Zeitgeist Films

4th November 2011

Some people in the Zeitgeist office escaped from their desks long enough to see Almodóvar’s newest flick, La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In), this past week… and were pleasantly surprised to see part of this clip from Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine (as well as other images of Bourgeois’ work) featured in the film!

According to Wikipedia, Louise Bourgeois is “recognized today as the founder of confessional art.” Her sculptures are fascinating depictions of the betrayal and distress she felt upon discovering that her father was having an affair with Bourgeois’ English governess. Just as fascinating as the work itself is watching the filmmakers (Marion Cajori and Amei Wallach) of the Louise Bourgeois documentary coax her to speak about her work and herself. 

Bourgeois certainly had a lot to say; just not so much about herself. We picked out some of our favorite quotes from the film (The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine, not La Piel Que Habito): 

“This desire to be likable, it is really a pain in the neck. How are you going to be yourself and be likable?”

“The purpose of sculpture is really self-knowledge.”

“A lot of people are so obsessed by the past that they die of it.”

Cited as a major source of inspiration for many of today’s most well-known sculptors and artists (she was the first woman to receive a major retrospective at MoMA), Louise Bourgeois passed away just last year - she was almost 99. Before she died, she also became an advocate for the LGBT equality movement. We like this quote from her: “Everyone should have the right to marry. To make a commitment to love someone forever is a beautiful thing.”

Almodóvar’s work is more about obsession than love (please let’s not argue about this), but for a deeper understanding of his latest, definitely give Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine a look.