I’ve been watching the first season of Art:21 and I love it. Basically, the PBS documentary focuses on a few contemporary artists per episodes and allow them to explain what their art exhibit or artwork mean. There’s a bunch of insight we get from the artists, as well as a blog that goes along with the TV show, as well as updating us with new exhibits from previously featured artists on their show.
The video above is a preview of Richard Serra, a minimalist sculptor who creates behemoth walls and closed areas following a theme of space. On of the artists concerns, especially Serra, is the issue of the space around us, so he attempts to open our spatial senses with his pieces of work.
You can download the previous episodes of Art:21 on iTunes or buy the DVDs on Amazon if you’re interested in watching more. The series is also available on hulu.
The Cool School is about the Ferus Gallery in L.A. It showcased work from such contemporary artists as Andy Warhol and Clyfford Still. The film talks about what was going on in L.A. to produce the Ferus Gallery and the role of edge artists in the larger art scene…
And, it has Dennis Hopper in it, which is real funny.
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“When I was about five or six, I was sexually attracted to Bugs Bunny.” So says Robert Crumb in Crumb, a documentary about the controversial underground comic book artist and writer whose creations include Fritz the Cat and, of course, the immortal “Keep on Truckin.’”
Crumb’s subject matter includes sexual obsessions, social criticism, and personal, confessional observations about abnormal human psychology. Crumb’s work is explained through a series of interviews with his colleagues, former lovers, and especially family members, which reveal a horrific upbringing that has crippled both Crumb and his siblings but has also fueled the artist’s groundbreaking work. Sad (and often rather creepy, especially during the interviews with Crumb’s brothers Charles and Maxon, both extremely talented artists in their own right but far more damaged than their brother), but a must if you’re a fan of independent comics.
The full video, via Google Video, is above.
Only one documentary quenches my thirst for art, architecture, history and gangster films — “Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance.” If you paid attention during history class, you’re aware that the Medicis were patrons to some of the most renowned artists of all time — some of them include Botticelli, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael. They practically sponsored the renaissance period.
This four part series tells the story of how the generations of this family rose to become one of the most powerful financial and political force to reckon with. And how it took violence, political maneuver and a bit of luck at times to maintain remaining on top.
Birth of a Dynasty: The Magnificent Medici: The Medici Pope: Power vs. Truth
