statements

English/Japanese

Film screening

SUNDAY: 17 January 2016, 2-4:20pm


Film on Sunday Artist's Choice
The Quince Tree Sun: Chosen by Barry Schwabsky
Auditorium, Bermondsey

The Quince Tree Sun
1992
Directed by Víctor Erice
Running time: 138 minutes

Directed by Victor Erice (Spirit of the Beehive and The South), The Quince Tree Sun (1992) is an enduringly poetic film that follows Spanish artist Antonio López García as he tries to paint a beautiful quince tree in his garden. It's a theme the artist has worked through many times, returning to this subject again and again especially in autumn when he has an enduring need to capture the light amongst its leaves. Erice uses López's patient, painstaking painting from life approach as a basis to explore the whole notion of artistic creation, meticulously capturing his trials and failures as he struggles to overcome weather, fleeting sun and rotting fruit. Full of contextual discussion with his friends, his wife and even the builders at work on his house, The Quince Tree Sun underscores the deep challenge of painting and what it means to make art. A magnificent film that transcends any traditional notion of the 'documentary', it won the Jury prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

Reservation is not necessary, but places are limited. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment.