Jokel film gives a fuller picture of Larry Rivers

Viewing an art exhibit is one thing. Watching the artist reveal his thoughts and opinions about his art and everything else is another type of experience. And anyone craving a deeper experience into the artwork of Larry Rivers is in luck: Coinciding with the exhibition “Larry Rivers: Major Early Works” at Guild Hall will be two screenings of the documentary, “Larry Rivers: Public and Private.”

The documentary is offers rare insights because it was created by a longtime friend, Lana Jokel of Bridgehampton. The pair met in the mid-1970s while Ms. Jokel was editing a documentary in Southampton on Andy Warhol. Ms. Jokel and Mr. Rivers bonded during a joint filming session with Willem de Kooning. Mr. Rivers agreed to provide the introduction between Ms. Jokel and de Kooning with a stipulation: He was going to film, too.

Ms. Jokel took it in stride and figured. “Why not?” she said in a recent interview. The session turned out to be successful and fun with Mr. Rivers using his new gadget: a hand-held video camera. Ms. Jokel used her 16mm movie camera and captured the interview with a primitive tape recorder so as not to rock the boat. Nearly 20 years later, Ms. Jokel directed her camera on Mr. Rivers. She was determined to capture the forces, personality, idiosyncrasies, contradictions and utter freedom that made Larry Rivers Larry Rivers.

The film has been lauded for the intimate look it takes at the artist and jazz musician. One of the reasons for its success was the longtime friendship between Ms. Jokel and Rivers. This meant he answered the probing questions asked and went a step further.

“Larry was always amusing,” Ms. Jokel said. “It was a wonderful friendship.”

Ms. Jokel filmed Mr. Rivers for around nine months in Southampton, Manhattan and Palm Beach. The film was timed to an impending show at the Marlborough Gallery in New York. In the film, he re-creates the process of transforming paintings into three-dimensional painted sculptural works using foam core.

Entwined with footage of Mr. Rivers are interviews and snatches of interactions with his art dealer, Pierre Leval, art historian and critic Sam Hunter, and poet and playwright Arnold Weinstein, who co-authored Mr. Rivers’s autobiography, “What Did I Do?” The film also entwines interviews with the artist’s ex-wife, Clarice, his children and others. There are historic photographs of his family and images of things that inspired his artwork. There was so much successful footage that Ms. Jokel decided to expand the film from the planned 60 minutes to 90 minutes.

For Ms. Jokel, the documentary is a successful one because it reveals the man and his contradictions. While known as a frugal man, he was also generous, Ms. Jokel said. If he was vengeful, he was also kind.

“He had so many different sides that no one ever got to see all of them,” Ms. Jokel said. “He was totally adventurous and wanted to try everything. He was always just himself. No bullshit, no excuses.”

“Larry Rivers Public and Private” premiered in 1992 at the Marlborough Gallery in Manhattan. It has been screened at the Museum of Modern Art, at the Hamptons Film Festival, Guild Hall and other venues.

Ms. Jokel has documented contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, Claes Oldenburg and Isamu Noguchi. She also produced a documentary on contemporary Chinese artists that was screened at Guild Hall. Ms. Jokel began her career working for documentarians Leacock and Pennebaker and subsequently edited Norman Mailer’s films, “Beyond the Law” and “Maidstone.”

“Larry Rivers: Public and Private” was slated for three screenings at Guild Hall. The first was held on Saturday. Screenings will also be held at 3 p.m. on September 13 and October 11.

A second film, “Pull My Daisy,” also accompanies the Larry Rivers exhibition. Mr. Rivers appears in the film made in 1959. “Pull My Daisy” was written and narrated by Jack Kerouac with original music by David Amram. The film was inspired by a scene in the lives of Neal Cassady and his wife, Carolyn, and was inspired by a scene from a play, “Beat Generation.”

“Pull My Daisy” was lauded for its raw improvisation until it was revealed the film was actually carefully rehearsed and staged. “Pull My Daisy” was screened at Guild Hall on Sunday. It will be shown again at 3 p.m. on September 14 and October 12.

“Larry Rivers: Major Early Works” will remain on view at Guild Hall through October 19. Other upcoming programs include a gallery talk with Guild Hall curator Christina Mossaides Strassfield on Saturday at 3 p.m. A lecture, “Larry Rivers: Life into Art” by Helen A. Harrison, will be offered on September 27 at 3 p.m. For additional information, call 324-0806.