Chillida: The Depth of Air

(Chillida: Lo profundo es el aire)
Juan Barrero | Documentary

2016 | 52 minutes | Spain

A poetic and fast-paced reminiscence of one of the most prominent sculptors of the 20th century.

Biography Visual Arts Urban Studies Culture + Identity Iberian Studies
Synopsis

At the age of 19, Eduardo Chillida (1942-2002) was a gifted athlete set to become a football legend. However, a severe injury during a match saw him move away from professional sport. At the time, nobody except for his life-long partner, Pilar Belzunce, could ever imagine that the young goalkeeper from Hernani was at the verge of re-writing his destiny.

Chillida would die a few decades later as one of the most prominent sculptors of the 20th century.

Lo profundo es el aire is not a conventional biography, but the poetic and fast-paced reminiscence of an unparalleled artist. Chillida’s personality is perpetuated through his work, his eight children, and some of his closest collaborators.

Reviews

“There is always, in Chillida’s sculptures, the sense of a vital living relationship with the space about them. His sculptures clutch at the air, grapple and grab, embrace emptiness and give it a form.” – Adrian Searle, The Guardian

“Working in iron, steel, wood, granite and fired clay, his work also has a strong relationship to the earth, and to the rugged Basque landscape where the Pyrenees meet the Atlantic, a coastline eroded and drawn by the sea.” – Adrian Searle, The Guardian

Citation
Main credits

Barrero, Juan (film director)
Barrero, Juan (screenwriter)

Other credits

Cinematography, Valentín Álvarez; editor, Lupe Pérez; music, Xabier Erkizia.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
injury,personal injury,influence,personal reflection,biography,autobiography,biopic,memoir,life history,bio,biographer,biographical,personal account,personal history,diary,personal narrative,sketch,profile,personal letters,letters,journal,personal record,visual arts,painting,drawing,printmaking,filmmaking,craft,crafts,architecture,ceramics,photography,video,videomaking,film,conceptual art,installation art,art exhibits,artmaking,photos,videography,sculpting,sculpture,theatre,theater,music,musicmaking,music performance,art styles,art history,plastic arts,fine art,fine arts,visual arts centers,visual arts education,jewelry,jewelrymaking,beaux arts,graphic arts,graphic design,abstract art,art galleries,art gallerist,galleries,gallery,gallerist,gallerists,illustration,urban studies,urbanism,community development,communities,urbanization,civic centers,satellite cities,residential areas,gentrification,barrioization,boomtown,bedroom communities,city block,city center,community displacement,white flight,walkability,zoning,housing,incorporated areas,unincorporated areas,suburbs,exurbs,inner cities,inner city,conservation ,culture,identity,identity politics,culture wars,left wing,right wing,intersectionality,identity groups,civilization,literacy,humanism,cancel culture,online culture,cultural revolution,cultural diffusion,culture shock,popular culture,pop culture,material culture,cultural capital,cultural assimilation ,health,healthy,physical health,mental health,emotional health,health equity,public health,health care,health policy,fitness,veracity,welfare,soundness,aging,age,old age,senior,youth,middle age,aging gracefully,advanced age,collective health,maturity; "Chillida: The Depth of Air"; Pragda Films; iberian studies,iberian peninsula,mediterranean,andorra,spain,andorra studies,spanish studies
Clips
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Festivals

San Sebastian International Film Festival

DIRECTOR: Juan Barrero

NATIONALITY: Spain

YEAR: 2016

GENRE: Documentary

LANGUAGE: Spanish; English

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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