Painters Painting

This film, for me, was less about getting to know the styles of abstract expressionism, color field, and others mentioned, but more about getting to know the personalities of the artists behind the paintings. Based on their individual interviews, I ended up gaining greater appreciation for certain artists and losing respect for others.
I very much appreciated the way that most of the artists carried themselves in a very dignified manner, spoke directly from the heart (excuse the cliché), and most importantly gave good reason for the art they created. Some artists, like Johns and Rauschenberg, seemed to just want to see how far they could push the concept of art and media used to create it (like Marcel Duchamp). I liked hearing their very innocent ways of thinking because they didn't try to create some deep, convoluted meaning behind the work, but they still succeeded in creating thought-provoking pieces. I loved Johns' pieces before seeing this, and now I love them even more knowing the savvy artist behind them. On the other hand, it was quite irritating how Warhol wanted to make art commercial, because in my mind, that carries the notion that he wanted to devalue the artist, making us seem like selfish, money-nabbing hippies instead of true innovators. I used to have a lot of respect for him, and while I still love Warhol's works, I cannot help but dislike his attitude and "artist persona."
I don't make a habit of trying to make more meaning out of what the physical piece presents, so it was relieving to know that some of these artists didn't have any specific meanings in mind either! Knowing that they were similar to me in the aspect certainly made me appreciate abstract expressionism more than I had prior to viewing the movie. I suppose that's where the whole idea of "abstract expressionism" came from, but I hadn't realized the true meaning of the phrase until viewing this film last week.