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An unusual topic--but worth seeing.
This episode of "American Masters" stretches the traditional view of what is art and who are artists. Now I am NOT saying they weren't artists--but the work of Charles and Ray Eames is the sort of thing you don't usually think when you think of art. Charles was an architect and his wife, Ray, was an artist. Between them, they were responsible for a huge output of designs. It began with the Eames chair--a revolutionary style chair that let to extruded chairs--the modern and cheaply made chairs we took for granted from the 1950s on. Then, they branched off into other furniture. Now here's where it gets interesting. Instead of sticking with what they knew, the couple and their designers branched off into MANY areas--such as interior decorating, film and even designing pavilions for the World's Fair! I got a distinct impression that the show only discussed a small portion of the many types of projects they did--it seemed almost endless.
Now the film is exceptional in several ways and a tiny bit lacking in one way I would like to have seen. On the positive side, the show was GREAT in infusing interest in a topic that would at first seem dull. I hate the Eames chair (comfort to me is MUCH more important than design or style). But my eyes were opened by the rest of their work and I couldn't help but be amazed. I also was thrilled that the show was a 'warts and all' view of the couple. It did not just praise them but discussed some of the darker aspects of their personalities. I always find this the most fascinating thing about biographies--the inconsistencies, quirks, mental illnesses or surprises about the person. However, and this leads to my one regret, the show NEVER discusses the lives of Charles or Ray BEFORE they married. I really, really wanted to know about their childhoods and what molded them into who they became. Well, you can't have everything--but you still have a fascinating show about two very unusual figures in American history.
Now the film is exceptional in several ways and a tiny bit lacking in one way I would like to have seen. On the positive side, the show was GREAT in infusing interest in a topic that would at first seem dull. I hate the Eames chair (comfort to me is MUCH more important than design or style). But my eyes were opened by the rest of their work and I couldn't help but be amazed. I also was thrilled that the show was a 'warts and all' view of the couple. It did not just praise them but discussed some of the darker aspects of their personalities. I always find this the most fascinating thing about biographies--the inconsistencies, quirks, mental illnesses or surprises about the person. However, and this leads to my one regret, the show NEVER discusses the lives of Charles or Ray BEFORE they married. I really, really wanted to know about their childhoods and what molded them into who they became. Well, you can't have everything--but you still have a fascinating show about two very unusual figures in American history.
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- planktonrules
- May 30, 2012
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