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| No quiren. (1810-1820) Goya |
Today I took in Manfred Kirchheimer’s “Art Is … the Permanent
Revolution” which is both social commentary and instructional art documentary.
Here is a collaborative trio of a painter and lithographer; a woodcutter and a painter; and an etcher. These artists are creating their own prints and discussing
the roles that many famous artists played in putting forth the ideas of the
people in times of political strife. Names you may know from art history Honoré Daumier, Francisco de Goya, Théodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix, Otto
Dix, Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet turned to the form of lithography printing as this was a medium popular in
France during the mid-nineteenth century. Not only useful for producing amusing
images, but also for giving illustration to the spirit of the revolutions of
the era.
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| L'exécution de l'emperor Maxmilien. (1867) Manet |
Political propaganda and the concerns of
the working class were often subject material in lithographic prints of this
time. Artists often take it upon
themselves to show the consciousness of the society they are part of, the struggles of the masses therein transformed into
an easily understood form. It is
pointed out, of the famous names mentioned, artists did not typically know how
to do the printing. The artists would
create images and rely on a master printer to produce the final result.
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| Celui-la, on peut le mettre en liberte! Il n'est plus dangereux. (1837) Daumier |
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| Retour de Russie (1818) Géricault |
Sociopolitical focus on the past depicted with lithographic prints, is counterpointed by the artists in this film, who are also here creating present-day statements of their own such as the subject of recent use of torture and in putting forth the "oil for blood" war concept that is weighing upon the minds of many modern Americans.
Although I am a great appreciator of history and especially of the role that art plays along the timeline of humanity, I enjoyed the technical aspects as well. Multiple forms of lithographic printing are being demonstrated as the artists are discussing the past and the present day social relativity that runs deep in the art of printmaking. There is even mention of the history - from the origins of the rare and precious limestone only found in Bavaria to the tusche method - also considered traditional, in the sense that 20th century technological advances have greatly changed and further developed the process of creating such prints. In my opinion, most artists would find this an enriching return on an 80 minute investment. Check Rotten Tomatoes for reviews, and also you may view the trailer here :
Available on Amazon:
Ref:
Lithographs (public domain): http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.cfm
http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/movies/manfred-kirchheimers-art-is-the-permanent-revolution.html?_r=0
all images and media used in this editorial are public domain
all images and media used in this editorial are public domain
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