Review of the Documentaries on Artists

Chuck Close: a portrait in progress

The documentary looks at the life of Chuck Close, his career, and the process he uses to work with. The film takes places as he works on one of his works of art and one gets a feel of what goes on in the process of the artists coming up with a creative work of art (Arts Et Culture, 2015). The focus of the film is the creativity the artists holds, and its aim is to show the audience the uniqueness every individual to creates art holds. He produces unique pieces that only define who he is as an artist and incorporate his personality too. I some instances he uses people as his basis but adds features to what he creates which make his work stand out from the rest.

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The involvement of other artists, friends, and family in the documentary is a symbol of the importance of art in society and the level of creativity such individuals hold. Chuck Close acts as a source of societal inspiration as his works focus on the creation of a piece that resonates with people. It is also an indication of how happy an artists world is due to the involvement of numerous people in Chucks life and career as is evident in the film (Arts Et Culture, 2015). It shows the role art plays in bringing people together as they cooperate with the artist and marvel at his work. It is clear that Chuck Close acts as a sign of cooperation within the society as he manages to get people who may not agree on one thing together as they participate in different capacities in his life and career.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

The director of the documentary, Tamra Davis takes a deep look into the life of an artist who is haunted by his cult figure that gets in the way of him trying to express himself through art. Basquiat emerges as a darling of the New York art scene through his graffiti art that he often signed as samo in the late 1970s. He sells his first piece at two hundred dollars, and from them, his star starts to shine across the globe (Documentary Film 2010). Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man (Frode Leone, 2016). However, he is trying to make it in a time when racism has taken root across the world, and thus it becomes an issue that interferes with his progress. His cult tendencies involve iconoclasm, and the director Davis who is his friend tries to give the world a better view of Basquiat the man and the iconoclast.

Basquiat acts as a source of inspiration especially for individuals living in the time he gets his international breakthrough. It is a time when black people are looked down up, but the success of Basquiat as a graffiti artists makes him a hero of some sorts (Documentary Film 2010). Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man (Frode Leone, 2016). He also acts as a learning tool to many of the young people in that the documentary works on bringing awareness on the dangers of racism and what it can do to those affected. The character assists in drawing perseverance within the audience where the audience learns that they can achieve anything they want in life as long as they do not allow negative forces to interfere with what they do. It also shows that success will always have hindrances and it is up to the individual to know how to work around them.

Jeff Koons - BBC Imagine Documentary (2015)

The documentary Jeff Koons: Diary of a Seducer looks into the life of one of the most controversial artists around the world. He stands as success and an odd artist as a result of the type of pieces he creates. At the time of the documentary, he had a retrospective show that was touring Europe and had opened at the Whitney Museum in New York. The documentary looks at how a gallery gives almost its entire space to a solo artist, which acts as a rare honor to an artist who remains to be controversial (Manufacturing Intellect, 2016). This film looks at just who Jeff Koons is and what it is that makes his work so different. Will his balloons float above the art market bubble and hold their place in the history of art? The documentary occasionally cuts the sound out because of copyright issues with songs, but no dialogue or narration is missing (Manufacturing Intellect, 2016). It is filmed when the artists are meeting with Alan Yentob as he tries to identify what makes Koons tick. He lives a colorful life with friends like Lady Gaga and David Byrne making him lively.

The documentary and Koons work o showing people the transformative power of art. He is an individual who was raised by humble parents, but because of his unique and controversial art, he stands out as one of the most successful artists around the world. He breaks barriers as he produces pieces that do not compare to any and people may find the weird, but they make him better that the rest of the artists who stick to the same type of work (Manufacturing Intellect, 2016). He is one of the most commercially successful artists and thus acts as an inspiration who individuals who may be thinking of pursuing something that goes against what is normal but is afraid of how people will take them. He teaches people to go for what they love.