A little too over acted and masculine, and too much man on man action for my personal taste. Little Ashes might be seen as a study of what happens when men rely emotionally and intellectually in other men to caress their egos too much. But if you are interested in researching the era and the movement in an art history pursuit, it's an interesting interpretation of the rumored-about relationship between Lorca, Buñuel, and Dalà when they met during their stay at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, Spain. While watching, you should also take into account the political and religious history of Spain, as at the time artists' freedom of speech and expression were being violated by the influence of the Catholic religion over the Spanish government. These restrictions/censorship led to many artists' exiles and massive rebellion in the arts to the point of anarchism -- where the more morally radical the artist the more they were viewed as "vanguard." And although I don't doubt there was a lot of indulgence and experimentation, I also think amongst these creative intellectual "boys clubs" there was a lot of exaggeration and rumoring. Just as there is today. It's been done people! These are new, hopefully more enlightened times...
Michael C. McMillen is a mixed-media artist based in Santa Monica, California, whose installations and sculptures made out of recyclable materials, or as he calls them "the cast-offs of our material society," play around the themes of time, change, and illusion as a means to create what he refers to as "visual spiritual poetry." It's very interesting work with a magic of its own. The two friends I've brought with me to view his work have referred to his pieces as post-apocalyptic. I see it more as a beautiful display of decay. They had a similar eerie effect on me as when I visited a ghost town of the Gold Rush era, here in California, for the first time. Like a glimpse at the ancient ruins of the future. To fully appreciate his installations you really must experience them. You can view his work in person at an upcoming exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California from April 16, 2011 to August 14, 2011, entitled Train of Thought .