In a meta-exploration of what it means to make art, Joe Fig paints portraits of famous artists as portrayed in classic films. Across cultures, his paintings illustrate a combination of mythology and reality in the moment of artistic creation.
TMN: How did you pick these artists and films to represent?
Joe Fig: The first artists I picked were based on the films my parents grew up with and that shaped their perception of the myth of the artist’s life as “starving, struggling, miserable, drunk.” Films such as Rembrandt (1936), Lust For Life (1956), Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), and Moulin Rouge (1952) led me to an in-depth analysis of how artists are depicted in film.
My previous work had focused on this myth and the artist in the contemporary art world. Now I questioned where this myth came from, and how it has been propagated. My conclusion was through film—hence, my parents not wanting me to become an artist as I would lead a debauched life, be penniless and starving, and remain “undiscovered” until I was dead, after which my work would be worth millions.
