‘The salt of the earth’, Win Wenders

We will start with two documentaries about photography. On the one hand, ‘The salt of the earth’, by Win Wenders, filmmaker, playwright, actor, photographer and director of other documentaries such as the one about Pina Bausch. `The salt of the earth’, 2004, approaches Sebastião Salgado´s life and work, and his humanistic photography to reflect the poverty, violence or environmental problems. On the other hand, we will mention ‘Finding Vivian Maier’, 2013, a documentary directed by Charlie Siskel and John Maloof, that reveals the self-taught photographer´s biography and how her legacy was discovered.

“Finding Vivian Maier”, Charlie Siskel and John Maloof

We travel from photography to urban art, highlighting ‘Writers: 20 ans de Graffiti à Paris’, a documentary from 2004, directed by Marc-Aurèle, essential to understand the world of graffiti. And the older ‘Style wars’, from 1983, directed by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver, reveals us the graffiti linked to Hip-Hop and artistic urban practises that emerged in the heart of New York.

 “Style Wars”, Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver

A documentary that relates us to functional diversity and its connection with art is ‘What's under your hat?’ (2006), by Lola Barrera and Iñaki Peñafiel. It describes, through her twin sister, the life and work of the north american sculptor with Down's syndrome and deafness Judith Scott, and about how the artistic practise strengthened her communicative abilities.

‘What's under your hat?’, Lola Barrera and Iñaki Peñafiel

'La Belle Noiseuse’ (1991), by Jacques Rivette, reflects through the relationship between a painter and her model, about reality and its representation, about creative passion and its frustrations. It was inspired by the Balzac´s novel ‘The Unknown Masterpiece’ and obtained the ‘Grand Jury Prize’ in Cannes Festival.

'La Belle Noiseuse’, by Jacques Rivette

Having passed through photography, urban art, sculpture and painting, we reach the Land Art, with ‘Rivers and Tides’ (2001), a beautiful documentary in which the artist Andy Goldsworthy submerges himself into nature to create with her his poetic and ephemeral sculptures.

‘Rivers and Tides’, Thomas Riedelsheimer

We will finally recommend a classic for those that have not seen it yet. It is ‘The Sun of the Quince’ (1992), by Víctor Erice, in which the renowned hyperrealistic artist Antonio López tell us his ideas about artistic creation in general and his particular creative process, through the elaboration of a quince´s painting.

‘The Sun of the Quince’, de Víctor Erice

This brief selection goes through several artistic disciplines, which would allows us to choose the one we prefer in order to learn and enjoy.