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I love to get
into discussions with friends about art.
I love people who can draw, mostly because
it is an art I have never been able to master.
I can sculpt, build and paint monsters for
the haunted house attraction I work for,
but the simple art of the ‘line’
is a talent that has eluded me all of my
life. Even something as rudimentary as a
stick figure is well beyond my abilities.
That is why I am so fascinated by those
who are so good that they can draw with
their eyes closed. Where these discussions
get interesting is in the definition of
art. I personally have no inclinations towards
modern art. Symbolically speaking, if there
is no form… there is no form. Even
with my wildly inventive imagination, a
blob of paint on canvas is really no more
than a blob of paint.
In my definition of art, which is generally
trod upon by my ‘sophisticated’
friends, the finished product needs to at
least remotely LOOK like something. For
example, I would put the work of Michelangelo
on a pedestal while the later works of Jackson
Pollock are no more than hallucinatory drivel.
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'Modern Art’ such as Pollock’s are
only masterpieces to those who are told they are
masterpieces by ‘intellectually impaired’
friends they want to impress. To that end (and
here’s where my ‘high-brow’
friends get really red-faced), I consider the
work of Chuck Jones to be far superior to that
of the later works of Picasso.
That said, I’d like to bring the fine art
of caricature to your attention. I’m sure
most of you are familiar with the style, having
gone to various fairs, festivals and Six Flags
amusement parks and had a rather cartoonish looking
drawing made of yourself. Like most forms of art,
there are those who learn to ‘paint-by-numbers’
as it were and can turn out a fairly good caricature.
This is not meant to belittle their talent, because
it does indeed still require talent, but there
are those who are true ‘artists’ of
the craft and can seemingly capture the essence
of the subject with subtle little flourishes.
Al Hirschfeld, my friends was the absolute master
of the caricature.
For over 75 years, Hirschfeld created literally
thousands of line drawings of the rich and famous.
His work has been exhibited all over the world,
and his life was recently celebrated in 1996 with
the documentary, “The Line King.”
Previously only available on VHS, Home Vision
Entertainment has seen fit to release this wonderfully
entertaining documentary on DVD, complete with
a couple of terrific bells and whistles.
“The Line King” draws a picture, if
you will, of Hirschfeld’s life and career
and contains some awesome footage of the artist.
The man himself was almost a living caricature,
and to hear his views on life and politics is
a real treat. Even his quirks are covered, the
most notable being the fact that he made it a
point to include the name ‘Nina’ in
all of his drawings, this little fact becoming
so well-known as to make admirers search for hours
to find them in each new piece. Why the name ‘Nina’
you may ask? If you don’t know, you should
watch the DVD. We also hear from quit of few of
his subjects, including Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing,
Robert Goulet, and Barbara Walters.
Watching the man work is a treat, and it is quite
impressive to note that he continued to work up
until his unfortunate passing on January 20th,
2003, just a few months short of his 100th birthday.
The pen finally laid to rest.
Much to my delight, the DVD contains a fairly
substantial gallery of Hirschfeld’s work.
I highly recommend this DVD for anyone with a
true appreciation for the art, though not so much
for those who have to be told what to like.
Directed by: Susan Warms Dryfoos
Extras: Appreciation by New York Times art critic
Michael Kimmelman, Gallery of Hirschfeld Illustrations,
Clip of Hirschfeld Drawing Paul Newman
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Home Vision
Release Date: 6/22/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give The Line King an A.
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