artsy forager

Tag: film

  • Artsy on Film: Cutie and The Boxer

    Artsy on Film: Cutie and The Boxer

    Mr. F & I have recently established a democratic movie-night selection system.  It goes something like this, His, Hers, Ours.  We love a well done documentary and after the last two disturbing political picks by Mr. F ( Dirty Wars & The Act of Killing ), it was time for a joint movie night selection.  Documentary for Mr. F + art-related story for me, we settled on Cutie and the Boxer.  Win win.  The Sundance Film Festival winner follows the story of the 40 year marriage between famed “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his artist wife Noriko.

    AoF_Cutie

     image found here

    Ushio Shinohara came to notoriety as an artist in Tokyo in the 60s, eventually leaving Japan for New York, where he was a relatively unknown working artist and met Noriko, then an art student around twenty years his junior.  Not long after meeting and falling in love, Noriko became pregnant with their son, Alex.  She would spend the next forty years raising Alex and taking care of Ushio, a temperamental alcoholic ( who is now sober ).

    AoF_Cutie_kitchen scene AoF_Ushiro and Noriko

    images found here and here

    There are obvious parallels between the relationship of Ushio & Noriko and that of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner— the boisterous, alcoholic artist husband overshadowing his artist wife and caretaker.  But in Ushio & Noriko’s story, the long-suffering wife regains her artistic identity not with the death of her husband, but by taking it back for herself.

    AoF_Cutie_Shionara painting AoF_Cutie painting

    images found here and here 

    I do wonder if, had Pollock lived and gotten the treatment he needed, whether that couple’s story would have had a similar ending– the tortured artist finding health and peace while his wife finally comes out from behind her husband’s shadow to find her own voice.  Krasner, of course, would eventually gain her own well deserved notoriety but only many years following Pollock’s death.

    We love documentaries for all the questions they bring forth, leading to great conversations between Mr. F & I, usually over coffee the next morning.  Cutie and The Boxer led to questions like Is there truth to the stereotype of the tortured artist?  Why do so many female artists end up putting their own work on hold while caring for husband and family?  Was that a generational thing or is it still happening today?  Is all art cathartic for the artist in some way?  What say you, Artsies?  Would love to hear your thoughts on these questions and the film, if you’ve seen it!

    All image sources linked above.

  • This Artsy Life: Weekend 37 [ The Rains Come, Fall Begins ]

    This Artsy Life: Weekend 37 [ The Rains Come, Fall Begins ]

    I know it’s not officially Fall yet, but this weekend it finally began to feel as if it is on its way!  the Pacific Northwest has had an utterly gorgeous, yes, but uncharacteristically warm and long summer.  And as a Florida girl who moved to the Northwest hoping to never experience 90+ degrees again, I am more than ready to welcome my favorite season!

    When we were in this area two years ago, we loved being so close to Olympic National Park, but since we were closer to the coast then, we explored more along the West side of the park, never making into the Hood Canal side.  It was a cloudy and foggy morning, but that just added to the beauty of our Saturday hike.  The Olympics, to me, feel the most “Northwest” of all the parks in these states.  You get a little taste of everything– big mountains, crystal clear streams, giant ferns and moss covered trees.

    20130916-081819.jpgThis little hike was so beautiful, I felt like I was grinning the entire time.  While the long, arduous hikes usually reward us with panoramic views, sometimes these quiet woodsy hikes are just as nice.  It’s on these traipsing-through-the-woods hikes that we really talk and connect and check in with each other.  ( I’m usually too out of breath on the more strenuous hikes to do much chatting! )

    20130916-081853.jpgAt one point, we sat quietly on a felled tree along the riverbank, just soaking in the smells and sounds so different from what we’d been experiencing recently.  We agreed that although we both felt some sadness that Seattle didn’t work out for us, our decision was right.  We need quiet.  We crave peace and wildness and beauty.  And while you certainly catch more glimpses of such in Seattle than perhaps other cities, we knew we would long for more than glimpses.

    We talked about how much we loved the landscape in this region– this perfect mix of mountains and rainforest, how much good stuff is such an easy distance away– a short drive and we’re at the Pacific, in Seattle, in Oregon wine country, in Portland, at Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, even the drier, more desert-y Eastern Washington, if the rain ever gets to be too much.  We reflected on how funny it would be if we were to end up settling in the first Northwest place we came to together.  We’re still not sure what the future holds, but the Olympic Peninsula is still on our list of possibilities. 😉

    20130916-081942.jpg
    The rain held off and gave us a perfect day on Saturday, while Sunday was a more typically Northwest Fall-ish sort of day.  Quiet, sporadic drizzly rain made for the perfect day for a day at home, Mr. F in the kitchen and I on my laptop catching up on blogs and watching a lovely, autumnal movie.

    20130916-082005.jpg

     

    We have so much to look forward to, so many trips to take and plans to make and dreams to nurture.  In many ways, it feels like this Fall is a new beginning.  I can’t wait to see what else is in store!

    How was your weekend, Artsies?  Did you enjoy fine weather?  Dream and make plans?  If you’d like to see more from This Artsy Life, follow me on Instagram.

    First three images by Artsy Forager, last image foundhere.