Last evening I had the great pleasure of watching another episode of Simon Schama's magnificent series,
The Power of Art.
The epsiode I watched was "Wheat Field with Crows" and it centred around the life of Vincent van Gogh and what led up to the creation of this masterpiece.
The Power of Art.
The epsiode I watched was "Wheat Field with Crows" and it centred around the life of Vincent van Gogh and what led up to the creation of this masterpiece.
I must confess my knowledge of van Gogh, to this point, had been quite simplistic. I hadn't realized, for example, that he did not begin painting until he was in his late twenties. Before then, he had been a failed preacher. He turned to painting as a new way to evangelize. How extraordinary...
A good part of what made Simon Schmarr’s episode about van Gogh so extraordinary was the exceptional portrayal of van Gogh by actor Andy Serkis. He appears in a series of vignettes where he captures the artist’s passion and torment magnificently. It is one of those perfect casting choices which leaves you thinking no one else could possibly have played the role. Serkis’s performance makes the work of Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life seem like a cartoon by comparison.
Not surprisingly, I decided I must learn more about Serkis and his work. How dumbfounded I was to learn I had already seen several of his performances. Serkis is Gollum in “Lord of the Rings”, also Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Most recently, he played Capt. Haddock in “The Adventures of Tintin”.
Serkis seems to have made a specialty of “performance capture” where his physical actions and voice are converted into animated characters. Obviously, he is a master of this new art which is a mixed blessing to fans, I would have to say. Judging by his portrayal of van Gogh, I would very much like to see more of Serkis, as is, playing real-life characters. A wonderful actor, animated or not.
Not surprisingly, I decided I must learn more about Serkis and his work. How dumbfounded I was to learn I had already seen several of his performances. Serkis is Gollum in “Lord of the Rings”, also Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Most recently, he played Capt. Haddock in “The Adventures of Tintin”.
Serkis seems to have made a specialty of “performance capture” where his physical actions and voice are converted into animated characters. Obviously, he is a master of this new art which is a mixed blessing to fans, I would have to say. Judging by his portrayal of van Gogh, I would very much like to see more of Serkis, as is, playing real-life characters. A wonderful actor, animated or not.
Schama & Serkis (as van Gogh)
