Category: Fine Arts

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CREATIVITY – the perfect crime

CreativityPhilippe Petit does not try to define creativity or offer a plan for being creative. Petit is an inventive problem solver who, in is own way, includes the reader of Creativity – the perfect crime in a documentary style, personal process of creation.   Artists of all types, writers, filmmakers; anyone involved in being creative in their occupations and lives will find this book inspirational.

“With the reader as his accomplice, Petit reveals fresh and unconventional ways of going about the artistic endeavor, from generating and shaping ideas to practicing, problem-solving and ultimately pulling off the “coup” itself—executing a finished work.” — Creativity – the perfect crime book cover, inside front flap.

Petit writes that creativity is a “criminal activity,” that early on he dropped the conventions and ethics of society, went outside the restraints culture imposes, invented his own rules and rebelled against a repressive environment. In fact Petit reminds us,  that his evolution is universal for creative people. Critical inventive problem solving must break established rules, laws and convention. In that respect it is, as Petit writes, “a criminal activity.”

“Develop unabashedly your own set of morals, cling to your own logic, inhabit your own universe: teach yourself as you let life teach you.”  — Philippe Petit – Creativity — the perfect crime.

The structure of this book is documentary in nature. There are a number of parallel themes interwoven though out Creativity – the perfect crime. Anecdotally the author creates a first person narration, his personal journey in life along with the way he has learned to solve life’s obstacles through invention, breaking some rules, observation, intuition and thinking beyond the constraints that surround him. Another theme layered throughout  is a case study of his high wire walk between the twin towers in New York City in January of 1974. Numerous other experiences also bring out concepts and ideas that form the creative process for Petit. The author has also created hand drawn illustrations that graphically bring to life many of the notions and points he is making.

Tower walk NY City 1974
Tower walk NY City 1974

Creativity — the perfect crime is a story that both entertains, educates and informs the reader.  It will inspire creative souls with more information than they can absorb all at once.  It is a book that should be read slowly and more than once.  Appreciated the same way a good glass of wine is observed and appreciated with all the senses. Philippe Petit advises: “Learn and teach, teach and learn. Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”

Philippe Petit is a performing artist who started out teaching himself to juggle, then do tight rope walking.  He has been a street performer, a magician, writer and teacher. Creativity — the perfect crime, is not a text-book in any  conventional sense.  But it could be a great addition that expands any type of arts curriculum.  Students of the arts, writing and film, at all levels of learning, will benefit from the wisdom in this book.

Review by James R Martin at J R Martin Media, author Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia.

 

Philippe Petit at TED

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[amazon_image id="1594631689" link="true" target="_blank" size="medium" ]Creativity: The Perfect Crime

Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Documentary Storytelling Techniques for Film, Video, the Internet and Digital Media Projects.

 

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Arts Film Fine Arts News

LEVITATED MASS REVIEW

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Levitated Mass directed by Doug Pray is a documentary that has appeal as an adventure story, exploration of the place of monumental art in America, the work of an artist with and alternative view of space and time, and it all revolves around a 900 million year old rock. Levitated Mass is the saga and implementation of  an idea originally envisioned in 1968 by artist Michael Heizer.

Levitated Mass is a well-made documentary that both informs and entertains. Doug Pray’s previous documentaries include “Yelp.” “”Scratch,” “Big Rig,” and “Art & Copy” among others. Levitated Mass will keep you involved and finding answers to questions you may come up with while watching. This is a story about many things including art and how it relates to life for the artist and the audience.

Full Review at J R Martin Media – http://www.jrmartinmedia.com/documentary/levitated-mass/

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Arts Film Fine Arts News

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS – MAKE SOMETHING FROM NOTHING

Beautiful Losers begins with archival footage shot as early as the 1980’s.  It tells the story of outsiders who came together and found common ground in a small New York City storefront gallery. These individuals, with diverse backgrounds, including sub cultures like skateboarding, hip hop, surf, graffiti and punk began to invent their art.  With no real training they established trends in pop culture based on their Do It Yourself (DIY) backgrounds.  Today many of these non-traditional artists have become mainstream in the Pop Culture area and are sought after for various types of projects including art exhibits and by advertising agencies. Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Harmony Korine, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Chris Johansoon, Geoff McFetridge, Jo Jackson, Magaret Kilgallen, Stephe Powers and Thomas Campbell are names you may or may not recognize.  However, their work is unmistakable in style and content.

This documentary is unique in that the artists seen in Beautiful Losers, turned filmmakers and documented themselves along the way. Aaron Rose uses that footage along with interviews to create a history of the artists, their progress and ultimate notoriety and success.  This is mainly a linear journey which at times seems to slow the very interesting and informative film down.  Beautiful Losers is not very cinematic in it’s storytelling approach.  There is no real sense of beginning and middle, although it does build up in the last minutes to an inspirational end.  This is not to say what is presented isn’t interesting and valuable.   There is a pattern of talking heads illustrated with archival “B” roll that feels redundant in what it has to say about the process these artists went through.  What the documentary lacks is very much action. In some respects it feels like it was edited to fit a 90 minute time frame.

The editing in Beautiful Losers is a mundane mix of interviews, archival footage taken over the years, of varying quality, and “B” roll.  Beautiful Losers is essentially a compilation documentary building on archival footage taken by the artists of themselves over the years. The footage does give you a feel for what it was like for these since they came together in the eighties but it does slow down the film. Ken Burns as said that sometimes it’s good to slow things down, so that the intent of the shot becomes apparent, “that meaning accrues in duration.”  Unfortunately that idea only works when the footage speaks for itself.  In some cases the archival footage does speak for itself  but there is so much of it that the pace stops being engaging. However, the interviews themselves are good and the artists involved project their personalities, views and ideas. The interviews combined with seeing the  work is the best quality of this documentary.

Despite these storytelling difficulties Beautiful Losers is worth seeing because it ultimately has a message that creative people in the arts will be able to relate. The work of Fairey, Tempelton, Margaret Kilgallen and others is seen over time becoming more sophisticated. Their thoughts about their work and how they relate to main stream art is also important. In the end their work is setting trends in the advertising of many products that you may be surprised to see. They face becoming mainstream and part of the establishment. and not rebels in their Pop Culture world. Some seem to enjoy the new fame and fortune others eschew it but can’t turn down the money.

If you are involved in any area of the arts this is a documentary well worth seeing. Beautiful Losers is both entertaining and informing.

REVIEW WRITTEN BY J R MARTIN,.  AUTHOR CREATE DOCUMENTARY FILMS, VIDEOS AND MULTIMEDIA  Also Director of the Documentary Course at Full Sail University.  See other documentary reviews by James R Martin at http://www.jrmartinmedia.com/reviews

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS -2008 – 90 MINUTES – DIRECTED BY AARON ROSE

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Beautiful Losers

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Arts Fine Arts News

Making Art by Suzanne M Steiner

White and greens in blue — Mark Rothko

Making art—Suzanne M Steiner

I am an artist and have been making and teaching art most of my life.. It is really who I am and in my senior years I realize that my personal philosophy about the act of creating a work of art is not about the skill of translating exact replica’s of Natures images, but rather making visible, the invisible joys, sorrows and wonders of life, fully experienced by the art maker.

The two following excepts seem to epitomize that concept for me and I share them with you. So much has been written about art on so many often quite opinionated levels. But art just IS and we know it not just when we see it, but when we feel it!  And it can nourish us the viewer in many personal ways as it tells our story.

The first excerpt is from a book “Life, Paint and Passion” by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley. I used the book as a guide in teaching my class ”Artplay for Adults”, offered at the Cancer Caring Center for cancer survivors, of which I am one. Both the students and myself enjoyed this experience of making expressive art from our inner selves and being at one with both the media and the message.

“Paintings must be viewed on the same ground which they were created——their aliveness, their energy, their vulnerability—in order to be appreciated. The visible painting is just an echo of a much greater process.  What is reflected in the forms, images, and colors is the by-product of a journey that has taken place on an inner landscape. The real painting has been created on the canvas of the psyche; the true artistic product is the personal transformation that has taken place within the painting experience itself.”

And secondly, I find the following, this offering by Muhammad Ali, in it’s simplicity so deeply inspiring.

“And so it has taken me all of sixty years to understand that water is the finest drink, and bread the most delicious food, and that art is worthless unless it plants a measure of splendor in people’s hearts”

Taha Muhammad Ali—1931-2011

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Arts Fine Arts News Poetry

Peace Lily Explosion – suzanne m steiner

 

Garish Explosion
Gross chroma pollution, a
timely expression.

 

 

picture and words by

suzanne m steiner

Copyright 2012 suzanne m steiner

 

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Arts Film Fine Arts News

Rothko’s Rooms – The World of Mark Rothko Abstract Artist

ROTHKO’S ROOMS, produced and directed by David Thompson is a journey into the world of Mark Rothko (1903 to 1970), who in the period from 1940 into 1960’s was one of the leading American Painters in the Modern Art world. The unique thing about this educational documentary is that it goes beyond mere facts and history.  Using action, interviews, archival elements, and additional footage, the documentary story penetrates Rothko’s abstract view of the world — unlocking the door to Rothko’s abstract work. This is a beautifully crafted documentary film well worth watching.

Rothko’s work and fragments of his life are brought into focus with the aid of voice over narration by Dilly Barlow. Also interviews and commentary with Sean Scully, Artist, Brian O’Douherty, writer/artist, and other artists, friends, family, critics, art historians, collectors and museum curators.  One technique used throughout the documentary is to conduct the interviews in front of subjectively lit paintings by Rothko.  This has an amazing effect, like being there with someone giving you a guided tour. Classical music, Mozart (Rothko enjoyed Mozart), is used in the film under interviews and in other scenes. Between interviews and commentary there are moments when you are allowed to spend a few moments on your own with the work and music.

ROTHKO’S ROOMS looks at Mark Rothko’s life from age ten when his family moved from Russia to Portland Oregon. Upon graduating from high school he won a scholarship to Yale. According to his daughter he did not begin his career as an artist until after he finished studying and then moved to New York City. The documentary makes a beautiful transition from archival photographs of Rothko to New York City and a series of shots of the city in a twilight rush of colors. The lighting and cinematography in ROTHKO’S ROOMS is excellent and helps to tell the story. It goes beyond simply getting a good exposure. The sound track whether it’s music or the sound of a subway train pulling into the platform, also helps set the mood and subjectively narrate scenes.

ROTHKO’S ROOMS goes a long way in helping one to understand abstract modern art; how the work represents emotion, environment and the artist’s presentation of those realities. The film looks at Rothko’s early years, his time at Yale, his evolution from the early years and New York abstract minimalism to his later painting. Like many artists Rothko did not like labels. He wanted his work to stand on its own. Rothko said: “I’m not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions – tragedy, ecstasy, doom and so on… The people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience as I had when I painted them.”

ROTHKO’S ROOMS examines the circumstances surrounding Mark Rothko’s refusal to deliver work he was commissioned to create for a space in the new Segrams Building in New York City. He apparently did not understand that the work would be exhibited in a Four Season’s restaurant. He visited the restaurant before the installation happened and returned the $35,000 fee he had received. This work is now exhibited in the Tate Modern in London, England.

ROTHKO’S ROOMS is both an informative and entertaining documentary. It should be watched by anyone interested in understanding modern art, Mark Rothko’s work or enjoying an excellent documentary film. But the major achievement of this documentary is that it brings you closer to Rothko’s work and his message.

J R MARTIN – AUTHOR – Documentary Directing and Storytelling – REAL DEAL PRESS

ROTHKO’S ROOMS -2000 – 60 MINUTES PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY DAVID THOMSON, CAMERA MIKE ROBINSON, FILM EDITOR MALCOLM DANIEL © BBC -DISTRIBUTION KULTUR

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ROTHKO’S ROOMS TRAILER

 

Rothko’s Rooms / Mark Rothko

Create Documentary Films, Videos and Multimedia: A Comprehensive Guide to Using Documentary Storytelling Techniques for Film, Video, the Internet and Digital Media Projects.