"Magee’s realization is that the purpose of art is to prompt us to be attentive to the world around us and to the human story we share" From an interview with author Barry Lopez

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The Film

Best known for his captivating and beautiful realist paintings, artist Alan Magee also creates works that delve into the darkest aspects of human nature. Magee’s arresting images which comment on corporate greed, on cruelty and gun violence, and on civilian and military victims of war seem at odds with his exquisite and serene paintings of nature and found objects. But when one begins to understand the visual language and the common themes that link the two sides of the artist’s work, one recognizes that these dual realms are inseparably interwoven, and that it is essential to embrace both if we are to understand ourselves. As Barry Lopez observes,“[Alan] wants you to be attentive to the world around you, and being attentive to the world around you means you can’t just stare at what is conventionally beautiful. You must look at the whole panorama... Alan is not obsessed with darkness, but he is aware of darkness, and how darkness informs the light.”

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This film takes the viewer on a breathtaking visual journey—an exploration of the artist’s recurring subjects, locales, and the historical sources which have sustained his passion for five decades. Through his paintings, sculpture, monotypes, music, and short films Magee invites viewers to travel with him through the veiled recesses of human experience—and back into the affirming light of day.

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Through this film, Director David Wright hopes to inspire people in all disciplines, especially the young, to bring their gifts and aptitudes to bear on the multiple crises that threaten our common future.

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From the wild coast of Maine to the streets of Berlin, the film features long-time friends and collaborators such as world-renowned author Barry Lopez, Berlin-based classical cellist Frank Dodge, California artist and art historian Joseph Goldyne, and artist Robert Shetterly, creator of the Americans Who Tell the Truth project. The film is shot in cinema quality (4K)—conveying the subtlety of Magee’s artwork to the cinema screen.