An Artist's Eyes

Half a century after he made Dalí in New York (1965), Jack Bond has produced an inspired insight into the mind of self-taught outsider artist Chris Moon. When not eavesdropping on the self-absorbed chatterati in London and Manhattan, Bond affords Moon the space and time to work in his studios and en plein air while touring Andalucia with photojournalist Ian Morrison. Most of Moon's musings are confined to the soundtrack, as cinematographers Peter Sinclair and Mary-Rose Storey hover at a discreet distance as images of dazzling density and originality emerge from a process that has evolved to allow mistakes and accidents to play their part in realising Moon's vision. The contrasts between the woods near Moon's Essex home, the snowy streets of SoHo and the sun-scorched vistas of southern Spain are every bit as painterly as the artist's own canvases. Thus, while a little more biographical detail would have been welcome, this is a riveting sketch by a master of the form.