Last night, instead of bowling and knitting, a few of us went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see a documentary film about the artist Henry Darger, called In the Realms of the Unreal.
A lot of books have been written about him. I had read this one, by Michael Bonesteel. This newer book, by John M. MacGregor, looks like it might be pretty interesting. Here is a review of it from Salon.
I didn't learn very many new things about this artist from the film, except that Darger had also kept a detailed weather journal for ten years.
The movie was described by the MFA as follows:
In the Realms of the Unreal by Jessica Yu (2003, 81 min.).
In the Realms of the Unreal captures the haunting imprint of an extraordinary, ordinary man— legendary outsider artist Henry Darger. Reclusive janitor by day, visionary artist by night, Darger’s “magnum opus” was a 15,000-page illustrated novel detailing the exploits of the Vivian Girls, seven angelic sisters who lead a rebellion against godless, child-enslaving men. Eschewing expert opinion, Jessica Yu’s film employs vivid animation and narration to immerse us in Darger’s world and illuminate his artistic process. Brought to life on film, the works reverberate with universal themes: the search for meaning, control, connection, and moral direction. Featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning (I am Sam, Cat in the Hat) and music by Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal. "
Chris wondered yesterday evening how much one of his paintings might sell for.
And, of course, there is a rock and roll band called The Vivian Girls.
I didn't really like the documentary that much. I didn't like the pixelized quality of the pictures. Maybe they were making some kind of joke about Darger's influence on graphic designers. I dunno. But it didn't work for me, especially since his work is done with such technologically primitive techniques.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't really like what I perceived as the ironic distance of the film. It seemed to be subtly making fun of its subject, which is even more deeply ironic since Darger was probably hurt through his childhood by people making fun of him.
I also think the film used it's cutesy animations to pussy-foot around the frankly disturbing quality of Darger's work.
I don't think the film really tried to bring us into the world of Darger. I don't think the people who made this film have the courage to actually enter his inner world. I don't think that I would, either.