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Great Women Artists: Georgia O'Keefe by Dominique Mougenot
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DVD detailsDirector: Dominique Mougenot Producer: Dominique Mougenot Writer: Dominique Mougenot Producer: Dennis Hedlund DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language) Format: Color, DVD, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 45 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-03-28 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Kultur Video
DVD Reviews of Great Women Artists: Georgia O'KeefeDVD Review: So disappointed I had to write you all Summary: 1 StarsThis review is of Great Women Artists: Geogia O'Keefe.
In viewing this DVD I was incredibly frustrated with the presenters decision to rarely let you see the whole painting but instead constantly focus on a portion of a Georgia O'Keefe painting. Later if he deemed it necessary he would let us see the whole painting (but mostly not). My husband and I become increasingly aggitated and finally really mad. What was good about the video were the photos of her and scenes of the mountains and Ghost Ranch. Also some of the paintings were ones I don't remember ever seeing. If you have a great book of her paintings this may not irritate you but I don't recommend this particular video.
DVD Review: Nice Photographs of Georgia's works..... Summary: 3 StarsI enjoyed the selection of paintings and photographs. However, I would say this was a rather sanitized version of Georgia's life. The narrator stated her happy marriage--yet it was a marriage where there were lots of difficulties. Interesting pieces of information regarding why she painted what she painted or regarding her character were ignored---I read the book; Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe [Hardcover] by Hunter...and I was quite impressed by all the personal information about Georgia. Georgia's life was not as sweet and blissful as the narrator's text seems to portray.
I found the visual quite effective and turned the audio portion off.
DVD Review: A really complete view of O'Keefe's work. Summary: 4 Stars I have no idea how to rate this documentary. I'll give you the good the bad and the ugly.
The good is great. Incomparable. 5 The work of artist Georgia O'Keefe, seems like it must be every piece of her work shown in this clear DVD in loving and respectful presentation with plenty of time to look at each one fully. I have seen another biography of Georgia O'Keefe that was extremely well done, but that did not even show 1/3 of these works. This is like a fantastic museum tour shown just for you.
The bad is the information on Georgia herself. 3 This seems to be intentional, as they incorporate quotes of hers that "who she is and where she came from is not nearly as important as what her paintings have to say," and that words can not capture what she expresses in her art. In taking up pottery at a late age, she refers to it as learning to speak another language. Not only is there very little personal history, but there are only about 4 photos of this -highly photographed - woman, replayed throughout - most from the same few years before the death of her husband. I've other docs on her that really focus on her life and are fantastic.
The ugly: the narrator. 2, no, 3 He has a rich, resonant voice that is mellifluous and pleasant enough to put you gently to sleep. That is not helpful with a long display of paintings. What is horrible is that he frequently mispronounces words like "oeuvre" and "ephemeral." EE-FEEM-er-AL? he had to work hard to mispronounce it so badly! Yeesh, they must have given him only one recording session with no re-takes or supervision. Cheap.
This should have been titled "The Works of Georgia O'Keefe". Since the good in this DVD is her work, and it is shown fully and clearly... how can I rate it lower than 4?
DVD Review: Bisexuality and Lesboeroticism Ignored Summary: 3 StarsPerhaps A&E's "Biography" series has me spoiled. I'm used to documentaries having interviews with biographers and descendants. If the person lived into the 20th Century, they show them speaking and moving. Things are in motion and fast-paced. This work, however, was like listening to an art historian give a lecture. And by the way, the (male) narrator's voice is low and I think those not paying attention or those who understand English as a second language may miss a lot. The work was focused on her art, which it showed chronologically. They show about a dozen photos of her and you never see her moving. Facts from her life come in a haphazard order. For example, they mentioned that she was married to Stieglitz before they mentioned when and where she was born.
After a few minutes, I was tempted to turn it off, but her art is so beautiful, I couldn't help but decide to keep going. I knew of her flowers and bones, but I didn't know she painted so many cityscapes. The work says she didn't identify as feminist, yet she championed the Equal Rights Amendment decades before Second Wave feminism began.
The narrator mentioned critics speaking of "Freudian repression" twice. However, in speaking of the sexual, he brings up masculine and feminine symbolism. He never brings up explicitly the woman-centeredness or lesboeroticism of her work. Though Wikipedia, Notable Names Base, and many others say O'Keeffe was bisexual, the topic is avoided here. At most, we see a photograph of her speaking with Eleanor Roosevelt, another famous bisexual woman married to a famous man. They never mention whether O'Keefe had a romantic relationship with Frida Kahlo as Out magazine once stated. Too, they never explain why O'Keeffe never drew humans.
It turns out that O'Keefe lived to be 98, so I must add her to my list of the famous who have longevity, such as Harry Hay, W.E.B. DuBois, and many others.
Description of Great Women Artists: Georgia O'KeefeGeorgia O?Keeffe was an American abstract painter, famous for the purity and lucidity of her still-life compositions. In 1916 the American photographer and art gallery director Alfred Stieglitz (whom she married in 1924) became interested in her abstract drawings and exhibited them at his gallery in New York City and in other important institutions. O'Keeffe moved to New Mexico in 1949, and is best known for her large paintings of desert flowers and scenery, in which single blossoms or objects such as a cow's skull are presented in close-up views. The program provides an in-depth look into her life, and includes numerous examples of her works while examining her style which made her unique in the world of art. This original program also features spectacular imagery and many rare historical photographs.
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