The Auteurs #50: David Lynch

If there’s one filmmaker in the late 20th Century whose name is synonymous with the world of surrealism other than Luis Bunuel, it’s David Lynch. A name that has managed to inspire many as well as polarize critics and audiences into his work. With films ranging from the strange and violent to odd tales of Americana, Lynch has been a filmmaker that has continuously refuse to define himself. Even as he would spawn many who imitate his visual style and ideals but Lynch remains mysterious in everything he does while refusing to explain anything about his work. Whether it’s in film, television, music, art, or literature, Lynch is an artist that always keep people guessing and have fun playing with their expectations.

Born on January 20, 1946 in Missoula, Michigan, David Keith Lynch was the first of three children to Donald and Edwina “Sunny” Lynch. Donald Lynch was a member in the Department of Agriculture which would allow him and the family to travel all around the country as it would have a profound effect on the young Lynch. At a young age, Lynch was a member of the Boy Scouts of America where his increasing interest in the world of art got him lots of attention where he would travel to Austria with friend and future collaborator Jack Fisk to study under the guidance of Oskar Kokoschka which was only brief due to Kokoschka’s absence.

In 1964 at the age of 18, Lynch would briefly attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where his roommate was future J. Geils Band vocalist Peter Wolf. The experience at the school would prompt Lynch to find a more fruitful education at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts where Fisk was attending as he would become a prominent art director and production designer where he would gain fame for his work with Terrence Malick. In Philadelphia, Lynch would find inspiration in his work while his own personal life was in an upswing as he would marry Peggy Reavey in 1967 and gain a daughter in Jennifer a year later.

More can be read in Cinema Axis in four parts through these links in Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

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