Documentary Growing 1981 — Larry Rivers Download
Before discussing the download, one must understand the subject. Larry Rivers (1923–2002) was a quintessential figure of the New York School. He is often mislabeled as a "Pop Artist" alongside Warhol and Lichtenstein, but Rivers was something rarer: a bridge between Abstract Expressionism and Realism.
By 1981, Rivers was not just an artist but a celebrity. The art market was booming, and the public was hungry for the "dirt" behind the canvases. It was the perfect moment for a documentary that promised to "grow" before your eyes.
Genre: Documentary / Art Film / Avant-Garde Director: Morley Markson Starring: Larry Rivers, Rosa von Praunheim Documentary Growing 1981 Larry Rivers Download
The Premise: The film is a kinetic, often chaotic exploration of the 1960s and 70s art and counterculture scenes in New York City. While titled Growing Up in America, it functions almost like a time capsule. It blends documentary footage with staged, fictionalized scenes. It is not a traditional biography of Larry Rivers; rather, Rivers serves as the central figure, host, and resident "artist" navigating a landscape populated by beatniks, junkies, and avant-garde filmmakers.
Review: This is a fascinating, if disjointed, piece of underground cinema history. Before discussing the download, one must understand the
UbuWeb is a legendary archive of avant-garde film. While they focus on out-of-print materials, Growing occasionally appears on their film page.
By 1981, Rivers had already established a reputation for hybridizing media. His films, often made in collaboration with other artists, reject conventional narrative in favor of associative, sometimes chaotic, montage. Works like The Life of Jesus (1974) and Mendigo (1970) showcase his interest in raw, unpolished reality and the texture of everyday life. Growing fits squarely within this oeuvre: it is not a straightforward instructional gardening video nor a typical nature documentary. Instead, it is a lyrical, impressionistic essay that uses horticultural imagery as a metaphor for human creativity, aging, and sexuality. By 1981, Rivers was not just an artist but a celebrity
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