Philip Pearlstein papers, circa 1940-2008

Series contains video and sound recordings and paper documentation related to the 1985 documentary project . The documentary was initially conceived of as a laserdisc project, using the interactive capabilities and image quality of the then-new laser video technology to create an enhanced instructional video for viewers to experience Pearlstein's process and paintings, and to utilize his teaching to practice drawing figures from Pearlstein's models. Production material found in the collection includes paper documentation, unedited footage on original camera tapes and duplicate editing copies, voiceover original sound recordings and duplicates on video tape, offline edits, and the completed work in two versions. Content includes Pearlstein teaching at Brooklyn College, Pearlstein working with models in his studio, Pearlstein at his retrospective exhibition at the Toledo Museum, live-captured graphics of Pearlstein drawing, and voiceover narration by Philip and Julia Pearlstein. No copies of the completed work in its laser disc version are found in the collection as these were sold off to a distributor before the donation of the material to the archives.

The documentary production used a rare video format called Panasonic Recam (generic format term: M format video) as its original recording medium. The project was likely seen as a good candidate for the M format because of its art subject and the potential for superior color quality. Among the publicity materials in the paper documentation is a photocopy of a 1984 article from VideoPro magazine that provides details of the technical side of the production and the many then state-of-the-art technologies the project incorporated. In a May 9, 1986 public appearance for Artists Talk on Art, Pearlstein describes working with the system and talks about effects like blurring and enlarging and working with color, and describes the laserdisc format as "fun to play with," noting that the "whole image is much sharper."

Unedited footage, found on its M format/VHS tape original form and on duplicate U-matic tapes made for editing, contains substantial footage of Pearlstein working in the studio and teaching, but there is little spoken content in the footage that was not used in the completed work, copies of which are found in the collection in two versions, a long version for distribution and a shorter version made for television. Extensive unedited footage of live computer graphics, another recently developed technology at the time, record Pearlstein generating his artwork directly on the screen. Graphics were shot with Recam video, and five 1" video reels in the collection appear to be duplicates of those tapes made for editing. Two edited excerpts of graphics are found on 1" video reel and U-matic tape, which appear to have been made to accompany lectures about the project.

Offline, or rough, edits of the documentary were made from duplicate U-matic videocassettes, and final edits were produced from original camera tapes directly onto one-inch video reels. The completed work is found in two versions, a long version for distribution and a shorter version for television broadcast. A pair of 1" video reels labeled "submaster reels 1 and 2" are also found, and are likely the closest thing to a master copy of the finished work among the material in the collection.

Audio material includes ¼" reels (10.5" diameter) with voiceover recordings of Pearlstein and his daughter Julia, who was narrator in the documentary, reading from a script. A partial script is found among the related papers in the series. A series of 8 U-matic videocassettes appear to be video dubs of the audio created for editing. Two of the original ¼" reels are not duplicated.