Art House

The intersection between creative work and living space is explored by filmmaker Don Freeman in this ruminative tour of 11 homes of American artists—designed by the artists themselves and used as working studios that reflected their stylistic approaches in a deeply personal way. The sites range in location from rustic New England to wide-open Arizona, from architect Paolo Soleri's unorthodox desert structures and tile-maker Henry Chapman Mercer's old-fashioned Pennsylvania castle to the Hudson River estate of Frederic Church, which is laid out to resemble his characteristic landscapes, and industrial designer Russel Wright's elaborate gardens. An idiosyncratic but equally revealing chapter centers on Byrdcliffe, the arts-and-crafts colony founded in 1902 near Woodstock, NY. Each segment includes an introductory thumbnail biographical sketch before presenting footage of the locale's exterior and interior in slow tracking shots that are occasionally supplemented by observations from the artists' relatives and friends, as well as comments by scholars. The idea that a person's living space will reflect his individual tastes is hardly one that applies only to painters, sculptors, and architects, of course, but Freeman persuasively suggests that in these cases, the houses that artists made for themselves are as much an expression of their unique vision as their other works, and for that reason are worthy of appreciation (and preservation). Extras include a photo gallery and text bios of the artists and Freeman. Offering a satisfying glimpse of one way in which art and life are inextricably intertwined, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)