Jan Cox, a Painter's Odyssey

A mosaic about the life and work of the Flemish painter Jan Cox to whose oeuvre, beside the portraits, his personal interpretations of themes from classical myths and the bible stood central. The painter, highly influenced in his artistic expression by his memories of youth, war-trauma, and strong emotions chose death in 1980. The film, the structure of which is based upon Homerus' Odyssey, consists of twenty-four songs, each in a different key. Personal testimonies, photos, letters, lithos, canvases and parts of already existing film-material are brought together, always in a different style of filming, often combined with fragments of dramatized documentaries. The first eight songs make up the 'Telemacheia' and are a description of Cox' years in Holland and Belgium, from 1919 until 1949. The subsequent seven songs, the 'Odysseia', offer a picture of his travels around and stay in America in the period from 1949 till 1969. 'Nostos' is, again, composed of eight songs that highlight the years between 1969 and 1979. These three large parts make the development tangible that leads to the final singing in which the film makers dwell upon Cox' death. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)