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The Daily OrangeDirector's cut of Winslow Homer film debuts in Syracuse
Filmmaker Steven John Ross worked closely with SU professor on movie
By Madison Schmakel
Posted: 9/4/08, 11:31 PM EST Section: News
Emmy-award winning director Steven John Ross will premiere the director's cut of his latest documentary "Winslow Homer: Society and Solitude" at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse this Saturday. The film focuses on the life and work of American artist Winslow Homer.
The free screening is co-sponsored by Syracuse University's Department of Fine Arts, SUArt Galleries, the Social Art Club of Syracuse and the Everson Museum. After the film, Ross will answer questions from audience members.
The debut takes place in Syracuse because of Professor Emeritus David Tatham, a teacher of history of fine arts for SU Abroad in London and a published author of articles and books about the artist. Ross chose to premiere his latest work in Syracuse because Tatham helped make the documentary.
"David Tatham was a key participant in the film," Ross said. "He is a major authority on Homer in the world. He was more than an interviewee for the film. He was practically a co-producer."
Five art galleries and museums in places like Washington, D.C., Boston and Portland, Ore., showed the film prior to the Syracuse premiere. The movie also premiered overseas at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.
The two-hour documentary was shot in recognizable landscapes that Homer painted, as well as museums displaying his work. The artist had a particular interest in Quebec and the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
"Upper New York state, when you look at the skyline and cities, you can feel the old and the new," Ross said. "There is something about (Homer's) work that is quintessentially American and speaks to the American sensibility."
Ross is a professor of film history and filmmaking at the University of Memphis. His most popular films include "At the River I Stand," about the last crusade of Martin Luther King Jr., and "Black Diamonds, Blue City," narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.
"Individuals will get the personal satisfaction of seeing a terrific film," Tatham said. "And more than that, it may give them some creative ideas of their own, not just in the art of filmmaking."
Ross' documentary is scheduled to air on national television in October.
SU also has plans to highlight Homer's work. SUArt Galleries is organizing a Winslow Homer exhibition, set to premiere next year.
mmschmak@syr.edu
The free screening is co-sponsored by Syracuse University's Department of Fine Arts, SUArt Galleries, the Social Art Club of Syracuse and the Everson Museum. After the film, Ross will answer questions from audience members.
The debut takes place in Syracuse because of Professor Emeritus David Tatham, a teacher of history of fine arts for SU Abroad in London and a published author of articles and books about the artist. Ross chose to premiere his latest work in Syracuse because Tatham helped make the documentary.
"David Tatham was a key participant in the film," Ross said. "He is a major authority on Homer in the world. He was more than an interviewee for the film. He was practically a co-producer."
Five art galleries and museums in places like Washington, D.C., Boston and Portland, Ore., showed the film prior to the Syracuse premiere. The movie also premiered overseas at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.
The two-hour documentary was shot in recognizable landscapes that Homer painted, as well as museums displaying his work. The artist had a particular interest in Quebec and the Adirondack Mountains of New York.
"Upper New York state, when you look at the skyline and cities, you can feel the old and the new," Ross said. "There is something about (Homer's) work that is quintessentially American and speaks to the American sensibility."
Ross is a professor of film history and filmmaking at the University of Memphis. His most popular films include "At the River I Stand," about the last crusade of Martin Luther King Jr., and "Black Diamonds, Blue City," narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.
"Individuals will get the personal satisfaction of seeing a terrific film," Tatham said. "And more than that, it may give them some creative ideas of their own, not just in the art of filmmaking."
Ross' documentary is scheduled to air on national television in October.
SU also has plans to highlight Homer's work. SUArt Galleries is organizing a Winslow Homer exhibition, set to premiere next year.
mmschmak@syr.edu
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