the ny art scene is made

essentially a straight forward look at ny artists during the 1940's to 1970's. interviewed directly talking about the scene and their own work and methods. as well, this include important people involved in that scene; eg dealers and buyers.

i am by no means a fan of these artists nor their work, but this is an essential film for artists to see. if they are working in the same or similar ideology, this will likely be more poignant and enlightening. for those of us who do not, there is still plenty to be gleaned from them.

it is by no means in depth but rather more "in the moment" which is decidedly fitting. some figures come out looking better than others as is expected, though there is no clear attempt at making this happen. rather it is the individual character of the painter.

my only real complaint about the dvd is that the extra material is slim and not especially good: a pdf file of an essay about the film and an interview with the director. the interview is actually decent although you have to sit through a good portion of scenes you just watched in the film to get a few minutes of interview. i would've preferred just to see the interview. (i'm sure it was made that way as a way of "previewing" the film but it seems unnecessary here.)

it definitely should be noted that this is not a film that people outside the art world will enjoy. its tedious. i wouldn't even go so far as to think a class of students would sit through this without getting bored. however, this is not to say its bad by any means, it simply a acquired taste sort've thing.

i honestly wish more documentaries about artists where this frank. too many go too far to sell the "greatness" and skimp largely on the real. of course, as i suggest, there is little market for that sort've thing.

(9/10)

9/10