We get it: you’re stuck. Your productivity levels are low, imagination exhausted, and creativity, well, not entirely there. Everybody has those days! Yes, even the great and genius creators of art in their prime. So take a seat, and watch their trials and successes unfold in these biopics available on Kanopy and Hoopla with your Seattle Public Library card. They might even help in getting you out of that rut.
Frida Kahlo is depicted on Frida, in which the Mexican Surrealist painter’s life is explored–from her youth to her relationships with others, most notably with fellow artist Diego Rivera. It follows the triumphs and tragedies in her personal and professional abilities. The film received multiple nominations and awards in the United States and internationally.
Séraphine follows Séraphine Louis, a French painter
with humble beginnings. She regarded her painting to be an experience deeply inspired by religion and nature. When an art critic begins to encourage and support her talent, the painter’s circumstances improve, but not for long. The film received multiple César Awards, the French national film awards.
Loving Vincent presents Vincent van Gogh’s life through the eyes of his acquaintances after the artist’s death. If you are not drawn in by the tragic story of van Gogh, the techniques used to produce the film might invite you to stay. Considered an animation, the movie itself is the combined effort of more than one hundred artists from around the globe, showing each frame as an oil painting on canvas in the same style as van Gogh.
Join the two creative minds from different generations in Faces Places, where film director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR travel around rural France to capture the portraits of people they encounter. Do not let the simple concept trick you; the artists succeed in connecting with strangers and honoring their lives–a task so many of us strive for, but only a handful achieve.
For your viewing consideration, here are other titles that celebrate artists in feature films or documentaries:
Banksy and the Rise of Outlaw Art: a documentary on Bansky, artist and activist, street art
Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace: documentary on Kehinde Wiley, painter, portraiture
The Barefoot Artist: documentary on Lily Yeh, artist
Between the Folds: The Art and Science of Origami: documentary on papercrafts
Diego Rivera: I Paint What I See: documentary on Diego Rivera, painter, muralism
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child: documentary on Jean-Michel Basquiat, artist, Neo-expressionism
Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter: documentary on Joan Mitchell, painter, Abstract Expressionism
Just Like Being There: documentary on gig posters specifically designed for musical events
Many Beautiful Things: The Life and Vision of Lilias Trotter: feature on Lilias Trotter, artist
Mapplethorpe: feature on Robert Mapplethorpe, photographer
Renoir: feature on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painter, Impressionism
Roy Lichtenstein: documentary on Roy Lichtenstein, painter and sculptor, Pop art
Walking on Water: The High Stakes of Large Scale Art: documentary on a project by artist Christo
~Posted by Joan C.
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