linda fetch

Still paying $$ for cable TV, one of the benefits is getting the Sundance Channel. The other night, they showed the above title.

This is a very in-depth examination of modern American art which was focused around New York in the era starting with the 1950s and ending around 1970. The research and archival footage was amazing, and there were interviews with some of the lights of that scene who still survive (and work) like Frank Stella. The term “Golden Age” is thrown around (like Paris between the wars for writers) but this period was probably a unique one.

Really, the best synopsis of the film is in a comment made by IMDB user “czarnobog”. As of today, you can find it at this URL:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472210/usercomments

Watching it, you get the sense that the artists of that time and place felt that anything was possible. 40 years later, after having been immersed in a culture in which Warhol and Lichenstein have been completely assimilated and digested, seeing the original works and artists may seem quaint, but this film gives a sense of the excitement of the time.

It mostly orbited around curator Henry Geldzahler, one of the truest and most faithful patrons of artists that ever lived. Not a gallery owner, dealer or collector, but basically a rich dilettante (in a way) who believed in the New Artists.

The other observation that I came to watching it, is drawing a parallel with the “lowbrow” art movement that came from the street, graffiti, comic and hot rod artists of the 60s to the present. There’s an interesting parallel/evolution to be pondered there as well. Anyway, if you’re at all interested in 20th century art history, this movie is a must see.