Art School Confidential: a review

Hollywood Bitchslap ^ | 5/14/06 | William Goss

[Republicanprofessor]

The promotional campaign for 'Art School Confidential' employs the phrase “Just throw it on the wall and see what sticks.” The film adheres fine at first, working best as a collection of caricatures, but the humor eventually dries up and a half-hearted attempt at grander satire causes the second half to peel away, no matter how hard you try to smooth it back down. Jerome (a meek Max Minghella) wants to be the next great artist. As such, he decides to attend the Strathmore Institute, where other creative souls flock in the pursuit of greatness (or success, whichever comes first). His roommates include fashion major Matthew (Nick Swardson, carrying on his tradition of incredibly effeminate roles) and Vince (Ethan Suplee), an aspiring filmmaker whose lately project concerns the incidents on campus concerning a serial strangler. Meanwhile, in the class of Professor Sandiford (John Malkovich, fitting right in), Jerome finds himself guided by major-shifting Bardo (Joel David Moore), competing with creepy new guy Jonah (Matt Keeslar), and head over heels for model Audrey (Sophia Myles). Oh, and Anjelica Huston appears in two scenes as another professor and Steve Buscemi appears in two more as an art dealer, but frankly, the film seems to feature them more out of obligation than necessity.

Initially, the film finds its footing as a farce, lampooning several personalities that even those farthest from a paintbrush can recognize and chuckle at. Several scenes, such as Jerome’s attempts at dating manic-depressive beatnik chicks and the like, work rather well, especially considering that it could just as easily be a Saturday Night Live sketch with just about the same amount of depth. One of the few successful Strathmore students returns to lecture that students about the futility of their education. Great artists are born, not learned; he is one, you are not, and as such, he can afford to be as much of an asshole as he pleases. However, such quirky touches soon run out of steam, and the unfortunate decision is made to put the clumsy Strathmore Strangler subplot front and center, which is the moment the film loses its sense of humor as well as its focus.

Director Terry Zwigoff and writer Daniel Clowes, reuniting five years after Ghost World, initially introduce Jimmy (Jim Broadbent) as an inebriated and bitter alum whose lifestyle of misery and loneliness seems to be an artist’s cruelest fate and strongest foundation, but once the killer strikes again, Jimmy becomes the awkward voice of nihilism, driving Jerome once he discovers that idealism in the art world is irrational. At this point, Art School Confidential becomes a movie of misguided meaning, simultaneously supporting and shooting down its protagonist’s aspirations, robbing him of ambition when he is supposed to be as great as he think he is. The films goes from skewering every pretense of the art world to embracing them, and instead of a sincere portrait of an artist coming to terms with the equally abstract nature of reality as he pursues “that narcotic moment of creative bliss,” it becomes dry when it should become truly dark and limps along as a derivative glimpse into an off-kilter world, good for a few laughs and nothing much else.

In the end, Zwigoff knows what he wants to say, but he misses the big picture, failing to fuse his shifting tones with a more complete theme. The mood becomes bitter, distracted, and rather murky when it would be dark, could be cynical, and should be rewarding, if only for the pessimists and nihilists. However, demanding such a crappy happy ending is asking for a happy ending nonetheless and could be mistaken for compromising one’s artistic integrity for the sake of commercial satisfaction, which the film itself seems to suggest. Not to sound like a snob or anything.

[Republicanprofessor]

I went to see this movie yesterday and I found it incredibly depressing. It is depressing because it may be a somewhat accurate portrayal as far as art schools go, and the values in it are dismal.

There is nothing about truth or beauty in it. It is all about scams in the art world, and superficial values at best.

I went to two graduate schools in art, although only one in the fine arts. I also teach art history and painting and drawing. So was I supposed to identify wiht the John Malkovich or with the Angelica Houston characters? The fact that the teachers tolerated such nonsense out of their students' mouths was depressing.

FR poster Sam Cree has always maintained that that art schools don't teach the basics anymore. I've always resisted that belief, because we do teach the basics at my college; and then we encourage students to find their own personal form and content.

But I guess I am in the minority.

What a depressing film.

[Republicanprofessor]

Art ping.

Let Sam Cree, Woofie, or me know if you want on or off this ping list.

Or if you think this movie is as depressing as I do. Black comedy, I guess. Certainly some laughs in the beginning....but then it just fell apart.

I guess I take things far too seriously. But since art is my career and life, I do take it seriously....more seriously than those bozos in the movie.

[Republicanprofessor]

I'm pinging the college education ping list too.

This is more about art school, but is college level, and maybe this same kind of *^#( goes on in other departments (but I sure hope not).

Let JamesP81, Jalisco555, or me know if you want on or off this ping list.

[Darkwolf377]

My friend who went to RISD will vouch for what your friend says. Oddly enough, back when he went @20 years ago, he says they didn't teach enough about how to present your material--not the scams in your review, but how to get good work into galleries, get jobs, etc. Now he claims they've gone in the opposite direction.

I also know several selling artists. Their stuff is pure garbage. If you, like me, talk about beauty in art you will get eye-rolls and someone will say the word "Bush" within the minute.

[SteveH]

I considered seeing this movie but rented Ghost World instead. My nutshell review of Ghost World is that it's too long and unfocused for the meager content it delivers. Above that,
I found it to be a rather dark and depressing movie despite the humor and satire. It did not motivate me to see Art School Confidential.

[martin_fierro]

Wonder how ol' Bob Ross would've fared in such a place.

[maine-iac7]

I also know several selling artists. Their stuff is pure garbage.

Way back when I was young, I was accepted to the Chicago ARt Institute, but money/family restrictions kept me from going.

I remember one painting then, about 6'x 5', a canvas divided in half, on a diagonal, with one half all white, the other all yellow. The price tag was $5,000 (in the 50's) and the title was "Untitled # 16". Even the artist didn't know what it was - ;o)

As a representative (primarily portrait) artist, I was out of the mainstream - and I could never learn to paint bad enough to be 'in'.

I was fortunate to live for some years in the Berkshires and had some top nationally known artists to study under = with contact and invaluable critiquing from such as Norman Rockwell, Norman Kent and Robert Brackman.

We used to show in local shows, but our watchword was " If one of your paintings wins a prize, you need to study what's wrong with it!" ;o) We showed simply for the public exposure.

One year in particular, I remember, the first prize went to a purple mess titled "Purple Spaghetti" - now how do you compete with that? ;o)

[Republicanprofessor]

Or Munch himself....

Thanks for the chuckle...

[Darkwolf377]

the title was "Untitled # 16". Even the artist didn't know what it was - ;o)

We could go on about this stuff all day. I recall the 60 Minutes segment on Baquiat, which showed all kinds of art being bought in NYC--a pile of ping-pong balls, for example.

Contemporary art is so far away from communicating to the mainstream public, and the artists DO NOT CARE. ALL the art you see is political in nature, ALL of it hard-left, or it's about someone's menstruation cycle or other garbage like that.

On the other end you have illustration, which is really dying. Each year I pick up the annual Spectrum book of science fiction-themed illustration because there are always a few good pieces in it, but 99% of it is rip-off Frazetta stuff, or CGI futuristic crap with giant weapons.

Art in this country has been so politicized because of the politics of the art school teachers--it can only be combative, or it can be like "Purple Spaghetti"--if you look at it funny you are told you "just don't get it," but I DO get it, it's lazy Pollock rip-off stuff which follows the only aim of artists these days--to shock.

I am lucky to live near Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, where I can still go and look at some beautiful things. I am hugely inspired by art (I write fiction, nothing you'd know though I've sold six pieces of short fiction so far this year) and grab every art book or art website I can for inspiration. It's too bad so much of that inspiration is not from current work.

[Blind Eye Jones]

Are the artists attempting to go so far to the Left that they will come out on the Right -- like going so far to the west the you will end up in the east? It's the nature of the beast to push things to the limits. These may be experiments rather than commitments.

[Darkwolf377]

I haven't seen much eveidence of that. They aren't posing new questions or proposing new ideas, merely illustrating the old bad ones.

[TradicalRC]

If you ever head north a ways to Andover, Ma., the Currier Gallery has some interesting pieces, not to mention the Fogg over in Cambridge.

[TradicalRC]

The Art school I went to had a Great foundational program, unfortunately, they are now defunct.

[turbocat]

I agree with so much of what is said here... and so wish I had hopped on the art ping list sooner!

As a college art major from the early seventies, I am so impassioned by great art, new or classic. And I currently have gotten back into painting myself (as a graphic designer, as we sure couldn't major in Painting, or how could we earn a living??? [no regrets])and now finally am in a gallery.

But recently went to the Met and MOMA in NYC, and gee I have to agree that so much of the new stuff (MOMA or Internet or galleries) is not art in my book. I'm glad it's not just me.

[Republicanprofessor]

The Currier Gallery is actually in Manchester NH, and it is a very nice little museum. One can also visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Zimmerman House through the Currier. It is one of his Usonian houses and is quite fun to visit.

The Fogg is also nice. Also in Mass, but on the western end, is the Sterling and Frances Clark Art Institute which has a fabulous collection (Homer, Sargent, Renoir, Monet, etc., etc.).

If you are in Williamstown to see the Clark, it's only a hop skip and jump to Mass MoCA in North Adams, where you can see contemporary drivel. :)

[retrokitten]

I don't know if you are on the art ping list or not, but pinging you to an interesting discussion on the crap that's called art these days anyway. :-)

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks, will check out the Fogg.

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks, will check out the Fogg.

[Ditter]

I saw this movie, and while I liked it, thought it was funny and true in a lot of respects, the end was so sad. The kid wanted to be a successful artist so badly that we was willing to submit to being the strangler without a whimper. Or he felt so guilty that he had caused the fire that killed all the people that he allowed himself to be punished. I don't know which of those it could be.

I attended art school and in the beginning we certainly were taught how to draw, paint, color theory etc. As we progressed, the instruction ceased and we were expected and encouraged to 'get weird'.

I remember I decided I had been there too long when the class was taken on a field trip to a gallery to see a young artist work. Her work consisted of dead tree branches that held up rubber chickens hug by string. I did not enroll the following semester.

I have continued to paint and I try to do at least one workshop a year with an artist whose work I admire.

[TradicalRC]

Quite right. I was thinking of the Addison Gallery in Andover. Been to the Currier as well. Strange collection: obscure paintings by famous artists.
Been to the Sterling as well. I like their Bouguereau and one of the few Renoirs that I can stand.