Whiteley
Opens:May 11
Genre:Art documentary
Duration:94 minutes
★★★★✩Aussie art documentary delivers
a great deal of the full WhiteleyEven those not well-acquainted
with the art of the late Brett
Whiteley are likely to know the
legend–thatofacometthat
burned brightly through the
artworld,unleashingaself-
destructivetailwindthatcaught
up not only himself but his
loved ones. This already potent
story, both inspiring and sad,
was refracted to most ordinary
citizens through the distorting
lens of the Australian media,
where prurience and moralising
were free to do their dirty work.
Among the minimum
requirements for a documentary
on Whiteley is the need topresentavividandtruthful
accountoftheartist’slife
bolstered by honest reminiscence
and insightful commentary
from those close to him, such
as his long-time partner Wendy
Whiteley and his sister Frannie
Hopkirk, as well as the key
art world professionals who
recognised his talent.
To avoid hagiography, you’d
want the film to be honest about
hisfailingsaswellashispersonal
strengths and artistic powers, to
be upfront about his alcohol and
heroin abuse and their effect on
himselfandthosearoundhim- but crucially without falling
intothetwinperilsofeither
sensationalism or myth-making.
Of course, it would be
mandatory to feature lots of his
paintings – easy to represent on
film – but not presented dutifully,
ratherorganisedsoastoreflect
and bolster the narrative thread
and key themes, and presented
so persuasively that newcomers
to his art would be impressed
and old admirers inspired to
return to the work.
James Bogle’s film not only
satisfies the above conditions
butdoessowithgreatpanache;
itsenergysucksintheviewer
from the opening, a fast-moving
montage of self-portraits. From
this introduction, it dives back to
Whiteley’s childhood at a rural
boarding school, where he turned
to art as a way of dealing with his
alienation and made the revelatory
chancediscoveryofVanGogh
viaabookhefoundonachurch
floor, inspiring him to make the
creation of art his life’s work.
From here the story moves
toartschoolandarapid
professional rise, including
sojourns in France, London and
NewYorkandatriumphant
return to Australia, where he
painted some of his most iconic
images of Sydney Harbour,but also descended into a
maelstrom of self-destruction.
The voice of Brett is a constant
on the soundtrack – either in film
and audio recordings or spoken
by an actor from letters and print
interviews, though like so many
artists, he was not especially
good at translating the whirlpool
of images and ideas inside his
head into words that others
might readily understand.
Also ever-present is his muse
andex-wifeWendy,whosefleshy
presence was a key influence
on his artistic fascination with
the female form. That they were
bound together in a destructive
net of co-dependency, despite
their affairs (mainly his), is made
abundantly clear. All credit
toBoglethenforwalkingthe
tightrope so confidently.
This is a major documentary
that deserves to be seen by
anyone in Australia with even a
passing interest in art.Whiteley96 LIMELIGHT MAY 2017 http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au
OPANORAMA[ FILM ] ...with Lynden Barber