On a short break from my dissertation bubble, I indulged myself in a documentary experience about illustrator / comic book artist R. Crumb entitled "Crumb", directed by Terry Zwigoff, who also did the films "Ghost World" and "Art School Confidential", which are equally brilliant.
The documentary itself centers not only on Robert Crumb, but also his family - his two mentally unstable brothers, in particular. Zwigoff eases into the psychoses of each of the family members, a gradual crescendo that plateaus with Robert's brother Charles admitting his homicidal urges and his brother Maxon apathetically sharing his past of molesting women. With an overall morbid narrative, the film explores the mentality of a fringe society, a look at the darker side of the American experience - the relationship between the sexes, the disfunction of the nuclear family, the deterioration of the human condition, a glimpse into mental illness, all with a side of art world politics and capitalist antipathy.
R Crumb himself is almost disturbingly candid, resulting in a plethora of uncomfortable moments that can either be seen as darkly humorous or incredibly offensive, depending on the audience. I was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that Robert seems quite tame in comparison to his reclusive and (even more) mentally unstable brothers. It has been awhile since I have seen a film that has left me so uneasy, but the overall ugliness of the documentary reflects the often times disturbing themes of R Crumb's work, which, if nothing else, provides a basis for some controversy and the asking of difficult questions about society.
Art critic Robert Hughes, a speaker in the film, pegs R Crumb as "the Brueghel of the last half of the 20th century" due to his bizarre scenes, as well as akin to Daumier for his potent social commentary. R Crumb's work is certainly deliciously controversial, a fact which the documentary superficially explores alongside Crumb's own personal history and artistic motivations. As the film closes, Crumb is moving with his wife and daughter to the south of France, claiming, "France isn't, you know, perfect, or anything, but it's just slightly less evil than the United States." Overall, it remains a perversely fascinating, quintessential portrait of the suffering, twisted artistic-type.
Here is an excerpt from the film, highlighting some of the less controversial moments:
R Crumb's reflections on his work (along with some of my favorite images!):
"I have this hostility toward women, I admit it. It's out in the open. I have to put it out there. Sometimes I think it's a mistake... but somehow revealing that truth about myself is somehow helpful. I hope it is. Maybe I shouldn't be allowed to do it, maybe I should be locked up and my pencils taken away from me."
"My work is full of sweating, nervous uneasiness, which is a big part of me and everybody else. Most people don't want to see that though because it reminds them of inadequate parts of themselves."
"People now don’t have any concept that there was ever a culture outside of this thing that was created to make money. Whatever is the biggest, latest thing, they’re into it. You get disgusted after a while at humanity."
"You must thank the gods for art, those of us who have been fortunate enough to stumble onto this means of venting our craziness, our meanness, our towering disgust . . . "
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