“Meditative and educational…This film will allow students to grasp the impact and power of art as a political voice in times of turmoil.”
—Dee Hibbert-Jones, Professor of Art, Director of Arts Research Center, University of California-Santa Cruz
|
|
Alan Magee: art is not a solace
A film by P. David Berez and David Wright
60 minutes | English SDH captions | Scene Selection
|
|
Best known for his captivating realist paintings, artist Alan Magee also creates works that delve into the darkest aspects of human nature. His arresting images which comment on corporate greed, on cruelty and gun violence, and on civilian and military victims of war seem at odds with his serene paintings of nature and found objects, but through his distinctive visual language and interconnected themes, Magee suggests that these dual realms are inseparably interwoven.
Shot on location, from Pemaquid Point, Maine to the streets of Berlin, Alan Magee: art is not a solace explores the artist’s subjects, locales, and the historical sources which have sustained his work for five decades. Through his paintings, sculpture, monotypes, music and short films, Magee asks viewers to consider the breadth of human behavior and experience.
|
|
Alan Magee: art is not a solace is available on DVD with public performance rights for school and library purchase or rental. Academic streaming can be licensed from Docuseek. Campus and community groups interested in hosting a community screening can book now through Bullfrog Communities.
|
|
“The profound, beautiful and creatively disruptive art of Alan Magee has found its perfect representatives in David Berez and David Wright. Their rich, deeply moving film is a must see for anyone wishing to more clearly understand the role of art in our social and personal lives. It captures the role artists like Magee play in taking our political passions to an absolutely vital place beyond the surface play of ideological debate. This is a film that will enrich the educational experience of anyone lucky enough to watch it.”
—T.V. Reed, Professor Emeritus, American Studies and English, Washington State University, Author, The Art of Protest, Curator, culturalpolitics.net
“Quietly stunning...From enchantment to tranquility to dread, but always leaving room for optimism in the midst of tragedy, artist Alan Magee invests his brilliant technique with a deep basic humanity that calls us to animate our political life with internal reflection as well as outward action. Not only did this film leave me wanting to look again and longer at Magee’s work, it made me, a professional art historian, want to think more and differently about art of all kinds.”
—Rebecca Zorach, Professor of Art and Art History, Northwestern University, Author, Art for People’s Sake: Artists and Community in Black Chicago 1965-1975
"This is a remarkable film about a remarkable artist. It’s a long time since I’ve seen anything that so skillfully gets inside the life of a highly creative person at work. Alan Magee: art is not a solace does this on so many levels, attentive to Magee’s background, his technique, the influences on him, and - something so often ignored when we talk about artists—the great lies and injustices of the times in which we live."
—Adam Hochschild, Author, King Leopold’s Ghost
|
|
To order Alan Magee: art is not a solace on DVD with public performance rights for educational use,
Order by phone at (610) 779-8226
|
|
Bullfrog Films is the oldest and largest publisher of documentary films about the environment in the United States. We define "environment" broadly, and our catalog includes programs on ecology, energy, agriculture, indigenous peoples, women's studies, environmental justice, international relations, sustainable development, anthropology, economics, ethics, and conflict resolution. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
