Well....where to start, where to start. Right off the bat I'll tell you it's a very good documentary, whether you like or know anything about modern art or not it is still very interesting. Very well done for looking low budget, they don't need or use any flair that might take away from the story. The thing I didn't like, or at least made me frown and roll my eyes is that almost every person they talk to in this is just despicable, in one way or another.
There are the exceptions, the old friend of Pollocks who says with wisdom that he can't say if the painting is a Pollock or not, and the forensic scientist who uses his skills to at least try and prove one way or another that it is genuine. But to take a step back, the story is simple, a white trash woman buys a painting that she thinks is ugly for a friend. The friend doesn't want it, and thus they try and sell it in a garage sale, a art teacher sees it and says it might be a Pollock. And so the roller coaster begins. This woman becomes convinced that it is, and wont take any less than 50,000,000. Simply because someone said IF it is a Pollock it MIGHT be worth that amount. As she is turned down and denied by the art community she gets more rabid saying that what do they know, why couldn't it be. In a way she has a point, but she wants it to be worth money so bad if there is any nay-saying she will say they are wrong, and she knows nothing about art.
Not to defend the art experts, because they are just as small and petty. One of them pompously says "Well what could she know, nothing" And he is right, but he doesn't have to be such a total tool about it. She is denied and denied, and instead of staying on the straight and narrow she starts lying to people about how she got the painting, and that's where I stepped away from her side. She would have went though with the lie to sell the thing 100% if she hadn't been asked to prove it. She is white trash, and she isn't trying to better herself, she wants her cut any way she can get it. So she starts bringing on other nefarious characters to help her prove its a real Pollock. One of them was in prison for selling fake paintings, and others are just in it for the quick buck, even it seems her son.
There is though, the occasional break where someone says something wise, such as another master fake painter looking at it and when asked, "Could you do this?" he responds with he couldn't, but he cant say if its real. As well as the long time friend who also says its to gray of an area to tell. The scientist who finds matching finger prints, and studies the panting extensively is the only really good argument that it is authentic. When the art community doesn't want to accept his findings the woman gets angry (this isn't a court of law) She thinks they should be forced to buy it, or at least sign off as saying it's real. The truth is no one could say for sure, the finger print is good, but not good enough (partial match)
The woman is offered 2,000,000, she wont accept that, she claims on principle. Yeah, right, she just wants to drip it for all its worth, and why shouldn't she, but with out proof shes going to have to accept that no one will take that huge of a jump to buy something that could be worthless. I mean would you buy something for 50 million if there was a sizable chance that it wasn't worth the canvas its painted on? Even later shes offered 9,000,000, still not good enough though. It seems she will be buried with the thing, she is to stubborn to understand, or ignorant I suppose to let go of the fact that no one has to believe her about it being real, since she hasn't a clue if it is or not. I pity her, but she should take the 9 million and walk, she nearly dead and living in a trailer, what's she need 50 million for. Great documentary, everyone should take a gander. 8/10 stars.
Director: Harry Moses
P.S. Honestly from the looks of it, I don't think it is a Pollock, I'm no expert on him, but I don't think it is his, I know his work well enough to say that much. But wisdom should prevail, I could be wrong!
No comments:
Post a Comment