Description:
This hard-drinking "bantam rooster" of a painter was arguably as famous for his art-world politics as he was for his remarkable body of work, according to Ken Burns's dynamic documentary. Using the usual interviews with friends, family, critics, and historians combined with old newsreels, television interviews, and myriad paintings as backdrops, Burns has produced an unusually entertaining work. His subject matter helps: Benton embodied contradiction. A sophisticate who yearned to be simple, he observed and painted a world of factory work, saloon frequenting, and prizefighting. He mentored Jackson Pollack, but publicly lambasted abstract impressionism. In his 85 years he struggled, became the rage, and saw his oeuvre go out of style. Benton's outspokenness is augmented by Burn's unwillingness to coddle his subject. Students laud him, but critics get their say, too, calling him talentless and questioning his legacy. The DVD comes with two short "conversations" with Burns about his work. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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