the picture palace
  • Medieval Beasties
  • Shop
  • Movies and More
  • Contact
  • Blog

Only in it for the ...

21/6/2011

1 Comment

 
Excruciating puns! Just a quickie this inspired by the BBC's latest attempt to position Fiona Bruce as the twenty-first century's Joan Bakewell ('The thinking man's crumpet' © 'Late Night Line Up some time in the 60s) with added greed. The programme in question is 'Fake or Fortune' the latest in a line of programmes to consider art almost exclusively from a monetary perspective, there's a precis of the story here for those that can't be arsed to sit through the entire thing http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13785393  If you do want to see the whole thing, here it is http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0125bz7/Fake_or_Fortune_Monet/ (UK viewers only I'm afraid, but don't worry if you're in the US it'll probably turn up on BBC America soon). Somewhere in there is a potentially very funny satire on the art world (by which I mean the art business) and its sometimes tangential relation to reality and experience. Unfortunately the programme is presented as a straightforward 'David vs Goliath' struggle, with the plucky Brit outgunned by the beastly, secretive foreigners. Essentially it's a demolition job on the practice of 'connoisseurship' as applied to attributing paintings to particular artists and establishing whether something is actually what it appears to be.

Normally I'd be perfectly happy to go along with this premise, I've no great faith in the idea of connoisseurship and no sympathy at all with those who practise it behind closed doors for financial purposes. In this case however I'm prepared to make an exception because from the start, the programme fails to address one simple glaring fact and continues to ignore it throughout. Namely, that the 'Monet' in question looks nothing like a Monet.

And ultimately this is its undoing. David's painting (yes, his name is indeed David, and how fortunate for the producers to have a protagonist who looks and sounds like a straight Christopher Isherwood), Monet or not, is quite simply not Monet-like enough for the Parisiens of the Wildenstein Institute, self-appointed keepers of the Monet flame (and associated marketing opportunities). Which of course opens up a whole range of questions that are not addressed by the outraged Fiona and her ever so English cohorts.

Next week, a bit of a kerfuffle over a 'Winslow Homer' including (after Cairo this week) a probably superfluous trip to the Bahamas. For a programme that's so keen on digital technologies they don't seem to put much faith in email! Anyway 7.00pm Sunday BBC1, I might have a look if it doesn't clash with the cricket.
1 Comment

    Dave Evans

    Work in progress and other stuff that happens.

    View my profile on LinkedIn
    Tweet
    The picture palace

    Promote your Page too

    Archives

    March 2016
    April 2015
    February 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Medieval Beasties
  • Shop
  • Movies and More
  • Contact
  • Blog