Art on Film: Showing Up & Art College 1994

by Oliver Spicer.

Allusions to art are seen in both films and the discussions they lead to. In its most basic form, the visual styles or particular works of artists are recreated in the filmic format. Rembrandt lighting is one example, where the Dutch painter’s high contrast use of illumination has heavily contributed to the cinematic style of lighting and especially to particular genres such as the noir. Whilst when looking at directors, often their voice and its formation over their filmography uses the same thoughts as the development of an art-style. The exchange of ideas between art and cinema, as well as the blurring of their borders, can be seen within the history of both media and a long list of comparisons can be made.

Two films presented at The Edinburgh International Film Festival have art as their main theme, with their similarities and divergences building up a thorough understanding of the interaction between fine art and cinema…

Showing Up

Still from Showing Up - provided by EIFF - converted to montone.

Apart from a vet, the world of Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Showing Up’ is entirely inhabited by artists. Filmed on location at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, the narrative follows a down on her luck sculptor called Lizzy (played by frequent collaborator Michelle Williams) as she prepares for a showcase of her work. Putting a mundane spin on the tortured artist stereotype, Lizzy faces a series of annoyances that represent everyday living: her hot water is broken due to the neglect of landlord and fellow artist Jo, at one point a pigeon is mauled by her cat and needs to be taken care of, and an ensemble cast of eccentric parents and fellow creatives have to be looked after.

Acts of creation are ever-present, either as the focus of scenes or the background of conversations. The skill of the artist is depicted as much as the beauty of their work, with long takes drawing attention to the articulation and thought behind each movement of the artist’s hands. The strong presence of art also allows aspects of creation otherwise overlooked to be brought out, such as the technical skill required. Lectures in the college describe different methods with the same rigour as a science textbook, but still with an openness to explore. Additionally, one sequence follows the construction of a sculpture out of foam, with an artist using belts to create a rough form before carving. Close ups show the tension and compression of the materials, giving the scene a certain engineering quality.

There is also a strong humorous tone throughout the film, with the artistic theme clashing with the normality of everyday life shown in the narrative. However, this is never done in a mocking tone. Never are the artists depicted as pretentious or ingenuine; instead of viewing the film from an outside perspective, the spectator is invited into this land of the bohemian creative and immersed into their viewpoints and desires. This makes even the most extravagant characters have a quirky and lovable charm to them. Even though Jo can be seen as Lizzy’s arch enemy at many points in the plot, their relationship still has a friendly atmosphere due to their intersected love of art.

At its core, Showing Up comments on the contrast between the creative aspects of artists and the fact they are faced to participate in the real world. This may be due to the original idea for the film being a bio-pic for Canadian artist Emily Carr, who in later life was consumed by her job as a landlady that she originally became to fund her art. Even though the centre of the story shifted to fiction, there is still a very truthful element to this exploration of creativity.

Art College 1994

Still from Art College 1994 - provided by EIFF - converted to montone.

A similar location of an art school is used for Liu Jian’s animated feature Art College 1994. This setting is important for its narrative of student characters that grapple with adolescent creativity, as well as its production due to an animation crew comprised of students and teachers from the China Academy of Art.

Its visual style is built from many contrasts. First, the character design uses clean block shading whilst the backgrounds of student locations use detail to depict piles of rubbish and dirty floors. At points the animation seems to use too little frames for certain movements (possibly to save time on the colossal feat of an animated film) but some sequences, such as the opening shot of a beetle falling over whilst climbing some rocks, depict kinds of movements that other animation studios would be scared to approach with a large degree of realism. The art itself also contrast with the artists by holding a different aestheticism and at points resembling reality more than the characters, automatically drawing in meta comments on art style that parallel the conversations of characters.

In total, these contrasting points build up an aesthetic of imperfection that is often unseen in its anime or western relatives. Shots are not comprised with beauty in mind, with no symmetry or balanced composition to give an appealing look, rather sequences are framed as if they belong in a live action film. The grit of the locations and actions depicted in the film also go against the perfect worlds traditionally shown in animation - supported by the meandering plot and characters with undefined goals.

The set of characters used have a sitcom feel to them, while all fully diagnosed with the large ego of the young artist. As they work on their pieces that are claimed to be the best of all time, they dream up a future where they are all collectively famous and their conversations on ‘What is Art?’ are impactful to the masses. The creatives here are shown to be pretentious but still with an element of sympathy for a younger generation yet to fully find themselves in the world.

Overall, Art College 1994 is filled with the same rebellious attitudes as any other instalment of the college film genre; only here, its youthful tone is complimented by a unique animation style.

by Oliver Spicer, August 2023.

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