Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century American Art
How did artists of the twentieth century use their work to respond to their unique personal experiences and moment in history? By focusing on broad, defining themes, embodied in the work of such pivotal artists as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol, the film makers look at how art provided a means for re-imagining America, visualizing what it had become, and where it might go in a century of turbulent change. Imagining America is organized around three main themes: nature and the ways diverse artists responded to the transformation of the landscape from pastoral to industrial; how artists as different as Thomas Eakins and Jackson Pollock demonstrated the perpetual inclination to reinvent both personal and national identity; and the ways that key artists like Stuart Davis, Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat taught us to understand the media and popular culture on a deeper level. With an innovative design, a selection of iconic images, and an engaging juxtaposition of visual themes, Imagining America presents American art and artists in a completely new light.
“The repeating sight of living artists talking generously about work that is not their own -- exercising a maximum of artistic intelligence with a minimum of artistic ego -- may be the film's most subtle and important contribution. By osmosis, it sharpens our understanding of the creative spirits in our midst and their complex, essential contributions to our lives.” Roberta Smith, New York Times.