modern painters (1995) 110'

program note

Synopsis: Victorian art critic John Ruskin believes there are seven attributes in a perfect work of art: sacrifice, truth, power, beauty, life, memory and obedience. These concepts are the background for seven scenes from the critic’s life illuminating his relationships with art, his mother, his wife, a young girl and his love of Venice and disgust with the Industrial Age. ”modern painters” is the title of Ruskin’s most famous work, a five-volume study of painting—spanning much of his life—that attempts to describe nature, people, ideas and relationships with intricate formulas.