Hillman Curtis: Artist Series

Within the ‘Hillman Curtis Artist Series’ there are a number of differing vantage points of art, from graphic design to video to installation art. Not every occupation in this series would be thought of as ‘artist’ but it is clear that each person interviewed approaches art in a different way, including Hillman Curtis.

Not only was it a great variation of artists but what was also interesting was the video of the entire series.  Curtis used several techniques while filming the artists and I found myself paying a lot of attention to the perspective of the shots.  Each short film in the series was different, not one was presented in the same way and they each had a different feel.  Even when they visited Pentagram and Stefan Sagmeister twice, each video was very different.  My first thoughts after watching the series was that the videography was a piece of art within itself, and it did not necessarily follow convention, but it worked extremely well for the subject at hand.

The segments on the design firm Pentagram was really interesting  and it was presented from its inception in the 1960s to its current state.  The growth and change of that company was fascinating.  The fact that they also had architects collaborating with graphic designers is a strategy for great work.  The business model Pentagram subscribes to was an enlightening way of looking at things, and I am curious to know if they are happier working in that type of environment, as opposed to a more hierarchical setup.

Milton Glaser has a great perspective because he has been in the design business for so long and he has created so many iconic things.  In the basement of his offices he estimated that he had two or three hundred thousand posters he designed, simply staggering.  At one point in one of the series someone said that graphic designers are artists, and Glaser mentioned that graphic designers are between an artist and a business man, that resonated with me because that seems to be the path this program is leading me to.

Each segment was unique in its own way, but they all came together, in that every artist was expressing their own ideas through their chosen medium.  There are many different ways that art can be manifested and that decision lies in the hands of the creator, the artist.  Not only were these small insights into the minds great artists, but the editing and presentation as a whole was its own work of art.