Unearthing a Radical's Vision

Rockwell Kent.

Does the name mean anything to you?

Kent, who died in 1971, was an accomplished painter, engraver, adventure writer and political provocateur. But maybe because of doing so many things so well, Kent is relegated, if not to the dustbin of history, at least to its more fusty and obscure corners.

Frederick Lewis, an associate professor of telecommunications at Ohio University, has sought to redress that situation with "Rockwell Kent," his absorbing documentary about the fascinating artist and activist that will be shown at the National Gallery on Saturday (Lewis will be on hand to answer questions).

Born in 1882, Kent led a storied and often contradictory life that included affairs, political controversy, innovation and a wanderlust that took him from Tarrytown, N.Y., and Maine to Alaska, the South American island of Tierra del Fuego, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Lewis traveled to all those places to make "Rockwell Kent," which at 180 minutes plays like a two-night installment of PBS's "American Masters." It's a sweeping, detailed, visually rich portrait of a man who emerges as a complex, compelling and finally contradictory force of nature, a charismatic reflection of the eras in which he lived, from the radical political culture of the 1930s to the movement toward abstraction and expressionism that left his representational paintings behind.

Lewis posits that those aesthetic trends, as well as Kent's unapologetic sympathy for the Soviet Union during the Cold War (he was a fiery witness under questioning by Sen. Joseph McCarthy), abetted his obscurity. With luck, "Rockwell Kent" will rectify that injustice and bring deserved attention to this overlooked figure in American art and social history.

Free. 2 p.m. Saturday. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-842-6799.

Save the Date

FESTIVALS: Pour Your Heart Out: Oktoberfest Returns One of the bigger local bashes we can think of is Capitol City Brewing Co.'s celebration in the streets of Arlington, this year at the Village at Shirlington. Generally, a few thousand people show up to taste some of the 60 international beers, including those often-better-sounding-than-they-really-are "seasonal brews" (among this year's offerings, Pumpkinator and a caffeine-loaded coffee stout called Fuel). Washington Saengerbund, a long-standing German choral group and orchestra, performs. It all goes down Oct. 6. $25; nondrinkers, free. Noon-6 p.m. 2700 S. Quincy St., Arlington. For information, call 703-578-3888.

FESTIVALS: The Infusion Hot Sauce Festival A Rockville hot sauce company (we know, we know: hot sauce in the Maryland suburbs? But it's true.) is behind this new day-long event at Strathmore next week, featuring a concert, croquet and cook-offs (barbecue and chicken wing competitions). This event raises money for Manna Food Center, which distributes food to shelters and the hungry. $15. Sept. 30, noon-7 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. 301-581-5100.

ON STAGE: The Dark Heart of Shakespeare Washington's Shakespeare Festival ended months ago, but the modest Maryland Shakespeare Festival in Frederick hosts year-round performances for those who simply cannot get enough. Coming this fall, the company is set to stage readings of what it has deemed some of the Bard's darkest takes on love. It starts Oct. 21 with "Macbeth," which is followed by "Richard III" on Nov. 18 and "The Winter's Tale" Dec. 16. $10. 4 p.m. each performance. Centennial Memorial Methodist Church, 8 W. Second St., Frederick. 301-668-4090.