48 | GREENVILLE JOURNAL | 04.15.2016 | CULTURE
Page Turners
Must-See Movies
The art of the con Exploring the minds and motivations of expert art forgers What motivates a talented artist to become a forger? Is it simple greed? Or is it something deeper, perhaps more odious? Forgery is a process not just of imitation but also of deception. Over the centuries many artists have honed their skills by studying and copying the paintings of the old masters. For the forger, however, the thrill goes beyond achieving an impeccable likeness; it’s the art of the con, the abiity to manipulate and dupe others. In “The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegren,” writer and art historian Jonathan Lopez explores the life of Han van Meegeren, one of the 20th century’s most notorious forgers. Lopez, a well-respected author known for a wide range of publications, has a unique gift for turning meticulous research into compelling narrative. His awardwinning van Meegeren biography is a perfect example. To gather material for the work, Lopez spent three years crisscrossing Europe, researching archival documents and interviewing the descendants of those who knew van Meegeren and his cohorts in crime. Although the finished work is indeed brilliantly detailed and welldocumented, it is the psychological intrigue, the twists and turns of the narrative, and the gallery of notorious characters that makes this book such a good read. From the rise of Hitler’s Nationalists Socialist party through the collapse of the Reich and the discovery of a van Meegeren forgery among Herman Goering’s belongings, this book will keep you turning the page. For a broad historical overview you can also check out “The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives, and Methods of Master Forgers” by Noah Charney. Charney’s work provides an intriguing glimpse into the criminal minds that have (over centuries) populated this “white collar underworld.” Come meet and hear author Jonathan Lopez on Thursday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hughes Main Library. He will present a special evening lecture on his book at the invitation of the Museum & Gallery at Heritage Green in conjunction with their current exhibition, “The Art of Sleuthing,” where a Vermeer forgery, quite possibly by Han van Meegeren, is on loan from the National Gallery of Art. Admission is free to the lecture. Reviewed by Donnalynn Hess, director of education of the Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University and at Heritage Green
By Eric Rogers
Directors, great actors plumb the depths of mental illness Mental illness offers a lot of subject matter for Hollywood movies, but it’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s estimated that one in five American adults suffer from some form of mental illness. Here are a couple of that take the topic quite seriously. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” Directed by Milos Forman | 1975
This film was made by the director of “Amadeus,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “Man on the Moon.” It won numerous awards, including the Academy and Golden Globe awards for best picture, best director, best actor and best actress. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a criminal named McMurphy, who is sent to a mental institution. He’s convinced he’s pulled one over on the system by faking his mental instability. McMurphy’s nemesis, Nurse Ratched, seems to be as unaware of her own mental deficiencies as McMurphy is of his. The book upon which the film was based, written by Ken Kesey, has been very controversial and has even been banned in some school districts. That alone makes this a must-see movie.
“A Beautiful Mind” Directed by Ron Howard | 2001 In game theory there is something known as the Nash Equilibrium, which involves two people who want the same thing. If they each choose to work together, then both win equally but they win smaller proportions of the prize. If one chooses to take advantage of the other, that person will win the entire prize, while the other will lose everything. If both decide to take advantage of the other, both lose everything. Neither person knows for certain what the other will do, so each must decide which is the best choice. This is often used in economics and political science to predict human behavior. The Nash Equilibrium was named after Princeton mathematician John Nash, a Nobel laureate in economics who was the subject of this Ron Howard film starring Russell Crowe as Nash. Although Nash was a genius who contributed a great deal in the areas of game theory, artificial intelligence, economics and differential geometry, he also suffered from paranoid-schizophrenia. Ron Howard paints a beautiful picture of this amazing man’s life, showing both his brilliance and his struggle with mental health. This film also won Academy Awards for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay. Since Nash died last year in a car crash, it might be a good time to catch this film on Amazon or iTunes.
Eric Rogers has been teaching filmmaking at The Greenville Fine Arts Center since 1994.
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