Peter Barrington Hutton (August 24, 1944 – June 25, 2016) was an American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

filmmaker, known primarily for his silent cinematic portraits of cities and landscapes around the world. He also worked as a professional

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the c ...

, most notably for his former student

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

, as well as cinematography for Lizzie Borden's "Born in Flames," Sheila McLaughlin and Lynne Tillman's "Committed," assorted films by artist Red Grooms and Albert Maysles' ''The Gates''.

Early life and education

Born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, Hutton studied painting, sculpture, and film at the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximatel ...

Career

In 1987, Hutton was awarded Best Cinematography for his work on Phil Hartman's feature film "No Picnic" at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2011, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selected "Study of a River" as one of 25 films annually chosen. He taught filmmaking at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

, and

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 18 ...

, where he served as the director of the Film and Electronic Arts Program since 1989. Much of Hutton's career was influenced by his time in the merchant marines. Hutton's films are distributed by

Canyon Cinema Canyon Cinema is an American nonprofit organization for distributing independent, avant-garde, and artist-made films. After starting in the 1960s as an exhibition program, it grew to include a nationwide newsletter and a distribution cooperative. ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst in Berlin. In May 2008 the Museum of Modern Art in New York held a full retrospective of Hutton's films. His most recent work, ''Three Landscapes'', premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013. Hutton died of cancer at the age of 71 on June 25, 2016.

Selected filmography

*''In Marin County'' (1970) *''July '71 in San Francisco, Living at Beach Street, Working at Canyon Cinema, Swimming in the Valley of the Moon'' (1971) *''New York Near Sleep for Saskia'' (1972) *''Images of Asian Music (A Diary from Life 1973-1974)'' (1973-1974) *''Florence'' (1975) *''Boston Fire'' (1979) *''New York Portrait: Chapter One'' (1978-1979) *''New York Portrait: Chapter Two'' (1980-1981) *''Budapest Portrait (Memories of a City)'' (1984-1986) *''Landscape for Manon'' (1986) *''New York Portrait: Chapter Three'' (1990) *''In Titan's Goblet'' (1991) *''Lodz Symphony'' (1991-1993) *''

Study of a River ''Study of a River'' is a 1997 experimental film directed by Peter Hutton. The experimental film focuses on the first part of a winter seasonal study of the Hudson River. It won "Most Overlooked Short Film Award" at the 1997 Oberhausen Interna ...

'' (1996-1997) *''Time and Tide'' (2000) *''Looking at the Sea'' (2001) *''Two Rivers'' (2001-2002) *''Skagafjordur'' (2002-2004) *''At Sea'' (2007) *''Three Landscapes'' (2013)

Exhibitions

* 2010: Les Rencontres d'Arles, France.

References

External links

Peter Hutton at Canyon Cinema CooperativePeter Hutton at Arsenal – Institut für Film und VideokunstInterview with Peter Hutton
1944 births 2016 deaths American experimental filmmakers Hampshire College faculty Harvard University faculty Bard College faculty Artists from Detroit {{US-film-bio-stub