Title from title frames

"The Cardboard Bernini," examines the work and life of artist James Grashow as he spends 4 years building a giant cardboard fountain inspired by the work of the famous Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. James Grashow is an artist who has made-;among many other things-;giant 15 foot tall fighting men, an anthropomorphized city, and an ocean-- using paper mache, fabric, chicken wire and cardboard. More recently, he has begun making sculptures entirely out of corrugated cardboard and twist ties. Several years ago, while visiting the home of his art dealer, Allan Stone (who was also my father), Grashow stumbled across his giant paper mache fighting men that had been put outside due to lack of space. They were disintegrating. Although it was deeply painful and shocking for Jimmy to see his work like that, it was also surprisingly beautiful. Feeling that he hadn't been honest with himself about the full arc of his process, and the inevitable decay of his art, he challenged himself to own the "back end" by building something magnificent that he would install outside to disintegrate. He decided to build a giant cardboard "fountain"-- a Grashow "Bernini." Work on the fountain began in 2007, and was completed in 2011. We follow as Jimmy asks what is the point of art and creation? What is the connection between creation and destruction? And, ultimately, how do we find meaning when we are faced with mortality? "The Cardboard Berniniis a fascinating study of an artist and not just his work, but also the motivations and themes that spur the creation on. I think any artist will find something to relate to in this film, but I also feel that, even though this particular filter is artistic and sculpture oriented, it doesn't mean that the universality of the questions won't be grasped and appreciated by all who draw breath. In that way, this is more than the story of Jimmy Grashow, or of a cardboard fountain scuplture, but of life itself." -By Mark Bell, Film Threat "This documentary is a must for anyone interested in exploring the mind and process of an artist." -Michele Garza, KCET "Chasing virtuosity, the mid-20th Century born illustrator and sculptor, James Grashow, performs a tour de force over the course of 78 breezy minutes of "The Cardboard Bernini." In this engrossing, feel-good artist bio, satisfaction comes in the living space of extended bouts of creativity." -Stryder Simms, Santa Fe Film Festival Winner Best Documentary Art of Brooklyn Film Festival Winner Best Documentary RXSM film Festival Winner Best Documentary Weyauwega Film Festival Winner Best of North Carolina Carolina Film and Video Festival This was previously available via Microcinema

In Process Record

Originally produced by Floating Stone Productions in 2012

Mode of access: World Wide Web

In English