Dive Deeper: Vanessa

Uncover the roots of Vanessa through a touching documentary portrait of composer Samuel Barber, alongside an influential essay about the “camp” sensibility that informs this production. 

Read More: Susan Sontag’s seminal 1964 essay, “Notes on Camp” provided a framework for camp sensibility that continues to inform artists, artistic works–such as this production of Vanessa–and theorists the world over. Beyond merely a “gay” sensibility, Sontag critiques a myriad of social and cultural products and their nearness or distance from “camp.”

Watch More: Released in 2017, the documentary Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty, directed by H. Paul Moon provides a compelling historical and critical look at the life, art, and loves of the composer of Vanessa. The film is streaming on a variety of platforms to rent or to buy.