Riopelle, 1982, is a snapshot of the later life of Jean-Paul Riopelle, the most internationally well-known Quebec and Canadian artist of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing viewing experience.
On the one hand, Riopelle is shown in France working on a later career commission. So, it is a portrait, offering rare access to his personal and artistic. Nevertheless, it fails to translate that intimacy into insight.
By the time of filming, he had returned to figurative art but that did not have the magic of his mosaic paintings from the 1950s, especially the early 1950s. Those peak paintings are vibrant and mesmerizing. I always enjoy going back to them in museums and having my eyes spend time wandering around them. That early period was a moment of genius and if any museum has his work, the focus will be on this period. After that, he drifted back into figurative work. Unfortunately, the spark is absent. As a result, the documentary viewing experience became one of watching a hero who has come down from the height of his powers and does not live up to the ideal in my mind.
The second disappointment is Riopelle’s avoidance of any convincing explanation of the motivation of his works. This is especially disappointing because he understood the power of art and words about art. He was one of the signatories of a group of Quebec artists’ 1948 Refus Global (Total Refusal) Manifesto. This came to be seen as the spark that would lead to the Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 1960s and the changes to political and social realities that took place. Riopelle left Quebec for France to avoid the backlash from being part of the Refus Global and it was in Paris in the 1950s where he had his artistic breakthrough. Yet in the video, when asked, Riopelle is cagey and avoids direct answers about his work, his motivation for producing it and its message. It feels like he is playing a game with his interviewers to avoid being pinned down. Unfortunately for us, the result is that we miss an opportunity to understand his creative process.
The creators of this documentary were on close terms with Riopelle and had rare access to him but that did not lead to perspective or analysis. It seems they approached their subject with excessive reverence and did not push him as much to get to a deeper understanding of his work – especially his period of artistic genius.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing viewing experience.
On the one hand, Riopelle is shown in France working on a later career commission. So, it is a portrait, offering rare access to his personal and artistic. Nevertheless, it fails to translate that intimacy into insight.
By the time of filming, he had returned to figurative art but that did not have the magic of his mosaic paintings from the 1950s, especially the early 1950s. Those peak paintings are vibrant and mesmerizing. I always enjoy going back to them in museums and having my eyes spend time wandering around them. That early period was a moment of genius and if any museum has his work, the focus will be on this period. After that, he drifted back into figurative work. Unfortunately, the spark is absent. As a result, the documentary viewing experience became one of watching a hero who has come down from the height of his powers and does not live up to the ideal in my mind.
The second disappointment is Riopelle’s avoidance of any convincing explanation of the motivation of his works. This is especially disappointing because he understood the power of art and words about art. He was one of the signatories of a group of Quebec artists’ 1948 Refus Global (Total Refusal) Manifesto. This came to be seen as the spark that would lead to the Quiet Revolution in Quebec in the 1960s and the changes to political and social realities that took place. Riopelle left Quebec for France to avoid the backlash from being part of the Refus Global and it was in Paris in the 1950s where he had his artistic breakthrough. Yet in the video, when asked, Riopelle is cagey and avoids direct answers about his work, his motivation for producing it and its message. It feels like he is playing a game with his interviewers to avoid being pinned down. Unfortunately for us, the result is that we miss an opportunity to understand his creative process.
The creators of this documentary were on close terms with Riopelle and had rare access to him but that did not lead to perspective or analysis. It seems they approached their subject with excessive reverence and did not push him as much to get to a deeper understanding of his work – especially his period of artistic genius.
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