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).
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.
