Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin'

Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin’, released in 2010, allows us to delve deep into the mind of one of the most influential artists of our time, Robert Williams. This documentary film primarily focuses on the life and artistic journey of Robert Williams, a cat's cradle of an artist who bends perceptions and moulds a vision of a subverted American Dream. Directed by Mary C Reese, Doug Blake, Nancye Ferguson, Michael LaFetra, Stephen Nemeth and others, the movie beautifully encapsulates the artist's beliefs, struggles and vision.

Williams has been known for his unique blend of artistic styles. Cultural rebelliousness, high-brow intellectualism, comic expressions, and a certain grotesque grandeur define his signature palette. What he has introduced to the art world has been credited with influencing a generation of artists with a resurgence in surrealistic and illustrator-based artwork.

The narrative kicks off with the exploration of Williams’ early yesteryears in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shedding light on his solitary and misfit nature. The story then transitions to his formative years working in the underground comix scene in the late 1960s. It also explores his tenure as an art director for Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. His work with Roth and time involved with the Zap Collective is once-in-a-lifetime viewing for fans of Williams, underground comics, and the counterculture movement.

In addition to providing compelling insights into his life and work, the film offers an intimate glimpse into Williams’ personal life. His wife, Suzanne Williams, featured prominently, provides illuminating commentary on William’s art, ethos, and the journey she shared with him. There’s a themes of love and partnership weaved through the narrative, providing a humanizing element and depth to the artist's story.

The film also highlights the early creation and evolution of Juxtapoz art magazine, which Williams co-founded, and its stellar part in popularizing ‘lowbrow’ art. This pointedly expressive, detailed, and often surreal illustrative artwork has its roots in non-traditional sources deeply embedded in pop culture, tattooing, comics, hot rod cultures, and other subcultures.

Through the scope of the camera, we get to be a fly on the wall as Williams' vividly pungent, powerful and provocative pictures are created layer by layer. Visual narration is complemented by the artist’s own voice, narrating his path through artistry’s lanes filled with counterculture movements, historic challenges, and sardonic humor.

Impressive interviews from fellow artists such as Ed Ruscha, Robert Crumb, Mat Gleason, and Tony Shafrazi, to name a few, bestow additional depth to the narrative. These interviews are interspersed with Williams’ own reflections, sketches drawn from his life experiences, and clips of a scintillatingly arranged soundtrack that transports us to the era that Williams was so heavily involved in.

Jimmy Brucker makes a stellar appearance, decoding Williams' unique style and the message behind his work. He too, provides a fresh view on the raw, captivating world of Williams’ art. His contribution to the film brings out an unorthodox look into the artist's life and career, probing into his eccentricities and unique wit that shaped his work. His commentary adds another layer to Williams's vibrant, undulating narrative.

Driven by its rich visuals and a fantastic story-line, Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin' is not seen as just another biographical documentary, but rather a celebration of an iconic artist’s life. Even those unfamiliar with Williams prior to the movie will easily get lost in the vivid world of colour, vision, and rebellious spirit that defines his artwork.

Rife with colourful life anecdotes, introspective interviews, and intriguing behind-the-scenes footage of Williams at work, Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin’ provides an up-close and personal journey through William's life. It's a mystical ride through the underground to the mainstream and wades through the stir that Williams’s unique brand of ‘Lowbrow’ art created in the modern world of art.

Overall, Robert Williams Mr. Bitchin' not only encapsulates the multi-layered world of a unique artistic vision but also instills an understanding of the depth, the vibrancy, and the stimulatingly provocative world of such an iconic figure.