning waiting room, a dying sedentary woman experiences herself blurring in and out of her body. In her last remaining fragments she tries to make amends with her spirit before her remaining fragments either decay or create.
Scenes Seen with Allen Jones explores the motive of the artist's famed graphic works,, paintings and sculptures. The erotic overtones of Jones's work are both controversial and exciting, drawing the public's attention towards a new sector of the avant-garde. Jones is introduced in his London studio, where he is developing an idea for a new painting as he meticulously studies his model. During his days as a top member of the Pop Art movement in Britain, Jones evolved a singular genre of imagery: totemic forms of torso-less legs, sheathed in vinyl, which have become his artistic "signature."
This documentary offers an intimate look at the life and legacy of American abstract expressionist Franz Kline. Through personal memories and reflections from those who knew him—such as fellow artist Willem de Kooning, de Kooning’s wife Elaine, and other contemporaries—the film paints a vivid portrait of Kline’s personality, artistic spirit, and lasting influence. Known for his powerful black and white compositions and bold brushwork, Kline is remembered not only for his art, but also for his wit, warmth, and passionate approach to painting. The episode explores both his creative process and the deep friendships that shaped his career.
Forty years in the making, 'The Painter Sam Francis' is artist Jeffrey Perkins' intimate portrait of abstract expressionist painter Sam Francis. The film retraces Francis' life and career from his childhood in California to his artistic maturation in post-war Paris, his time spent in Japan, and his prominence in the United States. It reveals a man in constant struggle with physical maladies and his own demons, but for whom creativity was a powerful life-sustaining force.
The liberation of objects within objects. A tree is a Pollock.
This documentary explores the life and work of abstract expressionist artist Philip Guston, known for his unique style that blended social realism and abstract expressionism with influences from the New York School. It delves into Guston's artistic journey, his struggles, and the impact of his work on the art world.
Ed Ruscha made his very first art in his native Oklahoma, but soon became attracted to Los Angeles . Curator Margit Rowell has examined his extensive body of work and created a brilliant exhibition of his seldom seen drawings. Rowell visits Ruscha in his studio, looking at new paintings with the artist, discussing his progress over the decades and asking him to comment on the many milestones in his large retrospective exhibition at MoCA in Los Angeles.
A documentary about the life and tragic death of abstract artist Jackson Pollock. Features are interviews with Lee Krasner (Pollock's wife), and other friends and fellow artists. Also featured are scenes of Pollock as well as an interview he did. This is a great glimpse into the mind of a great artist.
Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World is a documentary film that delves into the life and artistic journey of abstract artist Agnes Martin. The film explores Martin's unique approach to abstract expressionism and her impact on the world of modern art. Through interviews and archival footage, the audience gains insight into Martin's thoughts, philosophy, and creative process. As the film guides viewers through Martin's life and career, it showcases her dedication to her craft and the profound influence she continues to have on the art world.