Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018)

“The Greatest Artist You’ve Never Heard Of.” A fascinating profile of forgotten Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) directed by Irek Dobrowolski, Struggle effectively portrays both the unappreciated creative genius as well as his frequent megalomaniac tendencies and some disturbing details from his dark past. Over the years, Szukalski developed a theory/mythology that all culture originated from Easter Island. Kudos to art enthusiast Glenn Bray for rediscovering Szukalski in the early 1970s (he was then living a quiet, obscure life in Burbank) and videotaping many interviews with the rather cranky iconoclast. Struggle also features some nice interviews with critically acclaimed artists such as Robert Williams and George DiCaprio (who coproduced the documentary with his son, Leo), who also befriended Szukalski during his later years.    

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