A disciple of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac, and friends with leftist poets Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs, the bizarre production allows Condo to ramble on and on about art, society and culture. Very often this diatribe becomes unclear, even confusing for the listener. We see the painter struggling with a new work, one he calls Big Red. This gnome-like cartoon figure looks like a cross between a troll doll and a bebop saxophonist. What it signifies is probably clearer to those who consider a Campbell’s soup can high art than it was for me. Although the film successfully showcases the creative process the artist goes through, I found nothing associated with the man or the final product all that satisfying. It is difficult to assess what is and isn’t art, but surely the ultimate purpose of art should be to uplift the spirit of man. I left the theater positive that I would have appreciated a tour of a museum far more. Or, perhaps, an evening of Looney Tunes.
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