Seen: July 24th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 7
I was exposed to a lot of art as a kid. My mom was a docent at the art museum and participated in an art outreach program in our public schools. I knew who Pollock was at an early age.
Teri Horton didn't.
Teri Horton bought a large painting at a thrift store for five dollars. Turns out that that painting was rendered in Pollock's rather distinctive style. Horton believes it is a Pollock, and over several years, has accumulated associates who agree and some evidence that's fairly objective and convincing.
The film is about her journey to have the painting authenticated. Moreover, it's about a former truckdriver, with an eighth-grade education engaged in a battle of will with the art world elite experts. It's salt of the earth vs. snobbery, and it plays pretty well.
The film itself feels more journalistic than documentary. It plays a bit like a TV news piece, one you might see on an investigative news show. But I'm willing to fogive that to some degree because of the nature of the tale. Teri's story is very appropriately told in a straight forward, unembellished fashion.
The arc of the film is very interesting. While it retains its objectivity well, it paints a very interesting view of Teri.
In the beginning, we see her only as a scavenger and truck driver. It's hard to imagine that her claims are serious and that she's trying to do more than make a quick buck and perhaps get her fifteen minutes in. Teri doesn't change over the course of the film, but our skepticism does.
We're shown her diligence and research, how she educated herself about art and the art world by reading and seeking out experts, by asking lots of questions and then processing those answers. Teri may have known nothing about the art business when she bought that painting, but she knows a ton now. The fact that this doesn't change her, or her attitude toward the business, is very refreshing.
Our opinion of the painting also changes. Out own skepticism needs revising as we learn the lengths that Teri and her associates have gone to in order to discover, and they hope, validate the painting's as authenticity. What seems improbable, if not impossible, evolves into something plausible, if not more.
This is no ground breaking documentary. As a film, it's a bit rough and unpolished. But this seems to reflect the story it's here to tell, which is a very interesting one indeed.
The Good: Solid and focused documentary; How truckers start a story
The Bad: Art world code of conduct
The Ugly: Clash of classes
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