Today I took in
Manfred Kirchheimer's "Art Is... the Permanent Revolution" which is
both social commentary and instructional art documentary. Here is a
collaborative trio of a painter and lithographer; a woodcutter and a painter;
and an etcher. These artists are creating their own prints and discussing the
roles that many famous artists played in putting forth the ideas of the people
in times of political strife.
Names you may know
from art history Honoré Daumier, Francisco de Goya, Théodore Géricault, Eugène
Delacroix, Otto Dix, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet turned to the form of
lithography printing as this was a medium popular in France during the
mid-nineteenth century. Not only useful for producing amusing images, but also
for giving illustration to the spirit of the revolutions of the era.
Political
propaganda and the concerns of the working class were often subject material in
lithographic prints of this time. Artists often take it upon themselves to show
the consciousness of the society they are part of, the struggles of the masses
therein transformed into an easily understood form. It is pointed out in this
film that of the famous names mentioned, artists did not typically know how to
do the printing. The artists would create images and rely on a master printer
to produce the final result.
Sociopolitical
focus on the past depicted with lithographic prints, is counter-pointed by the
artists in this film, who are also here creating present-day statements of
their own such as the subject of recent use of torture and in putting forth the
"oil for blood" war concept that is weighing upon the minds of many
modern Americans.
Although I am very
appreciative of history and especially of the role that art plays along the
timeline of humanity, I enjoyed the technical aspects as well. Multiple forms
of lithographic printing are being demonstrated as the artists are discussing
the past and the present-day social relativity that runs deep in the art of
printmaking. There is even mention of the history from the origins of the rare
and precious limestone only found in Bavaria to the tusche method also
considered traditional in the sense that 20th century technological advances
have greatly changed and further developed the process of creating such prints.
In my opinion, most artists would find this an enriching return on an 80 minute
investment. Check Rotten Tomatoes for reviews, and also you may view the
official trailer on their site.
IOUart -
a blog celebrating creativity.
Focusing on the
contributions of artists that enrich the shared human experience.
Please visit my
blog at the above link for art related articles and artist interviews.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_H_Knight
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