Belly of an Architect

First, referring back to our first few reading assignments (Plato, Vasari, Nietzsche, "Schematic Structure"), what are some ways in which "Belly of an Architect" constructs a narrative about artists and artistic creation?

Referring back to our first few reading assignments on Plato, Vasari, Nietzshe and “schematic structure” “Belly of an Architect” does not seem to follow schematic structure. The movie’s opening scene is of grown man on a train, this shows that the movie is depicting Kracklite's life in the later stages. The movie does not give us a look at his childhood or how he came to be the way he is, like the movie Frida did. It does not show us his past and the movie also doesn’t give us a glimpse into his plans of the future. The movie gives us a look into his life, with Kracklite’s much younger wife (which is controversial to the Italians) who is expecting a baby. The wife states that she has had many miscarriages and gets ‘anxious’ and that KrackliteIt gets ‘bored or disillusioned’ with his projects and that they can both be charged with unsatisfied undelievery. The movie also tells of his ‘problem’ of indigestion and stomach problems. Although this is not seen as something that contributes to his creative drive of the exhibition it is kind of his downfall, it is nothing in comparison to the true artist’s problem that creates to creativity as depicted in the schematic structure and as seen in movies that we have watched like Pollock or Frida. His stomach becomes almost an obsession and he starts to examine torsos and starts obsessing over his own ailments and problems associated with the stomach.
It focuses on one even in Kracklite’s life, his months of working on the Boullee exhibition in Italy. Rather than examining the entirety of his life. We also see that his wife in the movie serves as his ‘mary’ like we have seen in both Basquiat and Pollock. She also is seen wearing a red robe in the scene and given red flowers, a reference to the Madonna. She states ‘anything for Boullee’ when talking about her support for Kracklite and his exhibition. She is willing to put her husband first rather than herself, she sacrifices for him. This is seen in the movie Pollock when his wife gives up her art to support his career, in Frida where she gives up her life to move around in favor of Riviera’s career, and when Basquiats girlfriend gives up her life to help him. The exhibition also leads to his downfall, but no details about the impact or impression that he left on the world is shown.
There is an element of the artists schematic structure as seen in madness that contributes to his life and maybe creativity. After Kracklite forces his wife to eat a fig, he writes to the dead architect Boullee about his paranoia of his wife trying to kill him. Not only does he make up this event in his head, but he also writes in all capital letters, which we later see as signifying mental instability. Ninety-eight of all inmates write in caps, which is seen as a mental instability.

Next, elaborate on how the film connects gender with creativity. You had some really great insights on that subject in class. The movie does tell us about Kracklite’s love of Boullee, who is also one of his influences.
When relating gender to creativity, the film obviously connects creativity with male genius. Almost all of the people working on the creative parts of the Boullee exhibition are males, and most of the artists and architects in the film are male. The business people that Krackalite interacts with are also all male as well. I do think that there is something to say though about where these men get their influence for their creativity, from the women figures in their lives.