Wednesday, February 7, 2018

'#artoffline' DVD: Documentary Exploring Limits of Viewing Works Online


IndiePix Films provides great food for thought on a timely subject regarding the February 13, 2018 DVD release of the 2015 documentary "#artoffline." Director Manuel Correa artfully tackles the subject of the impact of viewing paintings and sculptures on the Internet, rather than up close and personal or even in a book.

The following YouTube clip of a trailer for the documentary perfectly presents the issues around which the film centers; one of the most distressing prospects is the extent to which museums can adapt in order to avoid death at the hands of video.



Correa chooses wisely in opening "#artoffline" with the first of his many talking heads from the art world discussing being an art student in a class in which a slide of a painting is projected on the wall. The "punchline" is that subsequently seeing the actual picture illustrates (no pun intended) one misleading aspect of seeing an image of the work of art, rather than the actual object.

The critics, artists, and other experts who follow do equally well demonstrating that looking at an image on a screen greatly differs from standing in front of it; on a basic level, being in a gallery or a museum utilizes more senses than sitting alone viewing an image on a computer or a telephone.

Other segments focus on the ease with which even the most basis aspect of an image can be manipulated online; this is not to mention the limitation of lacking a full 3D version of art.

The most amusing aspect of "#artonline" relates to culture vultures who go to museums. Watching the manner in which they view the art is akin to sports fans who bring portable televisions to watch the game that they attend.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "#artonline" is encouraged either  to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.




No comments:

Post a Comment