Artists have long fascinated filmmakers, providing rich material for stories about passion, genius, and turmoil. The films we are going to watch depict their artistic journeys while offering insight into their struggles and triumphs bringing the world of art to life through figures like Vincent van Gogh, J.M.W. Turner, Margaret Keane, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Artemisia Gentileschi, Frida Kahlo, Johannes Vermeer, Christy Brown, Dora Carrington and Jackson Pollock. We will discuss themes and messages, how the film compares to the artist’s own life or work and what insights or lessons does the film offer about the creativity and the challenges of being an artist.
We will discuss a movie each week. The movies will be watched at home and there will be a discussion about the movie and the artist
The movies are available on Amazon Prime, youtube and Kanopy. Some have to be rented for a small fee.
There will be wikipedia links to some of the topics for discussion.
I hope you join us on this artistic journey.
Art on Screen: 10 Movies About Artists Worth Seeing
1. Lust for Life (1956)
This biographical movie goes through the adult life and notorious death of Van Gogh. It focuses on Van Gogh’s troubled life and frail mental health.
2. Mr Turner (2014)
J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) was a controversial, eclectic, at times anarchic painter who has made an indelible mark on Romantic art. This movie explores the later years of the life of Turner (from 1828 onwards).
3. Big Eyes
Big Eyes tells the story of painter Margaret Keane (1927–2022). Margaret’s work, characterized by painting figures with oversized eyes, was commercially extremely successful. This was in good part thanks to cheap reproductions on different media, including prints and crockery.
4. Basquiat (1996)
This biographical drama is a fictionalized account of the rapid rise and fall of neo-expressionist American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988). It follows him from his early days as a struggling aspiring artist to the peak of his success. It shines a light on his tumultuous relationships and the heroin addiction that ultimately isolated him and led to his death in 1988 aged only 27.
5. Artemisia Gentileschi, warrior painter, 2020
This European collaboration is a biopic of Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1653), played by Italian actress Valentina Cervi. It paints a picture of her striving to become a painter while being ostracized by Church and society in 17th-century Rome
6. Frida (2002)
Speaking of trailblazing women, Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is second to none. This biographical movie follows the private and public life of the Mexican surrealist artist, played by Salma Hayek.
7.- Camile Claudel 1915 , 2013.
Was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity. Later in the 20th century, she gained renewed attention and recognition for the originality and quality of her work.
8. My Left Foot (1989)
Easily the most acclaimed and awarded movie on this list, My Left Foot is based on the life of Irish artist Christy Brown (1932–1981). Brown was a writer and painter. He was affected by severe cerebral palsy, which meant he could only work using the toes of one foot. The movie follows the life of Brown and his maturation into an admired artist.
9. Pollock (2000)
This drama follows the life of American abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock (1912–1956). It shines a light on his troubled personality and struggles with alcohol addiction. It also tells the story of his marriage to painter Lee Krasner
10. Carrington (1995)
This is a biographical movie about the life of English painter Dora Carrington (1893–1932). She was most famously associated with the Bloomsbury Group, a group of artists and intellectuals whose works and ideas shaped the culture of 20th-century Britain.
We will discuss a movie each week. The movies will be watched at home andnd there will be a discussion about the movie and the artist that the movie is about. We will not be showing the movie or parts of the movie in class.
The movies are available on Prime, youtube and Kanopy. Some have to be rented for a small fee.
There will be wikipedia links to some of the topics for discussion