Film & Art - Softcover

Hinrichs, Bruce H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0966011120 ISBN 13: 9780966011128

Publisher: J-Press Pub, 1999

Synopsis

Film & Art offers a lively, informative and provocative look at cinema and its connection to the arts. Most importantly, Film & Art includes a discussion of influential films from throughout history and presents a lucid and forceful argument for evaluating film and the other arts on the basis of their ability to convey fundamental ecstatic and poetic truths.

Film & Art addresses such questions as: Is film an art? Can we legitimately view film as an art form, or is it merely mass market entertainment? If film is an art, then what styles, forms and ideas has it contributed, and how successful has it been in realizing a mature and insightful aesthetic? To what extent has it fulfilled its potential as "The art of the 20th century?" Which films and filmmakers represent the highest aesthetic ideals? PUBCOMMENTS: Bruce Hinrichs brings special credentials to his task of writing Film & Art. He is a professor of psychology and film studies at Century College in Minnesota. His essays on film, art and psychology have appeared in magazines, journals and CD-Roms and he is the author of Mind as Mosaic: The Robot in the Machine. (in publication). Professor Hinrichs is also a successful artist himself whose works (painting, glass blowing) have been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries. Professor Hinrich's has obviously brought all these credentials to bear in writing a lively and non-jargonistic book on the subject of the relationship of film to the arts. He moves through his subject matter in a logically progressive manner that keeps the reader interested in reading further. And after having read the book, one begins to look at films quite differently, especially with respect to the craftsmanship of the film and its artistic merits.

About this title

From the Author

The arts are an important and under-appreciated part of our world. It is unfortunate that the public does not realize how much the arts enrich our lives, how useful and common they are in our institutions, community, and work places, and how popular the arts are. More people attend arts events than sporting events each year. Huge crowds lined up to see the recent Van Gogh exhibit in Washington, D.C. and in Los Angeles. Our schools, the media, and our leaders do an awful job of informing and educating us about art. A major ingredient of our world - music, dance, painting, architecture, sculpture, theater - is practically ignored, even disdained, by our society. The reporting of news about the arts is dwarfed by sports and weather news. In addition, whatever meager arts education a person does receive, it is extremely unlikely to include education about film and video. Everyone knows about TV and movies as entertainment, but a rare few take these media seriously as a form of art, or as reflections of our society and influences on our psyches. Historically, many filmmakers have provided fascinating and profound works of artistry and vision. Regrettably, these beautiful and thought-provoking works on celluloid are, in effect, lost to the general public since they have so little awareness of them. There exists is a gorgeous, incredible world of ideas and images awaiting those who want to think, dream, enjoy, relish, learn, and soak in the tantalizing images and ideas. My book Film & Art is a humble attempt to introduce some of these grand films to the public and to discuss the relevancy of an art form devoted to the moving image. I am disappointed by the on-going schism between the sciences and the arts. Both are important and essential ingredients of our lives. Science can provide solutions to innumerable problems, but the arts can provide communication, beauty, expression, and a kind of poetic or ecstatic truth. Both fields enrich our lives, both are desirable and needed. I hope my book Film & Art will be a useful tool for many people searching for a better understanding of film, and that it will open up worlds of ideas and personal enrichment.

About the Author

Bruce H. Hinrichs is a professor of both film studies and psychology at Century College in White Bear Lake (a suburb of St. Paul), Minnesota. Mr. Hinrichs is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota, has taught at several colleges, was an honorary fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was an artist/teacher in residence at the University of Illinois. Mr. Hinrichs lives in Minneapolis where he has been active in human rights, is a popular guest speaker at various organizations, and has appeared on cable TV interview programs. His articles on film, art, and psychology have appeared in several magazines, journals, and on the "Renaissance" CD-ROM. He is also the author of a forthcoming book on cognitive neuroscience titled Mind as Mosaic: The Robot in the Machine, which is an entertaining and accessible introduction to the study of how the mind is created by the brain. Mr. Hinrichs is also an accomplished, award-winning artist whose works appear in numerous galleries and museums including the Minnesota History Center.

About this edition

• Publisher: J-Press Pub
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0966011120
• ISBN 13: 9780966011128
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 172