Home :: DVD :: Documentary :: Art & Artists  

African American Heritage
Art & Artists

Biography
Comedy
Crime & Conspiracy
Gay & Lesbian
General
History
IMAX
International
Jewish Heritage
Military & War
Music & Performing Arts
Nature & Wildlife
Politics
Religion
Science & Technology
Series
Space Exploration
Sports
Thomas Hart Benton

Thomas Hart Benton

List Price: $19.98
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

Description:

This hard-drinking "bantam rooster" of a painter was arguably as famous for his art-world politics as he was for his remarkable body of work, according to Ken Burns's dynamic documentary. Using the usual interviews with friends, family, critics, and historians combined with old newsreels, television interviews, and myriad paintings as backdrops, Burns has produced an unusually entertaining work. His subject matter helps: Benton embodied contradiction. A sophisticate who yearned to be simple, he observed and painted a world of factory work, saloon frequenting, and prizefighting. He mentored Jackson Pollack, but publicly lambasted abstract impressionism. In his 85 years he struggled, became the rage, and saw his oeuvre go out of style. Benton's outspokenness is augmented by Burn's unwillingness to coddle his subject. Students laud him, but critics get their say, too, calling him talentless and questioning his legacy. The DVD comes with two short "conversations" with Burns about his work. --Kimberly Heinrichs
© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates