Born in 1884, Mike Meyers, an odd man, a loner, by anyone's description, was born in Indiana and moved to Ozark mountain town, Heber Springs, Arkansas. Meyers, thinking his surname meant farmer in German, and wanting to distance himself from his family and their agrarian roots, reinvented himself as Mike Disfarmer with a legal name change.
In Heber Springs, Disfarmer was a "penny portrait" photographer from 1939-1959, the depression-era and into World War II. After his death, a cadre of stark black and white prints and over 3000 glass plate negatives of the poor, rural, Caucasian population in his town survived him.
This quirky, intriguing movie by filmmaker Martin Lavut of Toronto includes interviews with art collectors, critics, and gallery owners who anointed the oddball photographer Disfarmer as an American master and artistic genius, and chronicles his tremendous effect on the Manhattan art world that led to books of his work, exhibitions, hair-raising prices for pieces from his portfolio, and inclusion in collections of the New York Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Arkansas Arts Center and the International Center of Photography in New York.
Some critics laud the black painter's tape that forms horizontal and verical Mondrian-type lines on the background of many of Disfarmer's photos, which adds dimension to the compositions. Was this the sign of a sloppy artist who didn't care, or a meticulous auteur? Little is known about Disfarmer, a reclusive character, therefore the mystery about him remains.
Folks in his hometown marvel at how their private family portraits came to be worth so much. Some of interviewees recall awkwardly long sessions in which a bell rang before the click of the camera, causing the startled looks on the children's faces, and even those of many of the adults.
The film includes music of the era performed by Bill Frisell, and shot after shot of Mike Disfarmer's work. It is hard to look away from the snap captures of these raw expressions.
I recommend this documentary.
