Art in the Movie Basquiat Essay - 2003 Words

Art in the Movie Basquiat Walter Benjamin projected the future of art in the age of mechanical reproduction, providing the basis of aesthetic evaluation for photography, film, digital and reproducible art. In the film Basquiat, directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Jeffrey Wright, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, and David Bowie as Andy Warhol, the art world is explored in the midst of defining itself in light of the changes brought about by the technology of the twentieth century. Benjamin stressed the Marxist democratization of art through digital reproduction, a media which allows for de-emphasizing the original work of art. Throughout the history of arts, particularly visual arts, we have revered the individual paintings created†¦show more content†¦In one of the opening scenes, Ricard is seen writing on a park bench, describing the â€Å"Van Gogh boat,† where we are enchanted by the idea of â€Å"the unrecognized genius slaving away in a garret.† Ricard declares, â€Å"In this town one is at the mercy of the recognition factor. One’s public appearance is absolute.† As we see his personality unfold, Basquiat encounters Andy Warhol and his dealer Bruno Bischofberger (played by Dennis Hopper) at lunch and offers to sell several of his paintings. Bruno tells Jean of painting, â€Å"It doesn’t matter how much you worked on them. It matters how much you can get for them.† After a whirlwind of recognition and app arently instant success, Jean sells the painting â€Å"Rene 5:11† to Bischofberger, enraging Ricard, who bursts into a dinner scene and scornfully states â€Å"We are no longer collecting art, we’re buying people.† Basquiat is propelled further into the 80s spotlight, dating Madonna, producing and recording several rap albums, and celebrated as the golden child of the art world. In a poignant scene where Christopher Walken plays an interviewer, Basquiat denies the labels he’s beset with, responding to being called a â€Å"primal expressionist† with â€Å"You mean like a primate?† Later, when asked about being a black painter, he says, â€Å"Oh I use a lot of colors - not only black.† Throughout the film, critics, buyers, fellow artists, gallery owners, dealers, and personal friends of the artists continueShow MoreRelatedEssay about Basquiat, Bansky and the Power of Discourse1023 Words   |  5 PagesBasquiat, Banksy and the Power of Discourse Creativity occurs within the context of society: this is unavoidable as even artists who view themselves as outside of the mainstream are constructs of society: their social construction of reality is inevitably grounded in the discourse and belief structures of the society they inhabit and were formed by, however much they choose to struggle. Indeed, philosophers such as Foucault argue that it is impossible to escape ones own society due to the effectsRead MoreThe Earth Without Art Is Just 1399 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The ‘earth’ without ‘art’ is just ‘eh, — unknown author. This quote encapsulates the very importance of art in one sentence. Many people do not realize what a big impact art has on their lives. It is all around us, the house you live in, some artist took the time to design it. When you go to the grocery store, artists took the time to design all of the logos and packagings that you see and purchase. You can’t look anywhere without seeing a work of art, and if it is done right, it has the powerRead MoreWarhol And The Pop Art Movement2609 Words   |  11 PagesAndy Warhol being not simply a Pop artist, but an American artist who was known as the master of Pop Art, and about two of Warhol’s most famous paintings; Coca-Cola and Campbell’s Soup Cans. Andy Warhol was an artist and filmmaker, an initiator for the Pop Art movement in the 1960s. Warhol used mass production techniques to elevate art into the supposed unoriginality of the commercial culture of the United States. Warhol’s early drawings frequently recalls the Anglo-Saxon tradition of nonsense humor