Tim's Vermeer

It’s a natural progression for Penn and Teller to jump from the short documentary format of “Bullshit” into feature length docs. Directed by Teller and Produced and narrated by Penn, they take an in-depth and fascinating look at a seemingly ordinary dude, Tim Jenison, who wants to paint a painting like the Dutch Master, Vermeer. Tim thinks he may have decoded a special method of painting, one which Vermeer may have used, that would result in the most photorealistic art of the era. The time and dedication Tim takes to work on his hobby/painting is both inspired and tedious. How did the Dutch masters do it? But the point is, Tim, who often refers to himself as neither “an artist nor a painter” is in fact, both of those things. So are we what we create? Or are we what compels us? A fascinating doc that asks a lot of worthwhile questions about art and artists.