Blow-Up (1966)

The life of an artist has become an estranged world. This routine of

isolation and cutting off art as a social affair is obvious in the move Blow Up. The main character moves through one day hunting for constant self-motivation through the lives of others. Although he is interacting, he responds in a distant, crude manner. Previously, artists were seen as intellectuals that would welcome the idea of sitting at the coffee houses and mingle with the city life; however, this movie shows the step by step movements of an individual only seeking quick answers and critics in order to shorten human contact.

The individual being the main focus, we find his actions and the responses of other as if he is a rock star. Never needing to respond more than he wants, getting the girls, and drinking to his heart’s content, the solitary life is turned into a luxurious freedom from the need to be presentable. This new view of the artistic life brought about a change in how an artist sees him/herself, the work, and their process of working.
One intriguing characteristic of our main character is that we never see him in any other state but tired. We realize that in one day he has taken us multiple journeys, yet never slows down. We are constantly bombarded with simple pieces of information that would only seem to make the viewer tired as well. The feeling of being dragged tirelessly through each scenario with our main character, makes us understand why he sweats when he does, why he constantly needs to change his clothing, and why he leans, sits, and slumps so much. Our character conveys the artist’s life as a constant struggle not only emotionally through his work, but physically how he gets there.
If we did not follow the ups and downs in a single day of this man’s life, we would not comprehend the work that goes into a masterpiece. Before, art galleries would just place the masterpieces in front of us and let us move on- no questions asked. Now, we understand the artist as a storyteller without words. The isolated persona can show who they are without confronting the viewer.