Rockwell Kent

Ohio University professor Frederick Lewis's brilliant documentary illuminates Rockwell Kent's artistic legacy, travels, and tireless social activism. Kent (1882-1971) was one of America's most recognized visual artists during the middle decades of the 20th century. A prolific painter collected by major museums, he was also an innovative muralist and a groundbreaking illustrator of classic books such as Moby Dick and Candide. Extensive travels inspired his landscape imagery and took him to Greenland, Russia, Newfoundland, Alaska, Ireland, and Tierra del Fuego. His activism extended to a headline-making battle with the U.S. government, which seized his passport at the height of the Cold War because of his political affiliations. Beyond providing a comprehensive view of Kent's enormous artistic achievement, the film offers an inspiring portrait of an individual who believed that dissent was vital to the health of the republic. (170 mins., with a ten-minute intermission, video)


additional caption info
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Rockwell Kent
Starlight, 1930
Wood engraving
5 5/16 x 6 7/8
Image courtesy Plattsburgh State Art Museum, Rockwell Kent Gallery and Collection