Cumulatively [Johnson's] collages, letters and performances -- and his legend -- compose a self-portrait of striking wryness and complexity.
How to Draw A Bunny (2002)
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:21
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.9/10
Theatrical Release:Oct 9, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: This entertaining documentary by John Walter retraces the path of New York artist Ray Johnson, who worked in collage, mail art, and other Dadaist notions. Here, some of his friends and artistic... This entertaining documentary by John Walter retraces the path of New York artist Ray Johnson, who worked in collage, mail art, and other Dadaist notions. Here, some of his friends and artistic colleagues, such as Chuck Close, Richard Feigen, James Rosenquist, and Christo tell their stories of the late Johnson, who died unexpectedly in 1995. The film starts and ends with Johnson's death, as described by the Sag Harbor, Long Island policeman who conducted the investigation. Both the policeman and Johnson's friends agree that his drowning seemed to be premeditated and intentional, while fellow artists saw his death as the crowning performance of his artistic career. In stories told by his colleagues, Johnson is described as a total enigma. Everybody knew him, but nobody knew him well. He kept a distance from everybody and everything and that added to his mystique. To many of his friends, even this was part of his art. Fascinating and hilarious stories of his performances, his collage works, his process of selling art, and his uniquely strange approach to living life color the film with bright and interesting comedy. Meanwhile Johnson's art is given a long-awaited platform in the film, showing his prolific and influential body of work, most of which was not seen until after his death. [More]
Starring: Ray Johnson, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina
Starring: Ray Johnson, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina
Director: John Walter
Director: John Walter
Producer: Andrew Moore
Composer: Max Roach
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Reviews for How to Draw A Bunny
If you have any interest in Raymond Johnson and his pop art, maybe you, too, will learn How to Draw a Bunny.
Director/editor John W. Walter takes Johnson's own approach, piecing together individual reflections on the man to create a portrait of an artist
In the end, you may not know Ray Johnson any better than his friends - you know stories, but not what motivated him to do what he did... Still, an interesting portrait.
One of the pleasures in Walter's documentary ... is the parade of veteran painters, confounded dealers, and miscellaneous bohos who expound upon the subject's mysterious personality without ever explaining him.
A not-always-engaging look at the strange life of Pop artist Ray Johnson.
This enthralling documentary ... is at once playful and haunting, an in-depth portrait of an iconoclastic artist who was fundamentally unknowable even to his closest friends.
A coherent statement of mystery at the beginning and a resolution of that mystery at the end don't make up for the general repetition and tedium in between.
Walter assembles a fascinating portrait of the influential, if largely unsung, artist as constant performer.
a unique and fascinating look into the life of a unique and fascinating individual
As rewarding a 90 minutes as you can devote to a subject who did his best to remain eternally unknowable.
Simply put, Ray Johnson was neither good nor original. All that he did in his 'art' was done before and better by others. That the same can be said of his documentarian's film may be a small synchronicity, but that's all it is. What it is not is art.
Serves as worthy tribute to a true original, an 'artist's artist' for whom life itself was a singular mode of expression.
How do you make a movie about the most famous unknown artist in the world?
Worth seeing, especially for anyone interested in American art history.
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| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
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