A review of the film F. SCOTT HESS: A RELUCTANT REALIST
by Jerry Meyer
The contemporary realist allegorical figure painter [that's a mouthful] F. Scott Hess is sui generis, one of a kind. His carefully hewn work is being widely noticed, exhibited and collected virtually upon completion of each new piece. We are fortunate that the film maker Shirin Bazleh has just released her insightful hour long documentary on Hess and his work, A RELUCTANT REALIST.
William Butler Yeats' poem "Among School Children" concludes by posing the conundrum "How can we know the dancer from the dance?" What is the relation between the artist and the art? Psychologically and historically savvy Bazleh appreciates that this unanswerable question is at the core of her F. Scott Hess documentary. Her talent as a filmmaker and her passion for Hess's work makes for an expedient reply to Yates' question. Certainly "the dancer and the dance" are inseparable. They each inform the other. Wisely, Bazleh's documentary treats Hess and his work as a whole, as parts of one aesthetic creation. She realizes that he is a master of both illusion and allusion.
Hess as been described "as good as an artist can get." That's a great place to start. He is not a reluctant realist as the catchy and alliterative title of Bazleh's documentary suggests. If anything, Hess is an energetic and extremely motivated artist, whose creations explode with meaning. He's a fantastic realist who thrives on making art. His impeccable skills and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Art have allowed him to explore the relation between artistic representation and reality. Notice the twinkle in his eye when he discusses The Paternal Suit. He is a skilled story teller completely at home inventing and elaborating his own coherent story.
For me the most enjoyable aspect of A RELUCTANT REALIST is visiting and revisiting so much of Scott Hess' work. Bazleh knows well how to pan a shot of an artistic creation, taking just enough time for the viewer to appreciate the art and experience how the narrative of the film enriches and enhances what we see. Once more it's the dancer from the dance .
.