Velazquez famously painted himself into his portrait of the Spanish royal family, Las Meninas. His point was that art not only "represents" reality, it also "makes" reality. The young Spanish director, Jose Muniain takes up this gesture again in his film An Independent Portrait, which involves at once an interview with the noted filmmaker, Robert Young, and a reprise of scenes from his films; a documentary on the painting of Young's portrait by Felix de la Concha, a rising star in Spanish painting; a stunning musical score by Muniain's collaborator, Barrett Black ; and Muniain's own work as a filmmaker. The rich and complex interplay of perspectives makes this luminous, brilliantly produced film an extremely valuable pedagogic resource for classes on the nature of art and the relation between the artist and his subject in a variety of fields, including Spanish (Latin American Studies), film studies, and fine arts.

John Beverly Professor, Hispanic Languages and Literatures University of Pittsburgh