Art Colonies in America: The American Impressionists

This enervated documentary traces the history of Impressionism in America by focusing on four artists' colonies popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Cos Cob and Old Lyme in Connecticut; Shinnecock on Long Island, NY; and Laguna Beach in California. Unfortunately, a gathering of artists is not synonymous with a gathering of greatness and many of the paintings presented here are woefully inferior to the masterworks of Impressionist painting found in European art. Filmmaker Albert J. Kallis further complicates matters by offering too-quick glimpses of the art in question—rather than allowing the viewer to contemplate the paintings, he takes a now-you-see-it/now-you-don't slideshow approach (furthermore, the paintings are identified by artist, but not by title or date). The research here is also wobbly: there is no mention of American artist Mary Cassatt's role in the groundbreaking development of Impressionism in Paris, but there is too much of William Merritt Chase, whose work does not fit this school (even the narration concedes he's “not an orthodox Impressionist”). It doesn't help that a series of curators and art scholars talk up the subject by looking directly into the camera and delivering their lines in flat monotones. Disappointing overall, this is not a necessary purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)