10 biographical films about world famous artists that will help you gain a deeper understanding of their paintings

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Films about artists, which are released annually by various studios around the world, rarely make it to the top of the box office charts. Nonetheless, these biographical stories remain indispensable sources of inspiration for art and film aficionados. One of the reasons filmmakers love to make films about famous artists is because these films have great sets and true stories.

1. "Seraphina" (2008)

This is the tragic story of the artist Serafina de Senlis, dedicated to the supreme power of art. The film has won seven César Awards, including the Best Actress Award for Yolanda Moreau. The tape will delight not only art lovers, but also adherents of quality cinema. The story begins in 1914, when the German art collector Wilhelm Uhde rented an apartment in Senlis. There he also meets an artist who, having a rare talent, is forced to work as a cleaner. She spends her free time in search of the most unusual ingredients for creating paints (blood

butcher's, wax from church candles and various herbs). Acquaintance with Ude helps her to bring her talent to life, the collector is trying to sell her paintings. However, he soon has to flee the country, as the war begins. Many years later, Uhde finds her again, still poor and still in the same village, working the same modest job, and convinces her to start a full-time artist career.

2. "Pollock" (2000)

The film tells the story of the life of the American artist and abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. Pollock (played by Ed Harris, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor and also directed the film) was known for his amazing films.

Pollock's work is some of the most expensive art ever sold. The film shows his journey from a struggling artist to international success, as well as Pollock's struggle with alcoholism and a tragic death in a car accident. The co-star is Marcia Gay Harden, who plays his wife and artist Krasner Lee. Gay Harden, by the way, also received an Oscar for her performance.

3. "Agony and Ecstasy" (1965)

The tape tells the viewer the biography of Michelangelo, as well as the history of the creation of the famous Sistine Chapel. Based on the novel by Irving Stone and director Carol Reid, the story of the creation of the Sistine Chapel turns into a gripping storyline with Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film contains some of the most famous faces of Hollywood of the time. It can rightfully be called a good source of historical information about the artist and the period of time in which he worked.

4. "Utamaro and his five women" (1946)

The film is a fictionalized story of Kitagawa Utamaro. This master is considered one of the most experienced designers of ukiyo-e prints and paintings (literally translated as "floating world"). The artist gained fame in the 1790s. In addition to creating ukiyo-e, Utamaro is known for his bijin okubi-e (depictions of beautiful women with large heads) and his research into nature. The fictional story of Utamaro was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi during the 7-year occupation of Japan after World War II.

5. "Night Watch" (2007)

A film about Rembrandt and the murder he discovered. Director Peter Greenaway, known for his flamboyant neo-baroque mise-en-scene, has created a touching film about Rembrandt's professional and romantic life, including the controversy surrounding one of his most famous films, The Night Watch. The film focuses on an assassination conspiracy in a musketeer regiment, as well as Rembrandt's attempt to convey the plot through the subtle allegorical messages he uses in his famous group portrait.

6. "Ghosts of Goya" (2006)

This is a fictional story about the biography of Goya. A Spanish-American film directed by Milos Forman tells us about Francisco Goya and his attempt to defend the country from the Inquisition. The film tells about the true situation in the country and is based on real facts about the life of Goya. Starring Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard. The film masterfully explores and conveys the forces that drive Goya to create his complex and at times dark works.

7. "Artemisia" (1997)

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653) is one of the first women painters, whose name is included in the galaxy of the best Italian artists of the Baroque era. At that time, being a woman - an artist - meant feeling disdain and even humiliation towards oneself. But Gentileschi managed to overcome all obstacles, as well as survive a personal traumatic experience (rape by a mentor) and become one of the most progressive artists of his generation and the first female member of the Academy of Arts in Florence. The film caused a huge flurry of criticism and various statements from art historians and feminists, although it is a true story.

8. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" (2003)

The plot takes place in the distant 1600s in the Dutch Republic. Young Grit (Scarlett Johansson) got a job as a maid in the house of the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Vermeer (played wonderfully by Colin Firth). The maid's extraordinary understanding of paintings prompts the protagonist to teach her the principles of his art and painting in general. During the course of the film, she studies composition, shading, paint creation and, of course, becomes the model for Vermeer's most famous painting. Director Peter Webber did an excellent job of recreating the complex social atmosphere of the time. Therefore, watching this film is not easy. But absolutely for sure - this film is one of the best films about artists.

9. "William Turner" (2014)

The film tells the story of the last 25 years of the life of the greatest British artist William Turner (1775-1851). This is a master who has gained fame and respect for his revolutionary approach to form and light in his works. Turner is seen as the predecessor of the Impressionists. The tape describes the amazing moments of his work and experiments with form. Director and screenwriter Mike Lee described the film as an exploration of "the contradiction between this mortal man and his epics, in a spiritual way that he used to portray the world."

10. "Frida" (2002)

Julie Taymor's Oscar-winning biopic about Frida Kahlo, starring Salma Hayek, contains a fair amount of amazing shots and sets. Born to a German Jew and a Mexican mother, Frida Kahlo grew up in Mexico City at a time when it was a hotbed of exile and intrigue. The film also shows the work of Kahlo herself. Director Taymor masterfully conveyed Kahlo's artistic talent through the prism of personal tragedies. The dramatic story of Frida and her husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), great artists who became the most famous Mexican painters in history, was also not ignored.