Art Films at the Library

In partnership with the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the CRRL is proud to offer short films exploring artists and the creative process. Films and notes courtesy of The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Headquarters Theater, Mostly 3rd Thursdays @ 7:00. Exceptions are April 22 (4th Thursday) & September 30 (5th Thursday).

Art Films 2010November 19

Ansel Adams

100 min/2002
Middle school through adult

This Ric Burns documentary is the intimate portrait of a revolutionary photographer who not only pioneered photographic technique but also crusaded for the environment. His stunning photos in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains mean to capture what he called “the continuous beauty of the things that are”. Few American artists have reached a wider audience nor equaled Adams' ability to grasp the majesty of our continent.
100 min, 2002 - Middle school through adult

 


December 17

Stained Glass

15 min, color/1993
Elementary school through adult

There is a moment when sunlight shines through the rose windows at France's Chartres Cathedral that is breathtaking. Viewers share this exciting experience and learn how medieval artisans created these glass wonders. In a modern stained glass studio, traditional techniques are demonstrated, and there is a discussion of how glass is made. Suggestions for simulating stained glass in the classroom are given for the beginning artisan.
15 min, color, 1993 - Elementary school through adult

Three English Cathedrals: Norwich, Lincoln, Wells

45 min, color/1995
Middle school through adult

This fascinating video visits 3 spectacular English cathedrals representing a range of architectural styles. Norwich, among the best-preserved of the cathedrals built after the Norman Conquest in 1066, was intended to impose the conquerors' powerful presence on the Saxons. The amazingly open and delicate, yet complex, Lincoln Cathedral features the first use of spreading ribs in the vaults, an invention that eventually would spread throughout England. The facade of Wells includes the richest sculpture in the country, and its Bishop's Palace, Vicars Close, Chapter House, and unusual scissors arches in the nave make this cathedral one of the best-loved in England. Educational and evocative, Three English Cathedrals is a wonderful architectural experience.
 


2010
January 21

The English Masters: Reynolds

50 min/2000/DVD
High school through adult

"Considered one of the most important 18th century English portraitists, Sir Joshua Reynolds was knighted in recognition of his genius. Deeply inspired by the old masters during an artistic pilgrimage to Italy, he incorporated their influence into a style of English portraiture never seen before dubbed "The grand style." It made him rich, and his many portraits of wealthy men, women, and especially children, remain an English national treasure."--Container.

 


February 18

George Stubbs

26 min / 1983 / VHS
College through adult

George Stubbs (1724-1806), known in his day merely as "Mr. Stubbs, the Horse Painter," is now recognized at the forefront of British art. He is one of the most original and searching of all animal painters, whether his subject is a brood mare, a monkey, or a poodle in a punt. He is also a realistic and perceptive portraitist, as much a master of the art of class distinction in 18th-century England as he is of horse anatomy.

 

John James Audubon: The Birds of America

29 min / 1985 / CRYS / VHS
High school through adult

After bankruptcy in business ventures in the early 19th century, John James Audubon set out on his amazing quest to render the birds of our country. His lifelong dream was realized with the publication of The Birds of America, a magnificent collection of color engravings of his watercolors, and which established Audubon as this nation's preeminent naturalist artist. This beautiful film was produced by the National Gallery of Art.

 


March 18

Fellini: I'm a Born Liar

105 min / 2002 / DVD
College through adult

From the 1940s to the 1990s, film director Federico Fellini was Italy's most distinctive stylist of cinema. He was unrivaled in his skill to translate an extremely personal vision to artistry on the big screen. For this intensive examination, the "Maestro" allowed unlimited introspective interviews. Technicians and actors--including Donald Sutherland, Terence Stamp, and Roberto Benigni--also give very frank insights. Chock full of clips from his movies, for the true student of cinema.

 


April 22

Les Silences de Manet

60 min / color / 1990 / ARTSA / VHS
High school through adult

Les Silences de Manet presents a wealth of information about the work of Edouard Manet (1832-1883), then ventures beyond the paintings to explore the often contradictory spirit of the man and the artist. Against his will, Manet was heralded as the leader of the French avant-garde. The program traces his refusal to be part of the "revolutionary" Impressionist movement and his desperate longing for public approval.

 


May 20

A Day in the Country: Impressionism and the French Landscape

55 min / color / 1988 / DC / VHS
High school through adult

This video provides a unique perspective on the works of the French Impressionists by stressing the relationship between the artists and their favorite subject matter: the landscape of France. Over 140 works by the most notable French Impressionists were arranged according to subject-matter rather than chronology, allowing for comparisons between the various Impressionists who painted the same areas and views.

 


June 17

Eliot Porter's World

29 min / 1988 / VHS
High school through adult

Eliot Porter, one of America's foremost environmental photographers, discusses his attachment to landscapes that range from his hometown in Maine to the Taos region of New Mexico, and further afield on expeditions to Alaska and China. A vital and dedicated artist, Porter imparts information about his personal growth and experience as a photographer, as well as technical points concerning his selection of subject matter, lighting, and photographic processes. This film is highly recommended for classes in photography, American studies, and geography.

 

The Landscapes of Frederic Edwin Church

29 min / 1989 / VHS
High school through adult

Narrated by Nicolai Cikovsky, Jr., Curator of American Art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., this video traces Church's career from his early studies in the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley with the eminent landscape painter Thomas Cole. The program continues through Church's maturity, when his grand, all-encompassing paintings of the great natural wonders of the Americas made him one of the nation's most celebrated landscape painters of the 19th century. The program includes live footage of the Catskills and of Church's "final work of art," Olana, his splendid house overlooking the Hudson River.

 


July 15

Chihuly Over Venice

90 min / 1999 / VHS
College through adult

Acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly goes on a quest to the glass blowing centers of the world to create a magnificent and unique chandelier installation to hang over the canals and alleys of Venice, Italy. This beautiful video captures not only the elaborate craft of glass blowing but also the stunning scenery of Ireland, Mexico, and Venice.

 


August 19

Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School

57 min /1999/ VHS
College through adult

This is the story of Prairie School architecture as seen through the designs of Wright and his associates. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Louis Sullivan, and the Midwest landscape, the style is portrayed in many examples and with readings of the words of Wright himself. A typical Victorian house is deconstructed and contrasted with Wright's vision of the new American home.

Frank LLoyd Wright's Taliesin: A Tour of His Wisconsin Home

29 min / 1996/ DVD
High school through adult

An extraordinary and stunning video tour of Wright’s Wisconsin home and the structures on the estate. Must be seen to be believed. Includes some older film footage of Taliesin and Wright himself talking about his life and the house. This is the official video made and distributed by Taliesin. 

 


September 30

New World Visions, I: American Art, Architecture & Design 1650-1850

60 min/ color / 1985 / VHS
High school through adult

Vincent Scully, Sterling Professor of the History of Art at Yale University, examines and analyzes the first 350 years of American art, architecture, and design, and how these forms reflect the American consciousness. In these 2 programs, Scully uses as his base the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with its impressive array of paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, furnishings, and interiors. He also ventures on location into larger architectural or natural settings.

 


October 21

New World Visions, II: American Art, Architecture & Design 1850-1914

60 min/ color / 1985 / VHS
High school through adult

This is part two of the program described above.

 


November 18

John Singer Sargent: Outside the Frame

57 min / 2000 / VHS
High school through adult

As the foremost portraitist of his time, Sargent exquisitely captured in oil and watercolor the spirit of the Gilded Age. This close look at his work reveals much more than the faces of the wealthy. Emmy winner, Jackson Frost, reexamines Sargent's creations including landscapes, figures, and murals and highlights the paintings El Jaleo, Madame X, Carnation, Lily, Rose, and Gassed.

 


December 16

Rodin: The Gates of Hell

53 min / 1981 / DVD
High school through adult

This film documents the difficulties and triumphs of casting Auguste Rodin's magnificent 8-ton bronze sculpture, Gates of Hell, by the lost-wax process. The film also chronicles Rodin's life and his artistic development. More than a mere documentary, the film engages the viewer in the intricacies and delicacy of the casting process. The superb editing and soundtrack add to the film's suspense and heighten the drama of a momentous occasion in the history of modern scupture.