The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie preview chronicles local and international painting legend

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Aug. 15, 2024 - PRLog -- NORTHAMPTON, MA  – Director Evan Goodchild of Goodchild Media, a Springfield native, will screen his feature-length directorial debut, The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie, at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA on October 27, 2024. The event brings the artist home to the community in which he spent the last 30 years of his life.

The film explores the groundbreaking work and legacy of American artist Gregory Gillespie (1936 - 2000). Born in New Jersey, Gillespie spent seven years in Italy studying and painting before settling in Western Massachusetts in 1970, where he remained until his untimely death in 2000.  A beloved talent and visionary, Gillespie radically altered the path set for "new realism" painters by "rorschaching" into the mysteries of his own psychological demons while lifting cues from his careful study of Renaissance masters to conjure truly original postmodern masterpieces.

Director Evan Goodchild takes art fans on a riveting journey from Gillespie's sacred studio space in Belchertown, Massachusetts to The Whitney in New York, The Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C., and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, meeting the people who loved him and learned from him. Drawing on archival footage – much of it seen and heard here for the first time – and extensive interviews with former director of The Whitney Adam Weinberg, artist William Beckman, artist and critic Alexi Worth, author A.J. Verdelle, and many more – including local artists Jane Lund (Ashfield, MA), Randall Deihl (Ashfield, MA), Robin Freedenfeld (Northampton, MA) and Scott Prior (Northampton, MA). The Painted Life of Gregory Gillespie investigates Gillespie's breakthroughs in technique and invention over a rarefied career while utilizing the paintings themselves as a portal into the artist's fascinating biography.

The film is executive produced by Eric Brecher and produced by Rick Segal and Robert Kohler, all avid followers of the idiosyncratic late painter. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker and producer, Larry Hott of Florentine Films, is the lead production consultant.

There will be a panel talk with local artists and film participants after the screening. Tickets for the event will be free, with a suggested donation going to local arts nonprofit Common Wealth Murals (https://www.commonwealthmurals.org/about-1), a Springfield-based organization that works with local and international artists to design and create murals with and for the community.