Priya Kapoor
The 2016 action thriller *The Accountant*, starring Ben Affleck, features several paintings that are not only incredibly valuable in real life but also carry symbolic value within the context of the film. These paintings include Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Free Form by Jackson Pollock, and A Friend in Need by Cassius Coolidge. Each painting holds a particular significance to the characters and the storyline, providing insight into the brilliant yet complex mind of Christian Wolff, a highly skilled accountant with high-functioning autism who launders money for criminal organisations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Painting | Free Form |
| Artist | Jackson Pollock |
| Year | 1946 |
| Genre | Post-war art |
| Style | Drip painting |
| Method | Paint was haphazardly flung, poured, and dripped from all directions |
| Value | Approximately $100 million to $140 million |
| Owner in the movie | Christian Wolff |
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What You'll Learn
Jackson Pollock's Free Form
Free Form is worth around $140 million and is the most valuable painting in the film. It is also the only painting that Wolff refuses to sell. In one scene, he is seen lying on his bed, staring up at the painting, which he has mounted on the ceiling of his Airstream trailer. The painting has a calming effect on him, perhaps due to the method in the convoluted trails of layered paint, or perhaps Wolff sees patterns where others do not. There is a deep and special connection between Wolff and this painting.
Pollock's work reflects the erratic shifts in the post-war art world by exploring creation outside the limiting scope of a canvas. He placed his canvases on the floor and haphazardly flung, poured, and dripped paint on them from all directions, representing uncontainable action and self-expression. His work exists in two worlds—it is both an object and a piece of art, confined by the constraints of the canvas, yet transcending them.
In the context of the film, the immense value of the paintings is symbolic as well as financial. The paintings add depth to Wolff's storyline and offer insight into the inner workings of his complex and brilliant mind.
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside" is one of three paintings that feature prominently in the 2016 action thriller "The Accountant", starring Ben Affleck. The Renoir painting, created in 1874, is estimated to be worth around $70 million. It depicts a mother and child, a classic and nurturing image, and is representative of the Impressionist movement of the mid-19th century. The movement focused on loose compositions and quick techniques to capture ephemeral elements like light and movement, often finishing a painting in a single sitting.
In the film, the painting is used to symbolise the main character Christian Wolff's tumultuous relationship with his mother. Wolff, who has high-functioning autism, was abandoned by his mother as a child due to his autism and was raised by his father. The painting is hung outside his weapons room, perhaps alluding to the idea that Wolff sees himself as a 'dangerous' character, at odds with his surroundings and his own mother.
The Renoir painting is juxtaposed with Jackson Pollock's "Free Form", which is the most valuable painting in the film, worth around $140 million. Wolff's connection with the Pollock painting is deep and special. He refuses to sell it and it has a calming effect on him. Wolff operates beyond conventional boundaries, much like Pollock's drip paintings, perhaps seeing patterns where others do not.
The third painting is Cassius Coolidge's "A Friend in Need", from the Dogs Playing Poker series. It is worth less than the Pollock but more than the Renoir. The painting is used as a plot device to bond Wolff with fellow accountant Dana Cummings, played by Anna Kendrick, who confides in him about her love of art. Wolff refers to the painting in a conversation with Cummings, where she reveals that she wanted to go to art college but her father persuaded her to become an accountant. Wolff's appreciation for the painting and its incongruity appeals to his logical nature.
Each of these paintings offers both enormous real-world fiscal value and symbolic value within the context of the film, adding depth to Wolff's storyline and providing insight into his complex mind.
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Cassius Coolidge's A Friend in Need
A Friend in Need, painted in 1903, is one of sixteen paintings in Coolidge's series Dogs Playing Poker. The series has remained popular because of the humour it derives from presenting dogs with human attributes, such as playing cards. In the movie, the painting serves as a symbol of Wolff's bond with fellow accountant Dana Cummings (played by Anna Kendrick) and her love of art. Wolff also refers to the painting during a conversation with Cummings, in which she reveals that she wanted to go to art college, but her father persuaded her to become an accountant instead. Wolff states that he likes the Dogs Playing Poker series because "dogs would never bet on things, and so it’s incongruous. I like incongruity". This statement reflects Wolff's nature as someone who lives his life by logical assessment rather than by taking chances.
The three paintings in the movie are not only incredibly valuable in the real world but also carry symbolic value within the context of the film. They add depth to Wolff's storyline and offer insight into the inner workings of his complex and brilliant mind. For example, Renoir's painting depicts a mother and child, an innocent and nurturing image that contrasts with Wolff's own experience of being abandoned by his mother as a child.
Pollock's Free Form is considered the most valuable of the three paintings in the film, with a worth of around $140 million. It is also the painting that Wolff refuses to sell. The painting holds both monetary and personal value for Wolff, as it seems to have a calming effect on him. Wolff's connection to this painting may be due to the way Pollock created it by pushing the boundaries of conventional art, mirroring Wolff's own existence beyond the boundaries of a single identity.
Overall, Cassius Coolidge's A Friend in Need is an important element of The Accountant, not only as a valuable work of art but also as a symbol of the relationship between Wolff and Cummings and a reflection of Wolff's unique perspective on the world.
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The symbolism of Wolff's paintings
The 2016 action thriller "The Accountant" stars Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, a high-functioning autistic individual who is both a deadly assassin and a brilliant accountant. The movie features several paintings that are not only incredibly valuable but also offer symbolic value within the context of the plot.
One of the most prominent paintings in the movie is "Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. This painting, created in 1874, depicts an innocent and nurturing image of a mother and child, which contrasts with Wolff's own experience of having an emotionally unavailable and absentee mother, who abandoned the family due to her inability to accept his autism. The painting is hung outside his weapons room, highlighting the dichotomy of his character as someone who is both an accountant and a hitman.
Another significant painting is "Free Form" by Jackson Pollock. This painting, created in 1946, is worth approximately $140 million and is the one painting that Wolff refuses to sell. The artwork holds a deep and special connection to Wolff, who finds it calming. Pollock's drip painting technique, which involves flinging, pouring, and dripping paint onto a canvas from all directions, represents uncontainable action and self-expression. This method of creation beyond the boundaries of the conventional art world resonates with Wolff, who operates in multiple roles and likely sees patterns and extensions beyond the canvas that others do not.
The third notable painting in the movie is "A Friend in Need" by Cassius Coolidge, which is one of sixteen paintings in the "Dogs Playing Poker" series. This painting holds a specific meaning in the context of Wolff's relationship with fellow accountant Dana Cummings (played by Anna Kendrick), as it serves as a bond between them when they discuss her love of art and her desire to attend art college. The painting also presents dogs with human attributes, which may be incongruous but appeals to Wolff's logical and analytical nature.
The inclusion of these paintings in "The Accountant" adds depth to Wolff's storyline and provides insight into the inner workings of his complex and brilliant mind. They serve as symbols of his character's complexities, relationships, and coping mechanisms within the narrative.
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The value of the paintings
Three paintings feature in the 2016 action thriller 'The Accountant', starring Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, an autistic certified public accountant who sanitises fraudulent financial and accounting records for criminal and terrorist organisations. The paintings are not only incredibly valuable in the real world but also hold symbolic value within the context of the film.
The first painting is 'Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside' (1874) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, worth around $70 million. The Renoir depicts a mother and child, an innocent and nurturing image, which is in stark contrast to Wolff's own experience of having an absentee mother who was emotionally unavailable. The painting is hung outside his weapons room, reflecting his tumultuous relationship with his mother and his complex inner world.
The second painting is 'A Friend in Need' (1903) by Cassius Coolidge, one of sixteen paintings in the 'Dogs Playing Poker' series. While the painting may seem kitsch or frivolous, it holds a specific meaning in the context of the film. It is a point of connection between Wolff and fellow accountant Dana Cummings (played by Anna Kendrick), who wanted to go to art college but was persuaded by her father to become an accountant instead. The painting also reflects Wolff's character as someone who lives by logical assessment rather than taking chances, seeing irony and incongruity in the painting's depiction of dogs with human attributes.
The third painting is 'Free Form' (1946) by Jackson Pollock, worth somewhere in the region of $100-200 million. Pollock's work holds the most monetary and personal value in the film for Wolff, who refuses to sell it. He finds it calming and seems to have a deep and special connection with the painting, perhaps seeing patterns and method in the convoluted trails of layered paint that others do not.
These paintings not only add depth to Wolff's storyline but also provide insight into his complex and brilliant mind, offering a unique perspective on his character and his relationship with the world.
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Frequently asked questions
Jackson Pollock's Free Form is the most valuable painting in the movie and is thought to be worth around £140 million.
The movie also features Woman with a Parasol and Small Child on a Sunlit Hillside by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and A Friend in Need by Cassius Coolidge.
The paintings are not only valuable monetarily but also hold symbolic value within the context of the film. For example, the Renoir painting is representative of the Impressionist movement and depicts an innocent image of a mother and child, which may symbolise Wolff's tumultuous relationship with his own mother.
