I sit here in my bedroom of the apartment we rented in Boulder, CO for the month-long production for the documentary on Arthur Secunda. Production will continue for a while over the year. My impressions of Boulder are very positive. Kind, healthy, relaxed people (the weed, I'm sure helps), and the land here is absolutely beautiful. It has been a privilege to spend the time with Arthur for the month, allowing me to shoot candid footage of him in his apartment, studio, and around the city during our outings. It has allowed me to appreciate the man and his art even more. In ending this first phase, and looking forward to the many others in the coming months of interviews with friends of Arthur's, art collectors, gallery owners, museum directors, and others for the production, I look forward to spending more time with this wonderful man and share his life and art with you. Here are some snapshots from the month-long stay that are behind the camera.
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When we finished shooting the other day, Arthur asked Joseph and I if we would help him organize his studio. This revealed a treasure-chest of memories. As anyone who uses tools to create knows, object collect over time and so does artwork. Helping Arthur organize his studio revealed many wonderful photographs. One is below; the second is one I took. The first is a lovely photo of Arthur, Sandra, and Al. The second is a photo I took while arranging Arthur's studio. It is a lovely piece created by Sandra.
Here are some images of Arthur Secunda in his studio and apartment. After this shoot, Arthur, Joseph and I went out to celebrate the finishing of the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney Painting.
In the first image, Arthur critically looks at the painting which hangs on the wall in the front of the room. In the second image, Arthur decides on the right brush to sign the painting; and the third image is the window in Arthur's apartment. This day, as he looked out the window, he said, "That window is like a painting." Indeed, Arthur Secunda finds and captures art everywhere. Others may see a window overlooking the street below. Arthur sees art. Arthur Secunda worked for NASA. Below is an example of this work. The image is taken from the dailies of the documentary on Secunda. Arthur is an explorer, the diversity of his work is an example of this, whether it is a torn paper landscape, an improvisational jazz monotype, or an expression of the galaxy in the image below. His genius is that he has the power to take us, the viewer, along with him on his journey of exploration.
Learning more about Secunda and his work, the fundamental question that Secunda asks, for me, is "What is art and what can it communication?" It is the same question that Andre Bazin asked about the cinema,"Qu'est-ce que le cinéma?” The difference is that Bazin was a film theorist and critic. Bazin was not a filmmaker. Secunda is an artist and remarks about art through his art. Although he might have worked as an art critic and theorist he is first and foremost an artist. This makes him more like the filmmakers of the Nouvelle Vague rather than their artistic father, Andre Bazin. Perhaps Arthur would disagree with me, perhaps not, regarding this question pertaining to his work; I have not asked him. What I do know is that he does not like to intellectualize his art. It is what it is. All of it is up to the viewer. In that case, I’ll take the liberty I am granted as the viewer. Whether it is a reproduction of the back of his hand, or the running men Watts Series, or the galaxy, Secunda is able to turn something as ordinary as a hand into art, and something as magnificent as the galaxy into an abstraction - being two things at the same time, inherently asking the question what is it and how is it beautiful. For this viewer, the answer is: it is incredibly beautiful and it is transcendental art.
Sometimes Arthur has more energy than other days however he almost always has a sense of humor. Today we shot an interview with him on the balcony of the penthouse suite where Arthur lives. Unfortunately there was some noise from the traffic below nevertheless it was a wonderful time. He asked for my glasses because the light was probably still too bright for him even though dusk was approaching. The disguised would not be complete without my hat, which he asked for also. Here you have Arturo as Matteo in some outtakes from the dailies of the documentary of Arthur Secunda.
This piece below was done by Arthur Secunda in 1944. He was 17 years old. It was done on a scratchboard 71 years ago. For more information about Arthur Secunda and his work, please visit his museum at The Arthur Secunda Museum. To learn more about the documentary on Arthur Secunda, please keep updated with this Blog.
On August 11, 1965, a black motorist was arrested for drunk-driving, and a minor roadside argument suddenly turned into a riot. The Watts Rebellion took place in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles from August 11 to 17. Here are some images that were created by Arthur Secunda during that unfortunate time.
From the dailies of the documentary on Arthur Secunda currently in production in Boulder, CO.
Arthur Secunda was born in New Jersey in 1927. He is an American artist internationally recognized in the fields of painting, sculpting, and printmaking. Secunda had his first one-man show in 1950 at the Galerie Lucien Gout in Montpellier. His art works hang in the permanent collections of important institutions worldwide including the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.; the Chicago Art Institute; the Honolulu Academy of Fine Arts and the Detroit Art Institute in the U.S. In addition to the Tel Aviv Museum, his art has been acquired by European museums in Aries, Geneva, Stockholm, Choler, Ostend, Brussels, and Zurich.
Below is a portrait of Arthur Secunda that comes from a film I made for the Arthur Secunda Museum called On the Making of Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a large mural commissioned by the museum. It is a collaborative piece between Arthur Secunda and Joseph Breton.
This portrait below is a photograph I took about six or seven years ago at Arthur's studio in Scottsdale, AZ. We took a few that day while I was visiting him from Los Angeles, CA. This is the one he uses in many of his publications. I think he likes the smile,
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Matteo Marchisano-AdamoWriter, Producer, Director Archives |