On January 16, we lost David Lynch, at age 78, just shy of his January 20 birthday. That would be January 20, 1946. Lynch was a Baby Boomer. A child of ’50s America. In other words, paradise was his birthright and the loss of paradise the theme of his artistic meditation throughout his life. He loved the decency and cheer of America, but he knew that that is not enough. His art is forever seeking for the cosmic ground of our humanity.
The best introduction to that reflection is The Elephant Man (1980), partly because it was Lynch’s only “Hollywood” film, partly because it is rare for its insistence on faith. That’s a very unusual concatenation of circumstances. Moreover, it was his first studio picture after his independently produced Eraserhead (1977) made him an artist to look out for in that small world, and so has a freshness that only early works possess.
Read Full Article »
