Art Inspires Life: 7 Fantastic Films About Artists

If cinema is itself art, then what better medium to really explore the lives of some of the greatest artists of our time? With cinematographers using their palette of light and shadow, and screenwriters drawing entire worlds with their fine-tipped words, they work together to depict these master painters, as they bestow upon the world some of the most important examples of skill and craftsmanship in history. Writer-director Mike Leigh is the latest cinematic artist to tackle a biographical tale of a great master, with Mr. Turner heading for theatres soon (October 31st 2014 in the UK, December 19th in the US). Exploring the life and times of Joseph Mallord William Turner – an especially prolific English romantic landscape painter working in the 1800s – the film premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where cinematographer Dick Pope won a special jury prize and lead actor Timothy Spall won Best Actor. Often referred to as “the painter of light,” Turner was regarded as something of a controversial and radical figure amidst the artistic community of his day, and Leigh’s film works to capture that fiery, revolutionary spirit. Leigh is, himself, a somewhat radical filmmaker - known to confront controversial social issues in his work and making films in a relatively unconventional way. He is known to rely heavily on extended preparatory periods of improvisation, rather than scripts. With films such as Naked, Secrets And Lies, and Vera Drake among those populating his resume, his reputation is of an artist that seeks to document life within its grounded reality, as opposed to manufacturing realms of fantasy. This being the case, his take on the character of J. M. W. Turner should prove to be a fascinating thing – Turner having created works regarded as almost abstract, imbued with an atmosphere bordering on tactile. Lead actor Timothy Spall is one of a number of actors that regularly collaborate with Leigh on film – a group that includes Lesley Manville (also in Mr. Turner), Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Ruth Sheen and David Thewlis. Indeed, the determination of this filmmaker to ‘find the film’ through exploration of theme and plot along with his cast leads to a signature style – in much the same way as Turner himself had. It perhaps takes an artist to truly understand the mind and motivation of another, which is arguably why films about such creative souls make for deeply enthralling and compelling viewing. Featuring projects that focus on some of the most influential artists in history – across continents and hundreds of years – we celebrate the upcoming release of Mr. Turner with seven of the best films about artists. My Left Foot: The Story Of Christy Brown (1989) This extraordinary film about the extraordinary artist, Christy Brown, took the world by storm in 1989 – winning lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis his first Academy Award, as well as a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Brenda Fricker. Based on Brown’s autobiography, the story details his life growing up in a poverty-stricken Irish family. Having been born with cerebral palsy, Brown had control over only his left foot and, as he grew older, began to use that foot to create the most striking works of art. The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of Jim Sheridan (Get Rich Or Die Tryin’), and it brought him his own Academy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay – which he shared with co-writer Shane Connaughton (Tara Road). Framing the narrative within the writing and publication of the book that the film is based upon, we gain gripping insight into the development of this artist, the struggles of his family to support his ambitions, and his own frustrations. Frida (2002) This adaptation of Frida: A Biography Of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera is produced by and stars Salma Hayek in an Oscar-nominated role as surrealist Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo. At the age of eighteen - in 1925 - Kahlo was involved in a terrible bus crash, during which she was impaled by a metal pole. Though she survived her injuries, they caused her intense pain and extended periods of isolation for the rest of her life – greatly influencing her work, which most often took the form of self-portraits. Kahlo’s is a tale of great depth and drama. It includes her complex and volatile relationship with fellow artist (and twice husband) Diego Rivera (here, played by Alfred Molina), her affair with exiled Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist Leon Trotsky (here, played by Geoffrey Rush), her constant health struggles, her amputations, her miscarriages, and her bi-sexuality. Though, in the past, she has often been thought of by the general public as simply being Diego Rivera’s wife, the film Frida breathed life into the story of an incredible individual, who overcame enormous obstacles to create extraordinary art. Pollock (2000) The directorial debut of Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind) sees the actor play American abstract painter Jackson Pollock, in an Academy Award nominated performance. It is based on the book Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh, and was adapted by Barbara Turner (The Company) and Susan Emshwiller (In The Land Of Milk And Honey). The story of Jackson Pollock is one of an artist misunderstood and under-appreciated in his time. Battling neurosis and alcoholism, he struggles to deal with conflicting feelings about his brother being drafted to fight in World War II, while he himself is deemed unfit to serve. Pollock went on to marry Lee Krasner – an influential artist in her own right, and played here by Marcia Gay Harden in an Oscar-winning role – though their marriage was fraught with tensions and resentments. Pollock stages unsuccessful exhibitions, tries to court the media – though it leaves him feeling fraudulent – and engages in infidelities, all the while swimming against the tide of ‘conventional’ and ‘commercial’ modern art. These frustrations cause his neurosis and alcoholism to fold in on one another as he pushes Krasner further away, until his story reaches its inevitable, tragic end. Surviving Picasso (1996) As the title would suggest, Surviving Picasso takes a slightly different approach to depicting the artist, by framing the story through the perspective of French painter and author Francoise Gilot – who was Pablo Picasso’s lover and mother of his two children. The screenplay is based upon Picasso: Creator And Destroyer by Arianna Huffington, and is written by Ruth Prawar Jhabvala. As a Merchant Ivory film, the project is directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant (The Remains Of The Day) – both frequent collaborators with Jhabvala and the lead actor here, Anthony Hopkins. In the film, we see Picasso as a cold, emotionally distant man who could be characterized as something of a cruel philanderer. Gilot finds that each of the other women that have been in Picasso’s life (or are, currently) have been greatly damaged by the experience, so she seeks to determine why and how she herself can survive such a fate. Though the film itself garnered few accolades, it presents a form of narrative that is unusual in the arena of biographical cinematic tales of great artists. Vincent And Theo (1990) Apparently conceived as a four-hour miniseries for the BBC, director Robert Altman (Short Cuts) and writer Julian Mitchell (Wilde) worked to reduce the original scope of Vincent And Theo to focus upon the final years of the Post-Impressionist painter, Vincent Van Gogh (played by Tim Roth). The film was not simply about the infamously tortured artist, however. It framed his story within his relationship with his younger brother Theo (played by Paul Rhys). Theo Van Gogh was a renowned art dealer, who greatly admired his older sibling - consistently supporting him emotionally and financially, through hardship and bouts of mental ill health. Vincent – who was known to regard his paintings as off-spring, of sorts - corresponded by letter with his younger brother, and consequently left behind an intimate self-portrait more revealing than any work of art. Vincent tragically died at the age of 37, by a gun-shot wound which was assumed to be self-inflicted. Devastated, and in ill health himself, Theo died six months later, aged 33. The Agony And The Ecstasy (1965) Essentially the saga of the painting of the Sistine Chapel, The Agony And The Ecstasy stars Charlton Heston as Italian painter Michelangelo, and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. It is a story fraught with conflict on scales large and small, as Pope Julius II halts Michelangelo’s commissioned work on the Pope’s tomb and orders him to paint frescos featuring the Twelve Apostles on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The sculptor, unhappy with his first attempt, destroys it and flees to the mountains, where he finds inspiration. Meanwhile, international conflict rages across European battlefields, and Michelangelo convinces the Pope to allow work on the Chapel to resume. After many years of non-stop creativity, the project causes Michelangelo’s health to deteriorate and the pressure on the Pope to commission the artist Raphael to complete the frescos increases. Facing the threat of invasion, the Pope has Michelangelo’s scaffolds removed and gives the commission to Raphael as Michelangelo prepares to leave. Raphael argues in his fellow artist’s favour, and work is allowed to continue until finally, the completed frescos are revealed during a mass. As Pope Julius II nears death, he asks the sculptor to complete his tomb. Framing the story behind one of the most famous paintings in the history of the world in a historical context – amidst global conflict and territorial disputes – adds subtle layering to the narrative that draws us in and holds our interest. It is, in a sense, the interaction between two men who are removed from their respective comfort zones – the sculptor Michelangelo being ordered to paint and Pope Julius II being drawn into war – with each venting their frustrations through their actions toward the other. The result is great art about great art. Lust For Life (1956) The tragic tale of a man striving to match on canvas the beauty of his artistic vision, while never feeling satisfied in his achievement, Lust For Life depicts posthumously celebrated painter Vincent Van Gogh as an individual haunted by disappointment and rejection, who bounces between careers, between women, and ultimately, between mental illness and death. Based on the 1934 novel about the life of Van Gogh, by Irving Stone, Lust For Life was adapted into an Oscar-nominated screenplay by Norman Corwin (The Blue Veil), and directed by Vincente Minnelli (The Bad And The Beautiful). The role of Van Gogh is played by Kirk Douglas (Spartacus) here, who also received an Academy Award nomination, while Anthony Quinn (The Guns Of Navarone) won an Oscar for his portrayal of Van Gogh’s close friend, and fellow artist, Paul Gauguin. James Donald (The Bridge On The Rover Kwai) played the role of Van Gogh’s brother – and biggest supporter in both financial and emotional terms – Theo Van Gogh.