The art of cinema can also be the cinema of art: movies made about art and artists. This course will focus on the last 60 years of American art seen through films and videos produced up to the present time. Analysis of the wide range of filmic approaches will contrast biographical dramas, including Pollock and Basquiat with documentaries such as Painters Painting, experimental narratives like Wild Style, and other films on artists that include Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Leon Golub, Robert Crumb, Cindy Sherman and Kiki Smith. The primary focus will be on the evolution of art and artists' studio practices in contemporary American art. The course will combine film and video screenings, lectures and discussions, as well as writing assignments on artists and film.