Lust for Life - Irving Stone's novel done so well. (Van Gogh) The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone Again. (Michelangelo)

Wish there was a good one about Chagall...

It's been a while since I last saw it, but "Pollock" I remember being very good.

Might be that I have a soft spot for the work, though ... nothing quite like going to MoMA and staring at a wall for a half hour just taking it all in.

Haha, David Bowie's performance as Andy Warhol was surprisingly convincing in "Basquiat."

"The Adventures of Picasso". One of the wackiest movies I've ever seen but also very inspirational to the creative process. Bernard Cribbins as Gertrude Stein. Almost beyond description but this link does a decent job. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078084/

There is an excellent docu-drama about the life of artist Edvard Munch (THE SCREAM) available on DVD. It's a little long but very well done. It's available through several of the online outlets.

I'll pass my thoughts after I see this Dylan flick.

mmmm....I do like Pollack, but I'd have to say in my opinion that Frida is one of the best movies about an artist ever made. Not only is Julie Taymor a genuis, but Salma Hayak was brilliant in the role (much to my surprise). The soundtrack was stunning. Above all else, the way the paintings really became characters themselves and came to life integrated into her larger story...that's the way an artists life and work should be blended together to tell a more complete tale.

Basquiat!(wasn't the movie made by Julian Schnabel, who did "before night falls" ?)

Pollack was a good movie( but reminded me too much of a past miserable relationship with a painter)

I actually didn't like Frida too much. But I agree, that Salma Hayek was great.

I'm a big fan of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Just added MY KID COULD PAINT THAT to my netflix...we'll see.

I agree with the others who said:

Lust for Life - Irving Stone's novel done so well. (Van Gogh) The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone Again. (Michelangelo)

Pollock

Basquiat

Frida

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

I would add to the above a made-for-TV movie I saw a LONG time ago in the late 70s or early 80s. It starred David Carridine as Paul Gauguin. As I said, I saw it a long time ago and have not seen it since so I don't know if it has weathered the test of time well. However, for those times, I thought it presented Gauguin's life and personality well considering it was on broadcast TV.

I almost always prefer documentaries about artists over fictionalized accounts if I want to really learn something. The docs take the time to show the artwork in detail, to talk about the work and its impact in addition to the biography of the person.

I love watching ones I own about Francis Bacon, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst and Andy Warhol.

More recent docs about Henry Darger ("In the Realms of the Unreal") as Ben mentioned and Ray Johnson ("How to Draw a Bunny") stand out. I agree that "Crumb" is really good. David Lynch produced that doc.

But pretty much every well known artist -- and even lesser known ones like Darger and Johnson - have documentaries out there that are easy to find on amazon.com or at the library.

This one is fictional, but I enjoyed "Factory Girl" recently too about Warhol and one of his ill-fated muses, Edie Sedgwick.

No one has mentioned 'Frida' yet. It is perhaps one of the most creative for its unique cinematography. Kahlo's surrealist spirit is captured as the lines between art fantasy and reality are blurred when her still, 'frozen in a dream' paintings come to life before your un suspecting eyes.

I thought Factory Girl was good, but had the potential to be much better.