The 1956 documentary movie ↑Le Mystère Picasso by director Henri-Georges Clouzot mediated a new way of experiencing contemporary fine art. For the camera Pablo Picasso painted live on vertically erect canvasses and the painting process was filmed from behind the canvasses, so that the artist himself couldn’t get in the way of the viewer. One of the stunning things to watch is that Picasso does not at all hesitate to paint over things already at the canvas, which the viewer already deems to be perfect. He simply extinguishes beautiful drawings by painting over them in a seemingly blunt fashion. Was it not for the camera’s presence these elements would be lost once and for all—except for Picasso’s mind. This flash-animation of a ↑skeleton coming to life, drawn live [.swf | 7.2KB] very much reminds me of the Mystère. Another example of what kind of experiences, in this case of artistic expression, the ‘new media’ are able to mediate. Some more info at Drawn!.
via entry at boingboing