PBS Special on "Imagining America: Icons of the 20th Century"

joe phelan · 07:03 PM

PBS this week in the Washington DC area is airing a special about what American art tells us about the nation in the 20th century. The artistic focus will be on Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol,
http://www.pbs.org/previews/american_art/
Check your local listings as local PBS programming varies.

Update Tuesday Dec. 27 Review of the special courtesy of the Toronto Star

Close-up on America's art
Dec. 27, 2005. 01:00 AM
BY PETER GODDARD
VISUAL ARTS COLUMNIST

Imagining America, the ambitious two-hour look at American art in the 20th century on PBS tomorrow at 9 p.m., is just about everything its subject is about: macho and confident, contradictory and gloriously argumentative, not-to-be-missed — and troubling.

Troubling? Yes, because Imagining America — unintentionally I'm sure — paints a convincing portrait of a waning imperial power at the ragged edges of its frayed soul.

Art tells the unexpected truth, goes the show's main thesis. Right now, however, the truth seems to have gone missing in America and in its art.

But stop right here. A documentary like this only from and about the United States? Pity. With Canada's history of extraordinary art and documentary making — not to mention our ability to come across trouble — we should have seen an arts special like this about us years ago. (We're not likely to soon. CBC TV's Zed, the late-night hip trip, returns Jan. 3 with its former visual arts component noticeably missing.)

Produced by John Carlin, an American art historian turned producer, and Jonathan Fineberg, an art academic at the University of Illinois, Imagining America asks one big question — what is American art really all about?

"Nature" is the one big answer. But then — and this is where the show gets unnecessarily murky — we're given reason to doubt that answer.

Starting with Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School and other 19th century landscape painters, American artists exalted in their nation's enormous rugged expanses. (Painter/model/naturalist/feminist icon Georgia O'Keeffe is paid enormous attention.) But here's the rub. The more man saw of nature, the more he participated in its transformation (Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" (1970), the rock installation jutting out into Utah's Salt Lake, is brought in as evidence here.)

This led to the exploration of inner nature, the kind Jackson Pollock meant when he declared, "I am nature."

Going the Ken Burns route, the producers of Imagining America weave a complicated history around a very short list of key figures. Along with O'Keeffe (given far too much air time) and Pollock (the Babe Ruth of American art), there's Andy Warhol.

Indeed, if Imaging America accomplishes anything, it's to underline Warhol's importance as a truly important art historical figure. Marshall McLuhan, Canuck media guru, is dragged in to explain what Warhol's media manipulations really meant.

Warhol's media interviews are performance art pieces on their own. (Tell him what answer you wanted and he'd give it to you.) But his assertion that "death can really make you look like a star," haunts the closing moments of the documentary.

Imagining America does a lot of things well. It further extols the intelligence of the great painter Willem de Kooning, it gives under-recognized David Wojnarowicz his due and it underlines the importance of Marcel Duchamp to the scene. It also overstates the impact of Jean-Michel Basquiat, misuses its A-list background music and stops before dealing with new-media art.

Along the way, it makes you wish there were more. That makes it a success.

pgoddard@thestar.ca

Additional articles by Peter Goddard

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December 26th, 2005, 03:06 AM

do you think picaso's most expensive painting "garcon a la pipe" very beautiful ?
I think so.

December 25th, 2005, 04:09 PM	#1
joe phelan Editor Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 55	PBS Special on "Imagining America: Icons of the 20th Century" PBS this week in the Washington DC area is airing a special about what American art tells us about the nation in the 20th century. The artistic focus will be on Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, http://www.pbs.org/previews/american_art/ Check your local listings as local PBS programming varies. Update Tuesday Dec. 27 Review of the special courtesy of the Toronto Star Close-up on America's art Dec. 27, 2005. 01:00 AM BY PETER GODDARD VISUAL ARTS COLUMNIST Imagining America, the ambitious two-hour look at American art in the 20th century on PBS tomorrow at 9 p.m., is just about everything its subject is about: macho and confident, contradictory and gloriously argumentative, not-to-be-missed — and troubling. Troubling? Yes, because Imagining America — unintentionally I'm sure — paints a convincing portrait of a waning imperial power at the ragged edges of its frayed soul. Art tells the unexpected truth, goes the show's main thesis. Right now, however, the truth seems to have gone missing in America and in its art. But stop right here. A documentary like this only from and about the United States? Pity. With Canada's history of extraordinary art and documentary making — not to mention our ability to come across trouble — we should have seen an arts special like this about us years ago. (We're not likely to soon. CBC TV's Zed, the late-night hip trip, returns Jan. 3 with its former visual arts component noticeably missing.) Produced by John Carlin, an American art historian turned producer, and Jonathan Fineberg, an art academic at the University of Illinois, Imagining America asks one big question — what is American art really all about? "Nature" is the one big answer. But then — and this is where the show gets unnecessarily murky — we're given reason to doubt that answer. Starting with Thomas Cole of the Hudson River School and other 19th century landscape painters, American artists exalted in their nation's enormous rugged expanses. (Painter/model/naturalist/feminist icon Georgia O'Keeffe is paid enormous attention.) But here's the rub. The more man saw of nature, the more he participated in its transformation (Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" (1970), the rock installation jutting out into Utah's Salt Lake, is brought in as evidence here.) This led to the exploration of inner nature, the kind Jackson Pollock meant when he declared, "I am nature." Going the Ken Burns route, the producers of Imagining America weave a complicated history around a very short list of key figures. Along with O'Keeffe (given far too much air time) and Pollock (the Babe Ruth of American art), there's Andy Warhol. Indeed, if Imaging America accomplishes anything, it's to underline Warhol's importance as a truly important art historical figure. Marshall McLuhan, Canuck media guru, is dragged in to explain what Warhol's media manipulations really meant. Warhol's media interviews are performance art pieces on their own. (Tell him what answer you wanted and he'd give it to you.) But his assertion that "death can really make you look like a star," haunts the closing moments of the documentary. Imagining America does a lot of things well. It further extols the intelligence of the great painter Willem de Kooning, it gives under-recognized David Wojnarowicz his due and it underlines the importance of Marcel Duchamp to the scene. It also overstates the impact of Jean-Michel Basquiat, misuses its A-list background music and stops before dealing with new-media art. Along the way, it makes you wish there were more. That makes it a success. pgoddard@thestar.ca Additional articles by Peter Goddard Get great home delivery subscription deals here! FAQs\| Site Map\| Privacy Policy\| Webmaster\| Subscribe\| My Subscription \| RSS Feeds \| Webmaking Blog Home\| GTA\| Business\| Waymoresports\| A&E\| Life Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Distribution, transmission or republication of any material from www.thestar.com is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. For information please contact us using our webmaster form. www.thestar.com online since 1996. Last edited by joe phelan : December 27th, 2005 at 07:03 PM.

December 26th, 2005, 03:06 AM	#2
unregistied Posts: n/a	most expensive painting do you think picaso's most expensive painting "garcon a la pipe" very beautiful ? I think so.

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