In my last blog post I talked about two artists I discovered whose work and life inspired and moved me. This time I want to mention two movies about artists that I saw recently. The first one is a documentary titled “Nothing Changes: Art for Hank’s Sake”. It isn’t a particularly great piece of filmmaking but the subject of the film is compelling. 87-year old Hank Virgona commutes via subway six days a week to his studio in Union Square, New York where he makes art his way, with little in the way of professional accolades. Interviews with those that know him however reveal a beloved and respected artist among his peers in the building he works in. Moving, humorous, inspiring and well worth the 75 minutes it consumes.
The second film I saw recently was “Never Look Away”. I delayed viewing it since it is an off-putting 3 hours long, but after committing to watching it I discovered a wonderful treat of a movie. A thinly fictionalized recounting of Gerhard Richter’s early life, this film is visually stunning and exceptionally well done. From his earliest childhood with his aunt visiting a museum during the Nazi years to the beginning of his painting career, we see the trajectory of a sensitive and persistent man who knows the truth is in there somewhere and keeps looking (and painting) until he finds it. In German with English subtitles, but with a minimum of dialog, one gets to enjoy the cinematography without having to read too much.
What are your favorite movies about artists?
