Moving Pictures

ANNE HOLLANDER. AUTHOR

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Copyrighted materia

$29.9.

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Moviug Pictures is a bold and pro\'ocative interpretation or Western Ilrt thll t links the great tradition or North European painting to modern cinema. llnd 8Uggest.'4 how paintings. prints, and moving pictures are interconnected modes of art that in comparable ways d cpict moments in the narrative flow of human life. Beginning with the great IllIt..'4ters of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries- Van Eyck, Durer, Bruegel- and moving through the his tory of European art to the lulvent of movies and the modern era , Anne Hollander ex plores ce rtain a rtis tic impu lses and traditions that have taken account or the arbitrary. random way vision sorts out dramatic elements in a given s ituation, that have und erstood the di80rderly way vis ual phenomena strike th e eye, and that have used mobil e imagery to, as she puts it. set t he viewer's psyche in motion. These im pulses and trad itions were present in European art all along; later the camera. especially the movie camera, WtL~ well s ui ted to take UI) the same artis tic task, since its work is d one wi t h and by mO\'illg li ght, by the constant shift of scale and focus, and by un apprecilltion oC the emotional and expressive power of light s triking the forms within tl pi cture fram e, A related theme of Mov illg Pict,u'e, concerns the relation betwee n originill Aand I>rints, and between high "lid popular art. Man y of the West's greatest works of art h"ve found their way into the hearts of vi ewers t hrough the medium of reproduction; printed bJackautl -white illus trations. born in Northern Europe ill the fifU.-enth ce ntury, SUPI}lemented pa intings a nd recreated them for thouStluds and t housands of people, The !iDlirces of cinenlll , tl8 well , lie in the dy nami c rela. tion between original visual ideas lind repeated cOI>ies of them; 1ll00'ies, like till rel)roductions. the author arg ues. ha\'e a special broad-based power to invite private fau · tas},. to pro\'oke memory and 888OCiation, and to evoke an umnediated personal response from the viewer,

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Moving Pictures

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Alfred A. Knopf NlW

York 1989

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Hiblioyruplty: I). I li r /'f{Je>l .. IIdr .r. IS H.\' 0-39 I-:j 7 100· / I . J/ulioll pir/u/"I'JI-A l'sllfrl ics. 2. Arl {Iml lII olioll l )irllll'f'S, 3, PO/IIlIt,,' (,II /turf . I, ..11'1, f:,trO}H"1I1', I , Til/ I',

PN I 99S. 116 14 / 989 79 I ,43'O J-dc / 9 89· it does 1I0 lIll0"(', seems to b(' showing II IIlllch larger sect ion o f li me Ihlln the frauif' cn n co ntain . ami S£'C IIl S to invite ou r' pal'ticiplltion ill th e rnow' lIl{'1I1 of it s pOlenliul n(lrrlll iv(' . The fo llow ill g di scussion is a S('ul'ch through the histo ry of IIrt for 1IJ(' kinds of pic ture tlutt attem pted lind prcfigul'ed whnt cine llW iat('r lIct u nlly did, lind thllt for'm u bnckg roll nd nnd rOlllldution fo r mov ielS , T his pro to'cillc Ulutic urt WtlS mostl y crell ted by plIill t(' rs, But in lurge pl1 rt til(' (,Illot io llal ('frec ts thnt wer(' 111081 te llin g ill til('il' pa int ings aud In ost d('eply i lit (' r'na i i1.ed by the publ ic, alld t hat. e\'('11 tunlly round I h('i r wily iuto Ci lll' IUII , first rCllchNI the hellrts of t lll·ir viewe r's through t he mediulII of r('produ ct ioll , PllillLings have bC(,1I I'cp rod uced lIS prin ts ever s inc(' the fift eenth C('Iltlll'Y; lind im por'tu nt works , tran s mut ed by graphic technology int o fam ilillr images, coul d g radually gel onto morrill ls , pho tog t'ilphs, ( h' si~1I UllcI

skill of Ih(> 1\1"lis t. Ihe impact of /I H{' llIlmtllcll Bible sce ne or II V('rllwl' r illlt·rior is prilllltrily thul of Ilw suhjl'ci. th e ullIlosph€' re, nnd 111('

;l Clioll" I n (:OIlIl"lIsl. the inililll illlJ}lIc l of n pllillling ill til(' ' "('ry dii"f(>relll classical 3ml Itulinn Irlillilion-I ('1 liS suy Oil{' of HUI)hlle l's- is IhUI of II llt'rrOrIllIlIlC('" wilh III(' subjl'c t ,"isibly (nlld perlUlI)S also hrelllhlukillgly) huilt juto it. 'I'lli' r{'tll'c l ions on 111('1 gill) ill our iuner lives, beyond the desire for e nterta inment or t he qucst for knowledge, I ~ i f(' 8ee m8 to nef"d illuminating through th e ey£', whnt.ev{'r other bcnefits tire gaincd from reading und learning; the sou l needs its own window. Dramatic printed captions, voice·ovcr co mmc nts in slide lectures lind later in movies, and background music are all reinforcements for the illustrative, or what

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might bettt~I' be called the illuminative mode as a dil'eel challllel to til{' iudi· viciua l psyche. 011 the stage this was first. suggested by the famous diorllmas of the early 1800's, which ptqduced d "lllllutic nUl'rllt.i\'c Ollt of large pictun's lit frOIll behind alld unrolled 011 a stuge to II1Hsicalllccompuu imcn Lj und the Illll sic dnullIls of Wngllcr lute r took lip t ilt"' idea of s peak ing to the ullconsciolls by fusing living pictures lind Ill{,llningfu\ thematic sound. Suo Pf'l'tilies Pl'ojccted ove l' the IlI"OScc nilllll arch durillg a performance confi rm eve n mOre strongl,Y the relation betwee n opera and fillll ; and llIu sic video further rei ufo rccs UI(' cO lillect.io n bctweclI cillclIllltic visual illlHgCI'Y lind mu sic's power over the psyche. L.lutcly Ilrt museums ha\'c !Scizcd 011 the cine · lIlal ic trick of p ..o\·idillg ca ll1lcd uudib le captio ns to go along with the pic· t.1I n"8. fll n1isilillg COlit i IlU 0US commC l1hu·.r 011 tupc wit h CI.I rphones, II llIovi IIg Irllck of soulld thllt s peaks perso rUilly to ench visi tor nnd tUni S the whole glilicry into a 1II0vif' Ir OIlS(,. Soon olle may well hll"c a c hoice of speech or IIIlI s ic wit.h t.he show.l'lw disembodied voicl' k('eps t.he event. Wf'1I UWlly from allY awkwul'd pf'I' formuli ce by a living gu ide, ,ll1d makes the PUilllillgS see m comfortably like filmcd rl'prod uctiolls of thclllseives, C inemu is tile Ht'west fOl'1IL of illustratioll. It ellcapsulnt.es the whole history of figuraliv(> art, hel pillg itself to that h is to ry's lIlost effec tive devices, cOllt illll illg t.he special tri uruph of art for t.he public that was begun by prints aud e ngravings ulld couti llU('(i tlll'ollgh the dynumic agency of t ire cumern. Public exhibitions of pailltillgs thllt are IIOW possib le 011 un in lernalionnl sca le, with wOl'ks of urt t.ruwlillg lIlI over th e wodd to be secn by peo· ph' who might never hope lo visi t. them, al'e ollly olle PIlI't. of the wily lIrt has becolllc part of public co nsc iou s ness, The ot.hel' way is t.hrough iti:i ghostly existe nce ill the gl'aphie world, the king of whieh is now the In ovies. Now on ly hooks for chi ldren ar(> co nsistently illust rated: books for adults ilre 1I0t i:iupposcd to 1I(>t~d pictures. Magaz ines and newspapers make up for that la ck in adult lif(', ovcrlappi ng inspircd Ildvcrtisiug photography with glossy photojollrlllJlislU so t lUH together t hey cleli"er a s ingle glittering cine ll ultic mOlllage of life like fantasy. Other g raphic material, also con· ce ived by illlllgilllltiolis trllillcd ill t he c illc tnutic st.yle of ullusioll , makes narrllt ivc out of vis uul situations that. revenl uud suggest without expla inillg', Telcvisi on docs the same, Ci nema, that great infanl, has demonstrated to other lIIed in how to lise Pllst lIl't to su it. the prCSCllt eye, how to reSI)olld, absorb, l'enecl, ulld move 011, sei7.ing what is needed mal eati ng it without thanks , flourishing with ungoverllilb le energy 011 mixed garbage and gour· 1Il{'t. ral'c, "'ilm Illld telcvision fram es ul'e stull'ed with IIIllterilll grubbed wit.hout CCI'('UlO ny rroll! ?thlnet nlld GO,\'8., rrom Vehizquez alld Vermecr, rrom ' I'urllel', Churc h, !llld BicrstndL, just as cOllllllcl'cili1 pho lography also is. All of these 11 t hough it htcks coherl' nce. MeaJlwhil e the origina l .\Ianet" and Vprmepl's art' still with liS, glow ill g like live coa ls ill t he galll'ries, but al so winking ill mill iature from millions o f posl elll'ds und posters. In ally age find uny mcdiu /II , most urI i1> bud . Th is is jlls ta s Inl e of pa in I· illg ill tilt' Renui ssllllce as it is of 1II0vies ill t he 1\\'(>lIl i('1.h ce ntu ry. lind 110 {!"t1C1' of cOlllmerc ia l art thall o f serious pOI'trait s; but we al'e now mor(' lIwllk(' to the badness in certain gCllres t.hun to th at in oth ers, b('cau se o ur prese nt ranking system is re trollcl ivc. W(' a re llIort' incli ned to sec nil RelIuissance frescoes a s bett er than all nillctct'nth 'ce ntu ry falO hioll plflt ('s, be· cause we have come to be li ew ill the superio rity o f both fresco a nd the Re nai!Osnnee Lo uny so1'1 of commerc ial ra s hioll nrt, Bll t ill rUCL good fres · coes are proportio nately li S rare as good rlls hio n 1>18t('s. So, of eou rsc, are good movies. Wc ita\'{' CO IlH' to bel ie\'e, 1ll00'CO\'Cr, I hal II work of art Inn," bl' good o nly ir it. has some kind of artistic int egrit y, t hut it mu s t display som{' obNl ie nc(' to t he scl r· peq)c tllnting laws of a l·t itse lr I'lithel' tha n smack of g r('(·d. OppOI" tun islII , and exploitntion; und so we a I',' illclincd to vllIlIt' those artistic med ia t hntmake s uc h inte grity ensi('r to main tuin ill Oll l' ow n soc iety, But good art. has had It woy of npPf'ltl'ing in alh·gedly debllsed gellres , and th e bad exalll pies ill lofty olles huve be('ll merc iless ly shown up d uring bot h th e nine teenth ami twentieth c('nt.uries, sometimes obscuring the good nlto· gethel', By such l1Iea l1 S l1illeteenth'cc lltu ry a cademic u nd narrativc pninting was di scoullt ed fOl' most of t he twcn t ie th , 1111 o r it I'uted at t h" low level of its obviolls di sllsLe rs, lI olIy'\\'ood Inovies w('r(' alice consi d ered tlun wny, t.oo, La tely we have t.hrown all pn illt illg rrom the past into one ba sket , not. t ryin g to distiuguil, h good frolll blld ill case we llI ight. be proved wrong le,te l' a ll , and pre fe rring 1.0 assume that eve ry thing is good ror somethi ng, C lIl" rent. pa int in g receives t.he same enlarged IIceeptalice. In I. IJ(' all eged ly low medhl , the same luck o f d isc rim inat.i on .secms to mutter less. but it ulso works to obscure difl'e rences o r qnulity and muke good j udgme n t KII the harder, Yet. the d ilTere nc('s are sti ll Lhe rls, which \\'('1'(' cO li sidt'r('(1 /J d('lJilSt'l1 fOl'III, pUl'lly bpcallsp of tlH' )1lt'Ul)II I'(' Ihpy ga\'(~ , thri .. ob\'iolls link 10 PI'iVill(' falltas.v, It took g('IWt'lIlio Il S of' gl'(,llt wQI'ks to tl'anSCt'lId tilp 11 01'111111 ha dII('SS or mos t Ilo\,p ls, ami Illilkt, 11 11 ackllow\('dgNi fin(' a rt Oll t or PI'OS(' fic tio n, TlIollj.!h hud t'(' liginu i) art of tll(' pust is sti llj.! iwlI 111 01'(' cl't.'dit tlUlII bud mlvl'rtisil1g' urt of th is c(>IIIIII'Y. tilt' Illulllt'ss is qui t(' similar, Good pOI'1I0graphy is !Jnfor'IIiIUI It'ly 1101 so clt'H!'l,v rc(!ogll ized 10 b(' 'wllt'r t hlill bud: g rPill vIIIl IP , cun ill SO I1 )1' CIIS(>S ell li ght(>n lat('I' percpptioll of Ih(' origi nal hy su ilj(>Clilll! it to s('lccti\'c brutal usagc. (!(l11 ('\'e l1 sel'lll to illJpron' on it by 1 '(, ln od('lill~ it in II hl1r!Sher fOI'lIl . u d lllnb(>1' lIlodf', 'r hl' "impro\'(> IlI(,lIl" is a l1'ick pt1'N:t; the or ig illal I'('tains ils !Sup{'riority, wllic h is I\('wrlhl'it'ss ('lIlulI leed lind (>n ric h('(1 by bnd 1I'(' IIIII1('I1I-lIot by COlltl'USI , hut sOIll('how by l.1 cOIl1bimlt ioll of sOI'did attrition all(\ addPfi f' lIlotiOlwi frpig-hl. likp a "IIinNI s t atuf',

IJ('sl) obviolls but no I(' ss (!Ollllllon is tlIP n'lianc{' o r good art Oil had for c('rtlli ll cllf'lIp cll'('cl s or cl'ufh' dl'tuils, for c\(-'\'{'r \~'nys to takp shOl'ICUlS or use filler, for sUI'(>,fire blllllllllIotif's, Su c h hll'ceuy works both \\'llyS. so thut the bad sOllrcp can also b(' cn r ic hed by b('ing robbNI. \'isuul artists haw in 1',1t:1. ull lw('11 slPuling' 1'1'0111 onl' unoth('I' 1'01' CPI1t1,l l'i('s Heross 11 11 bOlillciuri(>s , und tht"y II r(' aidNI in Ihis by th(' fluid graphic nwdia, which put cW l'y lh ing indiscriminut{'ly up 1'01' grabs, The 1H 0vi{'s in this c('utury rt'pl"('s('ut a IIlllg'

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nifieent compendiulll of all such t hi eve ry and its enormously sati s fyi ng and profitabl e results . The most co mmonly stolen good s ure I he arrungeme nts that. guarant.ee emotional res ponses. That is why camera art can d o the best st.ealing, s in ce its form depe nds 0 11 the light and dark that c reate feeling th rough pictures by UII COlIscioliS means, and thus hi de th e ve ry fact of th eft per haps eve n from t he t.hie r. Only when t.he images hit t.h e sc reen d o the effects becom(' visib le, as they begin to feed the visuill habit s of future gencr8tiolls on all th e va ried and accumu lated treasures of the past.

ONE

Moving Pictures Light and Vision

A

is Ii SC(IUCllce of pictu res made with 8. ca mera and pro· jected on 8 screen. Since the cameru defill(,s the medium. movies are purt of the history of till ('8111(' 1"8 art; tit,,), nrc heirs to the claims SLKk('(1 by I>hotographers at the v{'ry beginning of the c811wra's life. But photographic pre lt'llsiolls wcre formed ugninst II background of concern for the proper chorneter and runCI ion of painting. The fur-reaching possibilities s hown by th e carly C8111er8 were perce ived by eyers truined in s trlltcgics that pai nte rs hnd worked out for !"('lIdering reu lit), inside u (rume; Il li d such artis tic s trut· egies were kll OWI1, IIlleust by artists themscln's, to hllve (',"olved from cur· lier painters' methods . WhUl('\'cr the camcra could do liS illuminator of t he visual world W8S first. se(, 11 in I)aintcrs' terms, backed up by centurit,s of pniliLcriy lrndition. TodllY the movies. 88 they contilille to further camera work in the mode of realistic pictorial sequences, nrc still cilgaging with certnill paillters of tlH' 1)IINt. Photography itseJr soon escaped painters' tel'lIIs. The s lill ca meI'll estnh· li shed and expanded its own sepa l'ule empire of 11\(' eyt' und cve ntuully, liS n rt' produ ctive IIgent. lurlled hack 1.0 CO lUlllt'r Iminting itse lf. But 1.11(' link be tW('(,1I the II (,W pictorial scop(' of the cnmcrn und the long his tory of pnintillg was nuthclltic, IIlId certain painters in lht' Illter !linNeellth century, slich as ~18I1et. Degas. ulld Caill('botte, rcspolI(\ed to til(' call1cril even lIIorc cr('lttively than photographers could at the time. Pain ters wer(' e\'ell able to lake the cntncra beyond its imllH'dilllel,v apparellt possibilities lind proj('ct it into til. To do t hi s, t lH',v dr('w nol jus t. on th(' tlewly rl'\'Nt\l'd cnpll cities of t h(' sti ll Cnlll('rn, but 011 till l'xisti uj.! piliulcrl,v trnditiou Ihnt history-mi uded urlist!!l could sec WllS nlr('ltd,\' 11 Iigll{'(l with C'IIIH' rn vision . Thi s WIIS thl' tradition of M OV IE

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North Europcn ll realism, which uinctcenth -century a rtists saw most vividly fl ouri s hing i ll sc\'cnleenth -ce ntu ry Holland, but whose sou rces ltty in the Flemish urI. of the fift ee nth century. That trad it ion was continued and lIlodifiNI thl'oughou l til{' intcrwO\'e n history of Europea n art: many pll inlt' rs s ha,'cd i l l th e pa rt iculn r ly North ern proto·ci nematic impuls(' without beillg t hemse lves Nordic , luwillg nbsorbed the or igi nal Flemish and Dutc h princip lr s. V('h\7.qucz, C hardin , Turner, a ll d Goya had l.Iffini ties with Du tc h and Fl emish art; and t heil' works contri buted to this pict.orial trud ilioll , which I thillk led to modern c ine nHl, CVC Il1ll0 rC than t.o the o pposin g eluss icul one , which inexorably led to modern pa in t ing, F'OI' fi ve ccntllri('s rl'lllistic puint ing in Northe rn Europe wus expressed ill whut K(' lIl1c th C lark call s the Alternutive Con\'e nti on-u mode of rendt'ring vis ibl e rea lity ill urt t hat wus fliudam enllllly diffe rent from th e elnssiei1.i ng tradi t ion est.llbli slH'd by Itnl iun H,e lluissall c(' arti s ts 811d t heorists , 011(' way to describe what NOI'th('rll art ists did is to sny they inve nt ed n ci n(' ltl(' rspecti \'c, t he learned di scovery or the Italian Hennissance, was o ne excc ll c llt. dev ice fo r promoting th e sense of the arti st. as inspired int('rpre tcr and techn ic inll . III this tradition th e pnillte r I>crform s fo r til(' view(' r; his /lct (110 1 his SUbjec t,) is whtol! you see . When t he call1cra first co me int.o li se, it. seemed to destroy or at. leusl to s id('s lep this fUll ct io ll of the artist. as "ica r of our res ponses to the visi ble

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world . Bet.\\'('cll t.he t hing was a trick of th e light. arousing c heap wondl.'l' and stup('fnctio n . lI elll'i F oc illon wr6te in hi s 19:16 t'ssay on "The Artis t's I-Iu lld " ubou t " the c rlH'1 i ner tia of the photogrn ph , a ttailled by 1I hnndl pss eyl', l'clwlli ng 011 1' sympathy {'\' PH w hill' llLtrHcti llg it, a marvpl 01' light hut u I)Uss ivt' III Oll st(' r . Photog nlphy is like the art of allother plam't. . , , Th t· 111111(1111'\'('1' illt(' rn 'lI1II to be co nduct i ng light

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1llI'oll g-1l ii , rHli1cr 1111111 ri.'fl ccl.i ug (,X IC'rIIU Il y app lied light r,'om it s IIl ocicll'(l S Ul"fIlC(' s. J\lulJ)' works i ll the NOdhem s tyle show all illulIlillll tillg doo r o r wi nd ow ill the bu c k 01' sid!' , as if to siglllll t.hi s u illL to bl' a SOH"C" of ligh t IIlId IlUl II sc!w uu' for its rernlc ti on. Today. ill l iI(' :\I useo del Prado ill i\tild r id , V{' I6.zqu('z· cel ebl'Ulcd ptli nt ill~ I,(J.~ .1/('lIilJ(l.':

is f'x h ihitl'd uloll£' ill II (!;\I,k ,'oo m a nd lit invisi h ly f.'om t ilt'

s idf' , so I hlll til{' d istll ll! o pel! doorwlIY alld tull windows insi d e tht' Jlllint ing S{,l' 11i to bt, lightillg the !"OOHl ill t he III USClIIlI , 1I0t just t ht"' "00111 ill t he pic· IU I' (' ,

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pn>jl'ctl'd-it is set lip to look like a film shot. /ind

t ht'n' i s PVC'I! a 11I1I..-i (' 1" k t~ (' p i llf! l ilt' II I1(\ it'IICl ' I'rOIll approac hing it s s urface,

just HS ill II IllUvi(' thl'a l l'/", Wh lll t his arnUlg('llll'lIl in fa c t cloes is to show bow IUll ch likl-' 11 fi lill shot th e paillting already lookli; lind it o nl y tukes mOlllt'lIt tu iltlagiHI' ct'I,ltl in ot h('1' wOI'ks dispillye d t lt e Sllllle

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VPI'll1eer 'S

cual ol h"I' D Ul ch IIl'tists ' iUl\' r iOl"s, for (,XlIlIlpl(', w hic h IIlso hlln~ light-fill('d wi llliows 1111(1 dool"s, 01' V('!{lzqtu'Z' o thl'l' paintings s llowi ug' tile same kind of amhigu ous actioll 1111(1 ilh IlUi lliitioll-'I'!tc Forge of Fil/('(lil 01'

Th~

Spinners

"iew (1'0111 hackstug'e 01' Il Cu illebo tle SLrl'l' L The quusiPl'ojl'c led lIIod l' of dis p lay !'cvl'lI ls wha t Las .tJ cllill(lS (und its kiudn:d) is

--01' /I

I)" I!IIS

!'f'u lly l ikl' : 1101 11 photogl'aph, wh ic h ma y sit f l'oz(,11 011 t h(' pa ge, but 11 c inc IIIlIt ic i'nlg lll(,lll , all (, 1Ig'ulfing, lighl-made, pass iu g mOntenl, LOllI! he fo/,l' pllot Ol:"l'IIph.", e h iurosc liro modes o f rea listic pic tul'e-lIIilki ng

had hl'l'" d('\'(' \o pf'd ill NOl'tlwl'1I Europe, w hl'l'e ligh t itse lf is II prec ioll s SOUI'C(' to II(' ClIl'{'fully tllpped, TIt(' gl'Pllt es! Not,tlt Eu ropcutl jln int('I-s, bc~illllillg

illlli(' fiftp('lItlt ee u l lll')', u sed l ightil s ifit ",(Ore nliv£', ill\' it illg il lllld

coaxing it. t o eXjlllnd IInci Cl'ellt e ils own visioll s, For Italian paint e rs, 011 t hp othf' l' h

fiftcenth C('lIllu·y. 0 11(' uspec l or I he NOl'lhe l'n IISC of' light WII!') Ihe illusionistic 1'l' lIdl' r ilig 01' SI Il'r fro Ul unea si ness, and sa fl' t o fpel wltut cvel' pleusul'e IlIlll profit. that unit.y it s elf nO'ords, ~ o III1lt.te l' how Lur· bul(>u t. or prc ul iar i!tp a c tio n inside th e frum p, it ca nnot. gC'l o ut. Whul d ocs gel 011 1 is Iht' nlPSSILg'(' of urI il sel f l llll! (;III'rielo; allY subjt'ct ill s nlllti OIl . S trong e m olio lll.ll denumds Ilr(' made, but ind irec tly by 111(' nrtisl Ihrough Ih e paillt. ACl io ns und ob,il'cls in m ovies g(, 1 s trllighl.at the " i(>wer ill a way that is III odds with th ese clnssic nims or IHtilltillg, ('\'{' I, hc ror(' we havc eO ll s id('r('d thl' differe nce bet wee n a m oving ami u s till imuge, III t il l'ir essellliullooks, film s m oV{' li S with 11 kimi or pictor ial rh'lIIalld 1.hnt Ulany painters do no l ever wi 8h 1.0 Hutkc-all IIl1l11cd iuted appcul thnt. goe8 s lraight Ihrough our action and his inner life. Th e rfl'ect is tlw opposit.e of t he OIl(' thu t stays at II fix ed distance inside II s till frume and WN&\,CS its pictoriu l Sl)e ll to entrnnce us into s tilln cs~ before it. That is the effe ct of pictures by Leo nardo or Rubens, fo r exa mple, aL which th e eye tends t.o stare us at a whirling gold wat.ch , alld the feet to sta nd rooted-or even to bllck lIWRY in awe. The perfec t pers pecti ve in a Pi cro dell a F' rane('sea has a silll il llr effect.. The movement inside sHch a p icture is au tonomous, t he vibrations sc lf·generutcd. It is nn in culltllt io n, hUlnming with the int.e rplllY of color, the accord of shapes lind vol umes, the poetry of line, or with the dazzling urray of visible st rokes dealt by u mas· terly wri s t, tracks that the ensorcell ed eye cannot res ist lraeing in their da nce Ilrolln d the confines of the plalle. Reali s tic nnrrutivc couched in such terms exerts an enOrmou s power: th e action hilS been woven like II charm nnd see ms like fate. But it is it gcneral fn le, neve r co nnee t.ed with 0111" OWII privilte d esti ny as we cnn fee l it. Gazing at Ho me gM!UL pllinting's ill tha t 1II0de CUll turn you t o stone or s top you r breath. They invoke t he arl ifice of eterni ty and tran scend lh e

c

""

MQI'illY Pict ures

23

common bu si ness o r livi ng, en!n whi le they nUI,\' po ri ray it. BilL 111(' "moving" picture invites the ey(' boll l 1.0 III OV(' into III(' piCIUI'(! Ulld thell to s tuy free inside il. free to scan , to pause, to c lose in and mo\'e back , to find its OWII path. 1'he uncertain pllth of private fecl ing is correspond ingly oprned uP. and so we projec t the Illat ions of Ou r own souls into the pictUl'e to e ngage with th e action. In paintings by Rembrand t suc h as til e very la te Conspiracy of Clo ud ius Civilis in Stockhol m (1.2), for example, or t he 1646 A doratiOll of th e Shepherds (1.3) in Mun ic h, insp ired lighting IHIlS the atmosphere int o motion, so thllt it overflows the space and reaches towa rd the viewe r; meu llwhi le the figul'e s tyle and compositional mode suggest co nt inll ous be hu\' ior ill 11 shifting fra me, The result is lIIo\'ing dralJJlI wit hout st rong color. \'igorous a ction, or s urface detail. It s mot ion moves us, w h tlten~r Hembrandt's subject; and we tl nSwer with t hat emotional response which automaticnlly follows th e relSpolise of t he t',\'e to light. Th~ 1I11 r rati\'c act.ion illsidf' the pic ture is psychologicall,\' rl·t'ight.cd ill UdVilIIC{' lind Iweds 110 thentriclIl e lllphl.ls is 01' cO llvclltiullul rhetoric_ GClStllrl'S IIml pOSlllrcs, fneinl ('xpl'cSlSiolis and dl'np-

1. 2

REMBRA NDT VAN RIJN,

Tlt eCon!lpirocyo/Cto"diW JCilJiii!l

24

MOVING

l ,a

" I C T U RE S

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN , Tlt e Atioratioll ofllt eSlt elJilu d&

••

•

25

-'fOl-iIlY /'icf'lr(,1I

cry 1I10\'('1IH'1I18 IIrc lIlut('d , UlIs l."ii1.l'll. Ill ul unrotuSNI, Hlld yt' ! l.lcliic\'c IIIIlX -

inllllll impllct.

Us ing al most 110 fig ure's tiollllll~ fT('ct

all. 'l'urlwr II Cllicwti u s imillir clulI'ged CIlIOwilh landscape Iwo c(, lIlUri rs 1:11l','lIy IIsing light liS if it were lit

tilt' IIg(,lIt of physicill I II rim 1(, lI ce nlld t lltliCIYSIII . Til l' g r elll Tu mel'S lin' c i 11('IIIlIlie bccliuse of this lIIf'thod- tlw l i~h t work s di l'f'C lly 011 till' ({'{'Jill!!,", so ns to render wi lid lind Wilt ('1' ill it s dislinclin' i,\' (, lII otional \£'rIllS . ~o e1f' t.achll l c lll about til£' sce l Ll' pol"l rn.wd i s IW I'll lissiblt· 01'('\'('11 puss iblf'. YOl l 111'(-

there.

Motion and Na lTative Bc cll u~;p t hey lire IIIl1de Oil\. of fOr\\'iIl'd III On'!IIl'II!. il S w C' IIIIS oul of IIH' fUll -

c1il1Il Cnlll\!s of lighlllnd shadow, filllu. UI'C esscllliull,v dnllHillic lind IIOt th eatricu l. Drunllt orders nct ioll us menn in g . Illld ('xp xalllple ( 1.4), like IUUII)' Ita liun Henui ssnllc(' pnilltings. is II piece of the nte r- 11I1 Ilppn r i lion. HOt. II dra IIllit ic sce l1l'>, E n~ 1I t hough it pu rport s to show ItII event., t·verything is prj' Selt1 lit OIlC(' IIml all I'('\a t io n s hips a l rca dy com pleted , only wlliti ng 10 be d t"cipitf'rC'l1 by th e "iewe r . 1'111' pic t.ul'ed 1II0\,e· III C lltf~ of wa\'cs, limbs , hair, fabri c. ami wind go now he re but. r emnin stlltionnry. stlllldillg' for til t· cterllnl , cc irs tinlill osnic Lhnt holds n il things in o rbit. herr showlI fix ed and recycling foreve r . By eontrust, movies. likr S hllkes pcll rr's p lays 11110 Greek tragedi es, IIrc a.lwuys goill g gomewlwr{' ullknoWII und takillg u s with thcm. Drama d c· mn nds th is d{'vicc. N('v('rtht'l{'ss they a lso relllilill pic turcs, C\'e ll if thcy do not fit illto Bottice lli 's pic tor ill lll n i\'c l-se. Th ry do fil into He rubrundl 's lind 00)'8's-lhat is, into It schf' lIH' of eX I)I-ession fOlllld('d on the dinleetic of night and day, and thl' 1)l'ogrl'ss through th e m Ihllt produ ces th(' next day nnd night, u nd the lIexl. III this p icLO riullrllditio n , ull otherseen IIlO\'l' IIICll t, is subjec t to til(' inlrH ctubh' mO\'(>1lIf'nt. through tinw-the 1lI00'e lll(>n l f'Xpressed by t.he 1Il0tiOll of cllrthly li ght nnd itll coro ll a ry dnrkness. In s till pictures, that motion is pcr ceptibl(' o nly t hrough t he flui d act ion of the eye. which 1111$0 mirrors t he uncertain jOll rllE'." o f P(>nsOllHI ('xperie n ce-the inner StlltC. 8ubjcct to outer circulII sta n ce. P ic tures lhut uppeal to this conncc· tion bel-wccn time Knd consciolls llCSI; I>oint up th e fact thllt th e time lesl; lIui · ,'crl;(' is 1111 absolutf' \'oid. Ollt er d arkncss: t here is 110 cos mi c harm ony thut we CUll nc \.unlly scc_ HUII UlII seei llg menus on ly sc(' iug sOlllr iJt.iIlY. 11(,\'('r c\,·

c

,

26

MOVING

1.4

PI C T U RE S

SAN ORO 80TTICEI. L J , TIll Hirlll of \'t' IIU

e rylhin g; the view is s ubjCCli \'c. alwa~'s frolll here-as the light shows. This is Ih e fundamental s tuff of drUm 8j und the cincmtllic kind of art d e monslmtcs it, lI si ng chiaroscuro pictures to engage us in il. In film a rl, it puts the pictures into an actual moving seque nce. Evc!! it the movie ca mera sits on a mot io lli ctis su bject, the film is still movi ng and .....e lire stili waiting, expectant und res pond in g, ou r eyes und 8virils in lIIotioll . Movies lhllt end wi l h fade-outs 011 continuing ac ti on, or more reccnt ly wilh freeze-frames, s how how t llcllesstU!88 is li t the core of the medium-no tnblenu CR n put a tnlC s top to visua l fl ow or to Ihe flow ortilllc and feeling. The drams itse lf is propelled by editing allOl'ted by the bcau ti('s of t he spec· tnlln. Suc h rcproduc('d works, III though Ilu'y look olwiously itlcompl feelings, Th e ealllel'a was thu s assured of a pot C'lIti al forc{' a s tl popular graphic lIJ{'diu lIl greater ('\'en than lha t o f skillful draw ing, .\I eallwhilt· it could reproduce gr('at pnint ings in that Sll llI e ch ia roscuro, nnd s hurp in t he trnditio ns of grent priJl tllwking, As It IH'W form of bluck-und-w hil t' l' X I)J'('f~­ s ion, the camCl'a walS slipPo l' ted by u formidable hil)tory o r persuusin· colol'less image, muk illg. e nd owed with Itlyt ltic possibil ities u nd IIssociutions us wellns ord in ary appeal. i''1O\' i(''s took tllat hi sLO l'Y to th(" III'XI. slep, EWIl1Ulllly , film-makers eould combine tlU' familiur Iht>llH' s o f popular grlJpllicl!> wi th t hE' accumulated e motio nal fll\\'OI'S of repl'oduced pai n ti ng a nd tile directly powe rful graphic bea ut y of phoLography, thc I("gucy of Rcmb rlJlldt.. Tlwy pNformNi t ill' gr(>ut synthes is I'oresi't' ll o r envisiOlwd by the Ililw{(·elll.h -cc·ntury H("u lists, Wilh Bltude luire us their s po kes man , to c reat e a Ill'\\' his tory-pain ting in gellre terms, making universal my th!!> o u t o f ("\,cryday lllat c l'in!. Th e o ld r("product i" e grit phic urI s we 1'(' t hl' ltIeUlu; o r moving' lh(' (jilt> II rts iuto the wOl'ld, or gelling thclII to do tlH·ir b,'ouder eu ltund lind ('lIIolionnl work , and th e Cllllle ra 80011 camc to do the 8ame j ob, Golll.ius' glanlorous sixtel' nth·cc ntury e n g rnvillg o f the Fl.1rnesc H e l'cu les , for example (1. 5). rcnde red with g listenillg mliScu lul.ul'c HI,d s hown ud ulired by up·gn1.ill g' ci tizcns . is ec hoed by the glor iolls mod ern photogru!>hs of Mic he langelo's sculptures, which caress und exu lt hi s work s with sed ucti ve ligh t ing Ilnd buthe the III ill d ru mat ic lust e r for everyo llc' s eyes, so t hlit i\1 ieheln llge lo lUuy touc h cvcl'yo ne's hearl-c\'c lI those who CU llllc"e l' get to Ho me o r 1-'lon' nce, Monoc h ro me sculptul'e yiclds IIlllllrlllly to en illlll ceml'lIt by the black-

(

~ Igt";

tar I

MOVING

:.\6

P I CT U RES

-

1.5

liEN ORI C K OOLTZI U S ,

Tit !' Funt(!,(! lIu('Nlt •.

Engraving lIlId ·white ClIllleru , just lHI it did LO the suuvitics of engraving: but pnint.ings also took on n(lw qlllliitirs under th e ca mera eye t.hat sees beyond t he colors. Whlll. the bluck·und·white Cll lIIc ra docs to u pninting is not to give II reading of ii, liS lUI e ngruvi ng docs, bulto make a movie of it-to plumb . tU~ it were, its cill{,llllltic heart. It tells the "story" of the painting by trttllsluting it int o t il£' grllphic 1IIt'(liullI o r uUluitigat('d drllma. Thus pllinting wus grndually tnlllsmuted into popullir g raphic art in the {,lIIolional medium of light and shade, 1I0t. just. in the intellectual t.erms of (llIgrs\'Nl lines-which ha\'e. liS W illilllll M. Ivins has rel>eat.edly dcmonstrated, their own editoria l ef'f'£'ct 011 any original. Ninetee nth·century blt,ck·and-white photographs of paintings began to sha re in the uncanny emotional atmosphere of the carle d e v jsj/e portraits and lOl>ographical studies being purveyed by professional comme rcial photographers. The black·aud-white reproductive camera seemed not to take something away from paintings but to add somet hing, as the engra\·jng teChniques also had

37 dOI\l'--Hlily this ti uH' il was SOUl(' lh illg' d in'cll~' op licul lllH I d i r'('clly ("tuO-

liomll. Ihl~ Ir'Ulhfuhlt'ss (If light, not wriltf'lIlnnguugf'.

"CiIlCIIlHtic" pailllillJ,!'s of till> latf'r lIill(>((,(,IIII, eel ,lu l'Y. thl' works hv • :\i llll{' 1 and I)('J!HS 01' hy 11 0 111(,1' nnd ElI kills 111ul S(,('III must pn'g:IlHIlI wilh pussibi litif's rOf' IIIIIVi('-t: ll1H(' I'll 1lI'l, !(,IIlIIO b(' subdll f'd in PiL!t·IIf' . T ill'.\' din" I' ~(' f"olll IIIP im prl'ssio nist way 01' lI silll!' dYllulllic colOl' it st'll' to pr-oliuc('

111(' light ulI(l lll lify ti L{' s UI'ru e£'. Si ll1illl l-]Y. ill thf' COllt(,IIIPOI' )"('11I1101l8I1 il> In' ' lw('I' 1\ til(' 100 1ILI S~·S 1t' 1II and 11i (' io>ubjC'ct IlIIllI('r ~ i \'('s lilt' p lli ll l ill~S Ih l'll'll t III OSpilf' I'C', just /lS in filllls . I I is nOl 111(' vilmillt rdntiolls llip ,HII Oni!' lilt' colol"s t hut pl"illlllriiy cou nt s, 1101" I ill' illl (,I'li ct iOIl het \\,I'{'II colors !llId CO lllpOsitioH that C,'t'I\I(,8 II su bjpcl. as ill I lIIp , 't~ ss i o ll ist works, Tilt' ~('IIC'nll illl puhw of lIIost /n-ow{-'(lI y Il('ul is t pn int illj:! ill til(' m idd l(' of th(' C('lltlll'), WIIS towHI'd II loliochrolllY; IIlId t his l't~ tl'(' Ut 1'1'0111 col Ol' s uggt~sts 1111 IlWll l't'!It' SS thn t HppmxilJllJlioll to It gruphic 1II0d(' might b(' IlP PI'Op"ia le to both psyc holoJt'icli l and socin l tnl lh -It' lling, {'\'('Il withou t Il11Pcdo tl' , TIt(· SIlJlJlI'('ssio ll of col Ol' ill paint ing nppa)'(,lItly glllll'UIII('('(llhc loo k of both sl.lb.il·cti\,\, cngug(,Illl' lI t IIlId dl'tllch(-'f l Obs(' ",'ul ioll, CO II C(-,1I 11'l.1 1iull 0 11 dyna mic color' I'cln tiolls, 011 til(' ol h(,I' hnll d , as ill IJllp,'('ss ioni slII 01" E xpl'(,sSiOll is lll , producNI u vivi d sc nsOl',\' lIIi ii \~ u in which Ih(' su hj('c t , whu\('vc r it WIIS, could 11(' dissolwd 01' s ubli me(I, Hnd wlil'I'C' t ile Ill'lis, 's fl lndlllll('ntai sk ill and clwiN' still I'orllwd t\l(' IIlosl lIotic(,Clblr (' l l~ III (, III S of II\(' piclIIl'e, j us l Il S il l tht, IIlIliall Ht'IIUissli ll ce, A I)U I't' (' UC' I'goy, H sclf- p('rpt' tuul ing lifl' , is g('II(, I'u l('(i by tht, inl(,I'uc lion of Ih t' colol's the (JaiuIC'r dt'ploys: lind Ihe ir lwulIl." (01', us ill Villi Gogh, l it('ir 11 II Iwu rllblt' "ib)'u llc.") !'ll\' isill's (" '(-'II be for(' lite suhj. '1'11(>." cOlu hiu (' th e kind of thill!! thllt WIIS CO m mOil ill l!itylizt·d. clll'up (','o ticil (MlldlillH' OI.lIlII"l'IIII'S conwl ill g. coslllt'tics . und ori,.!'illllll," sliPlwd s ilo uld(> r SIrup: Olymp iu's sl ippe rs. l) uSS,velll. ulld

Il('ck ribbon) wilh till' eslllblis hNI cO lllponents of lit:' rioms B('ulislH (Ih (' loo k of lIIusch· IIlid hone. 10 say lIothillg' of will and ChllrllCI(','. 01 1 III(" f Uel'S IIlId

bodit·s o f bOI II women). TIH'Si' SHme CO lli billlli iOlls now produce the wholt.' vi·

slla l fluvol' o( the lHovie-swr iIlUl g£'-llir piquallt detai ls o r a WOIIIt.._'. :. , I.i J.; nOUAHU )IANt: T _ OIYIII J1ill

42

MOVING

1.8

PI C T U RE S

JOHN SINGER S ARGENT.

,\!adOIllt; X

Movi"U Pict ures

43

By the begilll1iug of thi s ce ntury. a wh ole gcnerali on lifter Mad ame X, eyes cond itioned simultaneOlisly 1))1 monoc hrome .'cprodu cl ions of pa int' ings alld by black-and-whit.e cOlllmercial art were bound to be well primed for the \·isual poe tics of black-and-wh ite moyies, even as they were finding modern I>aintiug increasingl y difficult. ;; High " and oo low" urt thus began to split even furth er in th e general awareness: pain ting carne to be seen in modern is t term s, and th e painterly antecedents of mov ies lost art istic credibility.

Color and Reality Authentic illu stration is not th e same as narrat iye a rt. The bes t ill ustrations give t.he se nse of an instant full of the possibi lities of t he adj acent instants, n \tisioJl of the phra se in process, not its cadence. Narrlltive painters who freeze a moment , like photographers wit h similn r aims. IlInk c a stat ic mcmorial out of a fl ee ting srco nd- an urtifi cinl cad(, llce, The graphic kind of iilustrntive spirit, on the oth er hand , ncve r tries to eternal ize an instant but rather to suggest (not nu rra te) 11 wh ol{' ('vent. Rembrnndt did it in both painting nnd grnphic work ; modern photojournal is m docs it; and th e comic graphic art thnt do('s it best is not the kind by Daum ie r or Busc h. which sh ows u sequ ence of funn y pOlOes d('scribed by th e artist's han d, but th e kind done by Pei ffer or chub:, which shows only the same two peopl e talking or olle person th inking in eneh fra n l(~ . Th(' words lil a)' nppcur to be the point ; but lIctually t he graphic vis ion of dcv(' loping emotio nal eo ufrontation or inner state is what gives li f(' to t.he text. Th e monochromy of such imagery aids its vcracit y, nnd our satisfac tion with it comes from Oll r cinematic underst.anding of life. Movi es turned popul a r graph ic illu stration into poet ry and con tinu ed t he process of turning ecrta iu kinds of serious figurut ivc painting into gra phic art; and so t hey produ ced n s~' nth es is alld a mod('rni zati on of both. Figurative painting ha s cOllie back in to fnvor partly because of our cinelIIut ic u ..... ureness: movie vis ion hus mude it po~s iltlc 1.0 find H ..... Hy t owHrd a " post- modern " real ism ill pa inting it self, to forlll a bridge with all its old realis ms, pa rtly becau se of the fu sio n thnt t he popu la r graphic a rt of mill has ach ieved wilh traditional paillterly method s for appea ling to the modern soul. Old-fashio ned graphic illustrations, such us S idney Paget's ';S herlock Hol mes" pictures for Tlte St rolld Magozi1le, compare both wi th certa in pain te rs' sketches and prin ts Dnd with the co ntinuit y sketches (or storybon rds) made in designing scenes for movies. There is an affinit y among

c

44

M OV I NO

1' l C T U ItES

1. 9 EDO UAKD MA Ni': T , ,.hl Parat/i,. Lithogrttph

1. 10

WILLIAM C AMBR ON MENZIE S,

con tinu ity sketch ror

Gon ~

With

Ih~

Wind, 1939

.1I(lI'ill{/l-'idllrl's

•

-. .

..

•

1.11

ANTIIONIE VAS DYCK ,

Clld.t Carryillg 1M Cron. Sketch

sOllie of VHn Dyck 's prf'lim inary skelciH'Joi in ink Hlld wllsh , GOYH'", CClpricJws, lI oIIU' I" )j und PHgl"'S lIIugu z ilW ilhu.tl'lI li o ll S, ;\hlllf'l 's 81111111l ithogruI)hic urullll scc nf's , und tilt' slIr\'ivi ng !i hl cht"'!i IIIn (h' fo r "'Cf'I1('8 ill GOl/e lYjfll fl! r \Vjllli or H itchcock 's TIl(' Birds ({'WI! though thosl' mO\'if'!i wc rf' in co lor, th e I!Itorybonrd s for IlwlII sigllificlIlll ly did 1I0t lIi.'ed lillY) (1.9- 1.1 :1). The pict.orillllllc thod cO ll sists IIIlliuly of massing figurt·s lind obj('c ts both nC8r 8nd fur in deep buck-ope ning SPIIC(', IIl1d rI'ndering th em in piltches or light 811d s ha tl!' for lUu.ximulII e lllotio llal alld kinetic effect. All s nch works s how all urrallg('mellt o f light and shade go\'crlling the " o rd innry" disposition of significant e leme nt s. We Iherdore Illay no t f'lIsi ly " relld" the event in t.erms of composi t io n, us we ca n in 8 labl eHu likc pnintillg, but we fee l plunged into it wit h one glan ce, To understand it, wr mu st "watch" whut is hllPpe ning. try to f("("1 it out ; the composition itself does not gi,'(' IIway th e story , IlIudcli tio n th('re are 11 0 line llr cllresses or thr urt ist's hund to cmphasize snd direct the fl ow of mroning, 110 " writing" to il('l l> us, aud no "b"3ut y" to disl rtlc t 11 8, just as th ere ito no color to s wamp our IItt (,lltio n .

46

M OVING

PICT U RE S

1. 12 S ID NEY f"AOET , " Hiseyesrelllll>OlllheSliekin

l'lohnes' hand." 1901. Illust ration ror COllIm Doyle's Tlt e lIolHtd 0/ tlte 8(Jsktroilfu

The co mm on ru etor IllUong the m all is t he so\'creignty of chiarosc uro vi· SiOlillS lhe esse nce of meaningl'ul illu minntio n in pictures. And this leads to the idea thut ('VCII mO \' ies in color ure graphic- I hat is, esse ntially in blac k li nd whi te. In 111 (> so me wily. Ma llet's Olympia 81so is. lind Madame .Y. too. Th(' color in many color mo\,j(,s is a pure ulHcnity, a modern luxury unci not 8 necessity. Thi s s hows Ill ost when they are perpetuated o n black·and-wh ite telc\rision , lik e t he mobi lizillg black·aml·w hi le photographs of great paintin gs . The eurren t process of "colorization" used for old black ·and ·whi te movies does nothing ot all for their lIa rrative impact; but it se rves to give t hf'm nn updated look and the air of gencrnl opulence audiences now expect on the sc rce n us a matter of course. Colori zed movies don't look more rea listic. they j us t loo k morc lush, d el icious, lind expensive and th ere fore more

Moving Pictures

41

familiar to new audiences. To a ce rtain extent, color ha s remained irrelevant, as it was in I he beg inning, to the profound effect mo\,ies have on modern life. I noted earlier Ihat the advent of color for movies in facl created a setback in the quality of their realism, not an advance. The advance was in the unalloyed pleasure and excitement early eolor gave to t he sequenee of images, despi le its fruit-sulad , Curri er-u nd · lves look. Efforts at ci ncmatic unrea lity iron ically looked "realer" in color: musical co medy, historical pageantry. nature·adventure, and t. he morc ritunlized and opcratie Westerns. The pl easure t hese gave was the same pro\·jded by N. C. Wyeth and l\1 axfield Parrish figuring fort h legend und fsntnsy ill rainbow hu es. But tme "graphic" renlism remained in the rich range of bla ck-and-white imagery used for urban and tmburban melodrama, the fab les of organized crime, psychological thrillers, or thc Grapes of Wroth forms of nlrai grimness ,

1.1 3

FRANCISCO OOVA, Mala NQCIt~, Aquatint

from !.,o, Capn'd!o" 1799

48

MOVINO

P I C T U RE S

which derived most direc tly from Rembrandt. Color made Monument Val · ley morc beautifu l in Wes terns , bUlnol morc dramatic.

T he real ities of both wild nnture and the unruly di stan t past are made (,8 sier to take in color, which moll ifies and beautifi es the IInfnrnilinr, the harsh, and t he dangerous. Moden l horrOI"S submit to the same beautifying effects , as i ll Apocalypse Now. Colo r keeps the m, 8S it keeps the ~'1 iddl e Ages or the Sahara Desert. unrea l enough to bea r. Spilled blood is mu ch more baldly horribl e in b lack and white, llithough it is morc exc iting ill color- und of coursE' m OfC bcnu ti fl il. Th e flavors of the psyche arc echoed ill colors, and co nsequently color has n historic connec tion with Ii.ymhol. In art, a realistic imuge using colors lIlay trude simultaneous ly on thei r sy mbolic mea ning und the ir d irec t sensory effect , as wh en red is worn by a dftngeroll s ly uUracli\'e wOlllan or wh ite by a young and l>tlre oue. Crealive perve rsity mny hu\'e euormou s play and produce considerable tell8ioll if impact. and meaning are mude t.o di ve rge, as when Expressioni s t. pa inters use gree n ror s kin or red for grass, or wh en un e,·il wOlllan wears whit.e, 8S ill th e lIIovi e Fatal AUractjQ1I . But. color see ms to fl oat free of real ism in art. anyway, e\'e ll whi le enhatlcing it. Rather it. is con\'entioll81 color relations. which have t.hei l' own perceptual reality , that artists fuse with renlisl ic compos it ion und lighting in order LO ma ke rea list.ic images look righ t. All color in art. is a code, as Gornbrich IUHi sa id, not. 811 imitnt.ion. Th e colors in color photography and ci nclUlit.ography a rc no -'reuler" than t hose of pnint , wh ich huve long adhered to Ilrti s l.ic conventi ons indepe nde nt. of nat.ure, and t.o the technical limi tations of the mediu1Il . Printed color,just like painted color, is a techn ical matter of great complex ity, and the photogrllph ic color-rep rodu cti on of paintings is a well -known technologica l pitfall. Usually no two color phot ographs of the sa me paint.ing are a like, IU ld few are like the painting itse lf, wh ich in turn i~ oft.clI not lIlu ch like nature. The "reality" of color in photograp hic reproduction or in d irect. photogra phy find cinelllt'c llll iolis a bout graphic urI. whic h film is by d c fllli t ioll , BUI f,!' rl1 pilic "story" lIerd 1I0t be 1\ IIwlod ruma or II true · to·l ifr IlIl rruliw', o llly t ill (,lIIot iouully slltis fy ill~ dl'ulllutic Sl'qUf'Hce. like II lIIy lh- UIl ('IIIOll01l1l1ly rCll listic dl'llluU !';II CIt liS til{' gTNlt phOLO' grnphic illustrators li kf' Remhrund t o!1'e lw l. or t hf' g rent illlllll i nl.l l in~ pain ters l ikl~ Vl~ rll w e l'. F'il lll ' lIInkpl's lIeed ollly do t hat. as AIILOlli oui d oes, CS I)('ciu lly in 1.' :E cl i.;;sf' ulld I.AI .\'uUI' (bo th , IIl1LIII'ully. in bluc k alld wh it.(,), IHld 110 pl ollllo re (>lu iJorl1le 1.111111 t he st.o ry o f illllCI' ShiH' S is requ i red to sut· is fy t hf' IU'NI fo r ' ·s lor~·." Bu t wi t hou l Cl1I ol ioll(lI coul in uil Y, It fi lm becolIJ{'s disj o iJlIt~d und i rri lat ing und (>llsy 10 fo rge t , I! owt'\'c r bf'1l1l1iflll. T hi s is be' cll use t he ve ry 1I1lt u re o f the chinl'oscuro mod e SetlS up the expcc lllt io n o f recoglli za ble psyc hic Illove nle li l.

C pyr

te

50

MOvING

PI C T U Rt;S

Si nce cinematography is only one l>tll't, of lHovie -makiug. whallh e audi o

ence eventually sees is t he

re~iUlL

o f II good d en I of r lludolll

c irCII UlSll1l1 CC

in-

te rmixed with the result of carefu l effort. Movie- makin g is intrinsically somewhat aleatory. partly because it represents the combined erforts of di· verse practiliollf'rs who art' not all aiming fo r the Slime thing, ar(' lIot eve n comp lete ly aware of eac h o ther's aims or sO lllcti m(>s eve n of th eir own. and

are not in comp lete agree ment about

illl ln e dill Le COllllIIOll

goals. One single,

absolute co ntrolling a rtistic purpose was impossible for t he popular movies that have shaped consc iousness. Moreover, th e U1o\'ie·cumera eye itself cun only come to some agreement with the phe nolllc lia unde r its gaze; it Cllllno t towlly control o r shape Ihrlll , having no lumds. TIl(' human hands and eyes that he lp the cmn era to give us its fhut! results, especi ally those of ed itors, mus t wo rk wi t.h the fund a me ntal arbitrariness of film footage itself. Ulti mately the viewing eyt" allows for a nd comes to delight in the flu); of c hance in any s hot. and that ve ry arbitrllriness becomes pu rl of th e stuff of the myth itself. t.h e romauce as well as the real it y. M EYE R S C HAP J R 0 speaks of all art fusing through hindsig ht after the Armory S how of 19 13, 10 c real(' a modern c rit ic ism that could nccount fo r the art of both present ilnd I)II SI. The gradull l IIscendllll cy imd pervasiveness o r movie-ca mera visioll hns ulso done t hi s to us , nlthough without o ur a c tually knowing it. c rentillg both n 1U0vie·goer's response to past art and an art \·iewer' s res po nse to lUo\'ies. We did not kuow this wa s happcni ng, because for a IOllg time th e poetic c harac ter of gral)ilic filmimagery was no t so consc iously perce ived as were th e things thnt linked movi es to theate r . Movies we re allowed 1.0 be emo ti ona l im i er i aill/llelll , but art was supposed 1.0 be judged by modl'rll s ta11dlJrd s thut precluded putting their emo tional , illust. rat ive, and drnmlJtic qunlities fi rst. But movies stirred up respo nses lhut had alrendy bee n schooled by the ubsorptioll of old pictoria l c ucs, transmitted through illus triltions that used th e ol d fo r· mulas 8nd through the graphic reproduction of pas t art. Many early mov ies were s tagy . Vaudevi lle turns and other lhentrical 1UUt eria l we re I)rese nted us if seen insi de u s tuge fral1l e. lI ota picturc fru1rIe . In those ea rly days, move ment was the point, not cameru image ry. But th e more the medium advanced, th e c loser it come to its draml.uic pictoria l an· eestors and th e furthe r from the s tage. Authen tically ci uemutic motion is co mprehensive, surg ing in a nd out of the fra me and back un d forth in time like psyc hic move me nt. It is qui te un like the te lllpo rallan g uage of the theater, wh ic h moves along at a fb: ed distnnce from the wut c her , with COlwe ll ' tiona I s tage rhy tlmus gove rn ing it s phrasing. the s tage space enclosing th e a c tion, the stage time forcing the issues, a nd t he live performance itself in·

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51

Modl/!J Pirf'lI"es •

•

vOki ng (h e concept of $llcrtd artific(' " But trll(' cinemlltic drulllll III 1ll0\' ,CS and psi 1\ t ings follows Ii IILO\"e lll f'lIt sim iii! r 1.0 Dide r'ot "Ii ~e ll "'f' of h is own soul

as

" /III

lab/ean mOlleoll/": As :\iichuf' i Fri l'Ci l)uys, it works as the ,'eflection

of "'i nt ('gral yN constuntly chung-iug being:" Alld Ihut is the slory" The ClIlllerll, which ill still photoJ!ruphy Cll lliook so objPCli\'l'. in motiolJ is 1IH' narrali\'p v('ss('1 of subjec li\"it.\' it self, lik(' Ih(' dreallier's t'Yf', or the pu illtel""s eye in t he idiosyncratic t.raditio n I will hal,'r be tracking, Not detached observation , n OI lin-Iy COIIIIII(,1I1I1r)" but tota l (,llgagf'lIJ('nt is what it o!T('rs-u 1)(' rsliasiw' lIess of SN-ill!!, 1101 liS U1llh-rstulill illJ,C 01" us kllowlNlge. but us bcillg itself" 'I'll " work of s{'{' illl! is ""lId,',"cd so as to sigllify the illltlg(' of tilll(, nnd OU," 1II0v('l .r(' nl th,"ough it, liS Wt' "Il l ry to find lire COl"respolIdence bt~IWN' 1I Ollr ill wurd jOlln."."s lind 1I1i' 1II11I"eil of olllwnrd t'\'('nts"

I

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TWO

The Pi teenth Century

By

TH E

of the fifteenth ce ntury , "';uropcu ll pllinting had YI\nQui8hed spacl~ und fre ed itse lf from ob('dic llce to th e flut su rfnce that hud d ictat.ed Ih e nil t' s (or fi\'{' IIl1lldrcd years. 'I'h(' bou nd B E 0 I NN I N 0

ary of n picture th ereafter beenm e a gat l'wny to llnother world, rathel' than a box (or tl'casu rl'S that might b(' conh' mpillt cd wh ile t he)' kepllhe ir pln ce, e mbedded in gold or fixed ill IIbslruc lio n. Durillg tl\(' previous century. when sClI lpt,Ol'S au(1 illulIl innt.on; liS w(·IIIII" pnilltr-rs s l l'U~Ufl{'d to recnptllre t he SI)lltial illu sion p rnctic('d illllllt if(lI i ty. progress in su c h ('ffort. was inter natiollnlly s hnred. J ellll Puce lie, pain ting IIHlIlll sc r i pts i ll Pa ris ill the 1320 ' s , coul d lise mllt('riaJ developed n d ecllde before by Ou ccio ror his two II ltul'picecs in iell8. 0 1' by Giovunni P isil no 1'0 1' his I'clid sculpturps in P i, stoia. Frellch , Itnl in n, unci Burgli lld iu ll arti sts fre e l,v lenrned as mllch rro m cuc h othe r UI!! diffcl"Cnt loculities li nd d iffc rent lIl edill 8Howed , And gradlltilly solids ngnin (,Illerged froll1 t he plan e, scu lpture ngai l1 stood free, and pictured 111811 ell s l hi s s hudow. Aft.er the eO lmn on battle WIl S over, iuclivicluill illt erpretlltions auel celebruti ons or t he s hnred triumph of illu sion ille\'itahly uppeared. Fle mish, Dut ch . and Ge rman artists call1(' to pursu c visua l gouls differ ent rrom t he o ne (w I illn classicist Ii sou g ht. '('he revival or !lnt iqu ity WtlS an (taliun preoccupat io n, ulld til(' iden of it ",us seized OIlIlS 11 mea ns to c rell te II version or cosm ic orde l' in the worl d nlld in th e lIIilld by menllS or urI.. Pnllofsky a nd others huve desc ribed the connec ti on betwee n 1111 ideui i7. ing Renaissu nce Neopla to nism and tlw idea o r order in Ita lian a l't-II link that contrast.s s hll rply with thc cOllllcet io n be tweeu Goth ic ~ or t hcrn a r t a nd a med ieva l Homillal ist philosop hy that sees fund amental IIwaning in discrel c phenomena , Apart from the idea thttl minut e IHl rticulars have infi nite s ign ifi ca nce, th e pr imury influ ence o n the fifteenth -ce ntury p ain ting' of Nort hern ElI -

c

,'ope WIIS tht· illustl'llli\'(' impIIls(-' that. ert-'Ilt l,d til(-' grt'at IIHIUIiScript illu lllinutiolls (rum thaI r('lo('iou, III hoth th(' fourl('('nth /Iud fil't('{'nth cen tu r ies, illustnltNI books Wl'l'e IllOr,' COli 11110 II in F rtlllc!' Itmllh(-' N('titerllllld s thlll1 aL lilly otlH'r Lillll~ o r plllc('; lind by tlH-' I ;l!JO's thl' artis ts who IIIlldl' tlll'lII wCl'e pushing pict Ol'iul limit s flll'IIl(-' I' Ihllll ilnY01I1' (,Is(', Italiun s inc\lIdNI. 'I' he uimN of i l ht~ lrll t ioll , liS mode rn ('yes cOll ccin' it, 111'(' c('J'llIillly weil s('I'''NI by Ih c idea thllt IIlIi\'CI'8111 meaning dw('lIs in cas lin I ilc tualitit's, ill SI)('cific pxalllpics I'atllpr Ilulil ill OIH-' it! "111 forlll, in Sl)('c ific time rutit(' r lIuw (-'t('rnity , Such IIsSlI mptiolls ppl'Ulit. llll~ pl'ovi8ioll al (1'llIlIing of SCI'IH'S lind the opI'uing lip of possible spac(' 111'011111 \ til(' lIeI iOll , and ulso t hI' llS(' of rUIl dom pht'1I01lWIIII ill Sllcn~d illlll~I'S to sugg.... st till' sacrl'(hwss of tht' rando m ill lif.· its(-'lr, Book illustrllt.ioll , ill which such visunl 1I0tiollS wel'l' fir'sl Sl't I'OJ'tlt , WilS an ill t iumte art spcking dil'pct impacI 011 it si ngle \'iewel' al cios(' 1' iu space re lied 011 a IIl'W use of light t hat he combillcd wit.h t.he old fl oating look of the manusc ript seem's. H i~ r£'u lity i~ both direc t ly op t.ical a nd "l11otional becausc of its cl eve r fusion of fam ilia l' ullstable matl·l·ial wi t h HoU un fallli lia r Il('W scnse of prese nce and I.lcllI lllity. !l is works nl'e likf' old knowlI pic tu res comf' t.o unbe lif'vub le life . 011 the ot her hund Milsaccio, Van Eyck 's great F lol"(,lltinc eont.e ml)Orary, conveyed th e illusion ot"weight Hnd volume Hud p ropo rt.ionut.c dis tancf's be· twee n things in clltil"el,\' new s putial lu·rullgclllents. 1.0 which light c hi efly contribu ted as un ngc nt fO l' model ing fornl. The Ita lian s t.yle of optical real· ity was ma inly a ma tt.c r of space, illcludi ll g IU'wly ulldf'l"stundabl e relillions II ll10ng the bod ily PIlI'ls- a seHo rcit for c1l1rit ,\' nnd Ioi lubility, t.o s how how we ll urtcould rf'.. e h til!' mi nd t hrough thl' l~yC, l ll such u sc hellle, e mot ion i~ indirl"clly rtltil£'r than imHwdiat.(' ly arolll:wdj it COlllf'S frolll WOIl(\l'1" at the achi~'vcml'llt or 1I11~ al"ti s!. a SWOOII of SUblll il)s ioll to lilt' ]JOW(' r of art, n re · sponSl' bo ll l to ,'('vcall'd betl ut y itself alltl to i t ~ ubst.ract pow,'I", But. ill t il l' r'lcmish tnldil io n, t.11(' a r t ist is sWHollowed up ill t he subject as much whut cont illu(' to lila kc t he BII cicn l !:>tat lICS so ("scilllll illg. Bodies

lind dl'uperi('s und th eir iu tcrreill Lioll s see m r ight ruther tha n reul; they 1m\'(' u way of eludin g e motional identification. 1liicullimil.utiolls permilted thelU to travel and sec one another's work ; bu t the charact er of IJatronagc kept iunovutio n to 11 m inimulIl (except fo l' the 1II0st celebrnted practitioncrs) , and that meant liD e xcessive borrowings (1'0111 heterodox traditiOIllS, Thu K the inci ividuul modes of separllt.c schools and separate studios co ntimwd to develop and re ma ill distinct. alollg wit h kuowli individ ua l hands. Fifteenth-ce ntury F le mis h, Dutc h, and German art.is ts were continuill g 011 l.lutOIl OIllOUS plltll s, dcspi te the pe n ·asivc Illid persunsive import.unce o( IIdVUlleed Ita lian t heories,

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7'/' " FiflcclIlII r elll ll,.!!

6I

Althouj.{h NOl,t hem artists' Inost s tllrtii nt; pa in l.f' rly lldnIll C(' was in Ihe n~ 1I11 11 01' tt' XtUI'(, ILS I'('w'ul ('ci by lighl, I.h(' ir OWII COlL lllI l'St ur SpUCl' til"

IIl linded tl vUI'i N." of pe rs pccti"c 110 less t c ll i ll~ tlnm th e fic ielllifi c, intell ectual It.uliull kim!. Not just th(' Van Eyck int('J'iol"s hilt lhf' IUlldfoiCnp(' st'll ings (01" I'(' II'II S C'III'istli s' Nllti"it ies illld De> posit iOIl S, 1'0 1' eX IlIllph·, huw' II com pl ete spllti nlH lltiH'lI licily t hat do('s not 1'C'qu il"l' nil," tOi{,I'iUlC(, rl'O IliIl S 1'01' IJ IIIl,di('\·lIll1nh·{'tc, Agu ill , il is still H mll tter or li ghting. It is 1II0st I'S Ill" cinlly ill IIl(' s(' Fl cillish puilllC'rs ' works thul th(' eO'celi"l' lig ht ing of tl1I' S('t · I illg bel! j lid 1I picl.lII·cd C\'(>ll t 01' PCl'sollage wa s fi I's t used to gi\"e a scell(' pi".\'c hologicu l d (' p th- a d('\" ic(' LlllIt hCCUIlH' stllll(hu'd ill ci u(, IIU1lic pui ntillg, us we ll liS ill Ci lH'1n1l its{df. Th l' l'e is II V('I'Y SOplLi sticll lcci 1)I'cc('(h')lt rO I' s uch (' tTec ls ill IIH' "'I!'mi s h lIulIHlscri pl i llulllintlt iOlls known a s 1hc 'l'ul'i n· M i IlllI J I OIl I'S , dat iug r1'0 111 be· r Ol'(' 1-l2f>, sO llie u ( which h1l\'(' bN'n nttrilllltcd to VUII ":yck. Ke nllelh Cla rk has cu lled llttcntion to IIU' (, lII oliolll.tl "('SPOIl Sf'lS c"cat cd by the ullprcce· dellt cd I'e nd cr illg' or ligh t Oil disllllll wall'r ill SOIl1(' of Ih('sc ill uill inat iolls IUl ('I1"eel. he all'Oo Illtri hUh~s to popu lar lu nd sca pp i mHg'(" 'Y ill thc lu \.(' nil1('\.(,I! l1th Cl' II II II'Y, und which ha s lI ulIl ifes tly CIII"I"it' d O\' ('r in to t li l' CO lli 1lll'l"ciu l pho tography Iw d CillCIlUl \.Ogl"llphy of our world. li c al so says or SOIllC of llll' I'urlier sCC' l1rs in t he VUII Eyck GIr t',.1 Aflurpier c \.hUl "lht' rr is II relllllrka hle S('lIse of oll r bei llg ;/1 the Innd scltlw-of our bpillg uhl!' to proceNI smooth ly 1'1'0111 fOI'l' ~roulld to di s tllll ce," Thi s s(' lIse is th(' direc t prod uct or t hl' light in g tha t S('I"\,('8 to ulli t e t he scc n£' with th e sctting and t.h(' vi l~ w (' r with t.h(' SC(' II(" 'I'hc ell'I'cl \\"(wks ('\'1' 11 WIIl' 1I thc lundsclI lw hils bl'Cl1 rc movcd behind II purllpct, us ill tht' ClulI1ct'l · 101' Rolin :\'Illdonllll, or whl'lI it Il pP(,ll rs tlll'OUg" II wi ndow. Th e light is IIllld l' 1.0 IILO \"C , to CO Illt' poul" i n~ dOWII f l'olll ih e sky OV('I' t.hl' d ist.n nl und ll Lf' lira I' SC(, IH.' liS well us o\'e r t he viC'wer with Ull en co ll1pnssillg 1I1111lrul islll, II bath or I"Clllitx Ihut. i ll clu d e~ the ongoi ng drulllll of life ill whi ch we, ns ordillury bc il1 gs, nrc bcnrillg II Jlurt. Ami so, throliKh its l"('u li 1. il1g age ncy. w (' Clln fe('1 prcsell lal lhe Bnptis llI of C hrist , e"e n tho ugh t he I>ictur(' or it li t the bot· tom of olle lIlanu sc ript puge is aboul six inche s wide and Ihl'('c it1e hes hi gh , The (' trccl dc pellds PlI l i" ('ly 011 II IIllllti fcst eX I)C I'i('ntilllli nk be tw('cn th e bnc kgro utld lind t lw main ucLion: the> opetwd de pths lUu st not. form II pain ted cll rta iu behind what is hnppenillg' , In the Inrge.llugllst, a mimyst('riolls Bapti sm b." Pi(,l"o dp\lll F'ran cescu, for ('x llll1pl c, probably paint ed t\ wholc gCtlcrlllioll III' tel" Van Eyck in uboul 1460 (2.;1), the itltlciscnpc ill ' clud('s th e vie we r 011 in Lc ll cctuul rllthe r tlllln ex peri e ntial term s . Thc pe r · rec i lincnr 1)(,J"speeti\'(' joius with the cxq u i~ite II bslruc t cillrily of ('neh pOSt' and figurt· - thl' c\'t'll h('mlines of t.he ilngels' dresses, t heir c r is p and level hcuds and 1('\"('1 wnistbands, the d i ~ h exuc tl,\' o\'e l" the Ce nter or Chri s t' s

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62

M OV ING

2 .3

PI C T U RE S

PIER O DE I. I. A f'KA NCt:aCA.

Tlt e Bapti'lI! oleltr",t

63 hf>ad lind dircctly IIndrl' Iht' hiN'alic don>-to de ny Ihe natural !'c"lity of till' 1>('1'(('(;1 IliudscnJl(' !H' lLiug'. The riv(lrbed upprouc hcs ou r feet. but the

sky and hills 81'('111 t'X(luisil('I~' p1J.!titr,d on II scenic elrop. Ihe distant group!; of c hllrncl.£>rs Ollll S('(IU('IIC(' of r('(!rdilll-t' scrims that might br lifted or rolled away. til(' who le perhnps easily rl·plnct.'d hy filiI gold behind the forcUlo!;! g rOllp. Tlw brf'IIIi1ll1killg hush in Ihis work is III« sudd(,11 absence of nil': we could lIot tlctulilly suryin' b('himi this picture plune. A l 'ir(Jill alld Child by CillUl d.. Coueglillllo frOIll nboul 1500. to Iltkf' a slilllal{,t'cxllmpic (2.4) , s hows 1\ wnllUlllliud IlItb." sl'a ted 011 a llIurblc bench and 8('l>nl'nl('(1 I'rom tile \ ' it,\\,f' t' hy n mal'hlp pllrll l)CI. 1'11(' distant Italinn hills wilh 10WIIS, bridg{'s. roads, ri\'{'I', and li v('!:>tock lIIighll.lS wl'Il be 1111 ex· quisil('ly 1'C'alislie 1I11>(lSI I'.\' bl'hilld her. Suffused, geul'ra liz{'d light Hnd pel" rt'Cl hllrllloll:'o' or colt)!' IIl1 itl' til(' Virgin unci Ill(' Iilllth;cnp{' ill Ollt' IhC'orrliclilly outdoor but II('\'{'rtlwl('ss IlI11UiIUl'lilisti c lind rOOllll ik£, pillCl', Wht'('l' (WIlling II UIY 1II0\,{' cUljually ill or 0111 , ron\'Hrd or blH:k, Tilt, Virgin und I h(' buckd ,'op r('r el' to IIII£' IlIIot hrr liS ou 1\ s tllj!'('-I he,\' ill terilct (:OI1C('I>'

2.-1 C UIA DA C OSt:OI.lANO, Th ,. l' irOi" tHld Child

64

M OV I NG

P I C T U R t:S

tUHlly !Iud. or COll rs€', bC'lIu t ifully, bill fhe d rum8 is ('nMeted Dilly in the fon:" ground, and only lwtw('(' u ;\I oth('r and SOil nlld viewer and pnillt('r. whose IUll nc UpJK"urs cOIU;picllous!y 011 the parapet hefoN' our eyes. Ellrl), dcsiglll'rs of slag(' se t s would similal"", l)Hint Ii sc hemuticlilly ope ncd-u p bnckdroJl (or d runlll , to sluml fol' the possi bil ity of alll' r lill t ivc IIctioli w ithout perm itting it, und 10 IDellte t he d r um s iU;elf i n II (:0 11\'tislII of Christ, not u wllter gallic of SOllie sort. he suddenly I)roducrs the gold-shedding do\'(' ill mid· flight. dowllwnrd from u bCllignl." bending Ood H imself. But God is not. ill this scelle; li e is en l hrolled inside the initilil leLlerof the texlabove . This is a ve ry cinemlltic SOI'l of Hwilch. God's posture. beard , a nd robes II r(' also lifelike unci llSYIIIIII('lrica l. I-l is 1I100d attent.ive-bul H is flut gold backgrou nd shows I-I e lives ill I-: :t.crnily. und olily mukes U II nppClI rlillce hert', fixed inside t il{' s8 c rf'd lext Illat. has rcvculed H im to us. )I eanwhilr the Bapt ism goes on ill Ihr earthly sUlishillf' wht're we li'·e. Above God. ullothrr

fi :i

...

•

r IltlU1t lUatu& Itttt ll~m"lttt ~ -tU)lttt nt lt~. C(l Jl)CtutJ 0$ mat_ gfabttUtl aautuUl

:! ,r. The Ht'lillJml of Cltrllrl , ilf'lail or illumination rrom Tit,. TurIH ·.!/,I"H lIuwrlf

sllOl rl'OIll lilt' ~11l1l(' fillII s hows 1\ flashhllck Sf'llllt'lIct' \\'lIith is 1111' ItlllilliJC)dy II f lilt' IIU 1'1'111

i, '(', I 11(' hi 1'1 II II

r s1. ,I 0 hII •Vf'll rs ht' r01'("

Ht'1 wc'(' II I IH'III lilt· It'S I ,

or \'oil.'l'·o\'l' I', CIlI1lU'cls thc' 1\\'0 ('\'(' lIls. This lLI'I'IIII~I 'I II('1I1 til' SIICI'f'd slIIJjt'cl Ilialkl' WlIS CO II\' j'llliollllll," IIs{',1 rol' 111iurpit'ct,S willi pl'{'( l t~I I IIS 1J('lflw silowi llg' 1'{'1f'\'lIl ll 111I1'I'/lli\'I' 1I1111{,I'ia l ill s !tIu ll SCI' IIt's-1hi'

('\'(' III Sill li lt' Ii r(' () r II su i III s h OWII III a 1'1 •\'1'1-1'11 , su h jl'cliw, 1'\' (' 11 ill tl'OSI)PCli\'(' terms, as ir Dn\'id hnd dC'cided to lII11.kt:, II lII odp l'lI 1II0\'il' Ollt o r lHi ol d il lllll1 i IUlt iOII. Th e hilt:' illuminlltions I IH' lIliWlws 111'1' (,Yr ll 1II 01'C' griPI>i llJ; in I h('il' suh. jccliw !l m'or , Th l's(' millintu!'I' works IIII\'{' elm;!' llilin iti('s with thl' prisi ug, gillc(' their niul was pe rfect integrati on and not r{'conci liution , which r('coglli zes contJ ie!. Thi s reconciling wOI·k is exactly what film picturing is always do ing, blowing up ruiltutil.l e to hu ge size nnd s igllif· ien nct' whiJt· at thl' SlI m (' time ofTerill g visiolts of all e ndlef>sly proliferating' Beyond, in nnolher turn of t.he f> tree t, 11 room Ll'hind til(' door, It plain bel ow tlU! hill. Th e privut(' eOllll1l1lllion cnc h viewer hilS with n movi e has hl'C Il dcsc rib('d; Ilud it seems Ullctt lHlily s imilar 10 the private commun ion a si ngh' vi('wer ca n hav{' with a very smull, very real is t ic. and emo ti ollally c harged picture - 8 mic rocosmic vision that CIlIl overwhe lm . A ill rgc pllillting invites a I)ub-

(

~ !Qt".

tarl I

Till' f' iflrl'lIllI ('r ll/lll'Y

(j

!J

•

lie IIlIdit'rlel' Ihnt is IIWiI,'(' of i' ~;I'lf as II J,!roup. likl' 11 cOII~r('g-utioll, A 1111,," piClllr(', lik(' it rllo\"ir ill /J tlark tliru H',.. ir l\"ukl'S H solita r'y pr'jva ll' cirt"1111 frolll (,l1c h sillJ,!lt' willl(,SS , TIL i!; ki lrd or t,n"~CI i:Wt'IIIS 10 haw h('f'1l whlll l ilt' ilIU lllimllo rs illlt~ l1d ('(1. Th('il' "C'lIdf' r illJ,! or distulICt' all ri PI'PSt'nc(' of II\{' l'UloCl'lIls \WI't' dorl(' for' d ii1'('n:.' lLt hoo ks by til{' SIIIIII' stu dio, I)t)ssibly l il(' SII III(' Irulld-Ilu' ~l llx imil ill l l ~ l tl Sh' r, who 11111." ill fa ct hn\'!' 1)1'('11 AI('xl.IlId{' I' B(,llillg' (2,7), t ' ll liki' I11l1l1y II't~ ;II1lL('IIIS of tlris su !Jj('ct, Ihi fo> mil' has only l irl'('{' OJ' 1'0111' ma in fiJ.! II T'('S ll!ld OUf' 01' two sllhs irlinl'Y OTH' ~, Tht' wholt'sa lf' \'iul(,II(;I' allti tlf'libf'I'IIIt' eI'Ut'II,v of Iht, sluu l,:"lIlPI' III't~ otl'(' I'{'li wilir tht~ t'COIIUIIIY of GUYlIlllld IIr.:' op licu l pl,t'cisio l1 uf it I1PWSI't'(' 1. ~o qUIIII tity of arti~tic."I,\' h'lI,t'f1 bl'l'lIstS, ciliSPNI hands, nlHl tlw tUUlultuous p ili IIi! up of bodi('l) is m'NINl to COIl\'('Y this horror: A sold i('r quickly 1'{'uciIl's Ollt to YlIlik a f('a r -st l' ickt'll \\'01111111 by hf' I' d,'('ss. b('fol'" sllf' can s lip Ollt of t hl' fr'clf bCCillll{' imporl tlnt U-I> neve r be fo re, tiS it became t he universal \'Chicle of vi s ual undel's tandillg. Divis ions bct.wec ll ~ol·t. h c l"II Mid Ital ili ll vis ion I'; how up {'''{' n lIIor(' aCll l{' ly in thei r dil1"erc ll t u ses of it.

rt-d

Ie

TIl l' Si.rlrc llfh Cell/llry

The sllpprt'ssioll of color r\"(~ 11 i II pta in l ing

85

IOllg-slllllding ~orlll EuJrull Puct' lIt,'s grislIillc 1Il llll1lSCI'ipt works in WI.l S it

ropCU Il impuisl', j:{oing buck 10 th(' fOIlI'I(>('nth C(,lIll1ry lind cont illuillj! wilh th(' Ol',-,Iwillf' gro ups r(,lIci(' red by the MUI!l\('r of FI ~ lIlull(', Vun Eyck, 1Illlllh('ir follow('rs 011 t il e ext€,l'llul pUII(>1 8 of ultllrp i(>cl'S, Going bt·yollli t hi s im illitioll of colorll's8 sculptnr(> were 1I0ci urnui scenl'S ill Cl'l'tHill ,,' I{'misir IIIll11 u sc rip!s Hlld ill Ihe work o f OP(,I'tg(,1I tot Sill! .JOIIS (3. i ), 111'1'(' liI(' 11100 11 Or' SOIll('tiIlIl"S o nly lIw divine rndiun c(' of tlli' Christ Chi ld il h llll ilUlti' S tlrp ctulli e tir('1II beyond Ihpir rragil e. spollhmeous first li fe, Mal'ca nton io worked from RaplureJ's tir'uwings , Ir'lIl1sillfi ll g thei l' fr(' sh rOllndllt'ss iuto II s t ill el lll·i t.". firming lip thf' hllll'ry edg{'s of tlw cast shndows, ('xpl nining nil the mu sc les. lIsing hi s

C pyr

te

87

if it WI" ',' II poin!p" - llIId sO IlWlilllt'S adding II f pw bac kgroull d toueill'S stol f'1l f"OIIi f)On ' r,lI s i f In HUlk" II lil1lt· how to ,I ,{' II Ck IlO\d· r d g('d h i~h p l'i,'st of Ill(' J!ra\"('r'~ 111'1. ) llI rCl.tIl IOliio alld his pmplo.v('(·s 11 8('IIrlisls us BUI'gklllllir, HUll S Baldung-Gric n, und Lu cas van Leyden t.ell thei r' ow n tal es with great insiste nce. l~ ike movie images, t hey force their way int o th e consc ioll s ness, hcnri n g flt r mo re cO lll ph-xi ty or mea ning wit h t hf' 1II t hall th e lIurrut ive it.scl r cull lS fo r, touc h illg on irrelevant associutiolls , umludd ing ambiguous detai ls to the straightforward racts . As in Nort hern

tUI'{'J;.

WilN hc r or

110 1

PUilllillg, llud ns in film, reSOllnnt symbols sneak in ns c li s lo lllu ry phc llom{'na, a nd cliurge the lltmospiJe re.

Thi s group of ~o r t h e rn printlll ukcrs, following DOrer, establ is hed for ali timt" the' c.£pre,'>iii l'(' IJll t hor ity of blllck -und-white printed pictures, in a dec isive wny that could be ec ho~d Int er on ly by the cnment Hnd t he movie cam ern , E \"{~ n MUllt pgntl 's ovcrwhc irni ng c n g rn \'i ng~ were more expository llulII ('x p,'essi\'e, tht· ir subjects were trlld it io nul, und t heir form of monoc hromy hus little to do with th e 100\'CIl'lent or ligh t. But t he mobile a nd color less f1 ich l'ill g imug{>, wilh it s d is tillct ive messuge embod ied only in its shi rting £lu rk s aud li g ht s, wus a 1Il0d~rn CO lltribu ti OIl u nique to ~o rth e rn Rellllissallee EII,'ope; it wus made 8\'uilable by th e equa lly modern Northern I)he, nOIlH'1I0n of printin g thnt s till mo\'es illl ugery int o eve ryone 's head , TI\{' freedolll of subj ect mutler for s nch prints in the ea rly sixteenth ce nIUI'Y wus lllrl'udy ellonnous, IlIIlike thttt ror paintings; Rnd it wus IllH tched by II freed om of Il'cnlment with which ench prin lllluker could pu rsue his privutc ult i tud~s und obsess ions. Hans Bu ldung-G rien was an artist who took s ingu lnr advantage of su ch rreed om, allowing hi s imag ination to bound 11IId jigg l l~ lind swoop wit h pl' rve rsc wnywurd in vention . He is like J (>all -Luc Godard or Werner H(>rzog, or allY other id iosYll cratic mov ieIllakf'r, who reels free lo push private wh ims to extreme s, t.o be both comicnlly ill1 ( \ hor ribly concrete, to for'ce elllo ti onu lu nd erotic issues, to mystiry and di sgust , to disturb a nd enl ig hten, but never to flutter or el ucidate. St.ylist ie excess becomes purt or t.he s ubject unci propels th e narrntive. In Bal dung, ol d themes, like Delltilll lld t he Mnidell , nrc both d eepened a nd jee red nt with s harp and nasty new touches. New themes, like The Bewitched G room or Th e Wi ld Horses in a Fores t , are wrought out of d isturbing old rragm ents and forced illto inexplicable prominence. Reli gious th emes fly off t.ll(' halldll'-see the asce nding Chr ist yallked up feet firs t (3.8), or a cherub crooked ly jumming a crowli on to Ma ry's head whil e the Chri st Child climbs into her corsage. Mary Magdalene. raised nuked up to heave n. smiles while rece ivillg erot ic sti mul ation from six Or eight liule angels on her WHy up (3 .9). Mellllwhile t he Floren t ine and Umb rian pa intings of the Hi gh Renai s-

C pyr

te

89

1'hl' Si.rlccIIIl! CClllury

a .8

IIA NII FlAI. D U NO - ORIEN .

Cltri" Corned to

/lt IJI Y "

by A "gel,_ Engraving

3.9

IIA NS

BAI. D U NO - ORIKN,

Tlu f:ltt'(JlioH 01 Alary MagdalcH. Engra\'ing

'0

MOVIN O

PI C T U RI-:S

sa ll e(' WC I'P b e l\ut i fu l l~' II'ansl alf'd i nto th l' languag{' of rf'p 1-o{hl(! lin' {' II-

gravi ng' . sO tim! th l.' li llk be twl'c II U'x t and illum il1tltion wu s s moot hly Ulnilltuincd ill Cl new arrungclU(,llt: the c ngraving ci('sc r ih('d Ih .. l}/lintin~ . EmhlplI1 -hooks w(' re ull';o Illl Ita li ll ll iU\'C ll ti oJlllrisi n g frOmlhl' c la ss icll lnotiol, thai 0111.' si lilple s ia lic illUlgc cou ld fix U cOlliplex e lu sive idea.. could

sOlllc how clariry it by submitti ng it to ol'dcl']." \'isual reductio n. Evcn indi yiduu ls cOllld thus fl'c l lhI'1II8(>1\'('s "cxplnilled" by indiv iduully cO llcc iv('d persona l ('mbl cllls. ,(,hp m odern iel enl of a bslra ctioll ill il l" wns ill pnrl c rclllcd ill t his IlB lilill Bf'IIUissullce impulsf' , alld fil's l trunsmiltNI, like- ull other EUl'opelilt Ilrl ist ic idcus, through t h(' prilltcd iliing-e ry or t he sixtee nth c{'ntur,\', II ('u ter'cd titl' lIIuins treulII o f Ul't partly t h rough sitc h illustrntions as those (or Colo lll w'!; c ryptic l> hwy t he /-/YP"f'rO fol/w("hia Poliplt ili und A icittt i's Embl emlila I1 l1d its ~ tl cc essors, S uch books drllIollstl'Ul,(' how Ihe Ilulinn Re uui ssl1nc(' sea rch for nbs tnlc l bl~ IJUI.v ilt pictur('s cOllllcctcd it self 1.0 the df'si,'f' to ('III bod .\' idelt~ in hf'lI l1l iflll p" intNll llllgungc, Illld to lUukt> ilhlslrH ti\'(' p ict ur('s se('III S li k£' visibl e word s trlHlscend(' nl ly rea rrnngNI. III the fir'sl hn lf o f the sixteenth century. Ve ne tian p r ints kept pnc(' with utmosphcric Vc uC' t ian painting, abllndoning lille for d e licate stipple s hnd · ing, But the b(,lIl1ty of e h' lIr forlll rcmuill{'d the fundu me nl nl I}ri nc ipl (' of Itill in n bl;l(;k-Ul 1(I·w hi t(' urt , in originul 0 1' I't'PI-OdIlClivl' WOI'kJ; , Ambiguity ill H igh RClluisslillce Ituliall u,'t, cO I1 \'(',\'NI pH rl ly ill Shlldowy re ndering, con· Se(ILI e litl y looks likr U delib(,l'lIle ly Ilppli ed vcil, the cl.lreful obfusCllti oll 01' u clcar thought, rllth('r thull a mirror of " IIII IIHI clllotioliul IIlt1bi g uily und lI oll -resolution , !;lIch flS Nm,t hel'n uri is Itlwnys o fT(' ring, In G im'go ne' s 'I'f'm pesl", t he moist prcgll8nl llir and s t rnngr re illt io nship umo ng th c cilllrllctcrs 118\'C sli gges t N \ lIot flny underlyi ng psychologicul drulllll, bll t 1 or LyollS, til(' origilUll jlllblisiterlS, '0111(' IUI(' r liulhf'ill dl'si j?lIs Wt're notably hOlchl'd by illr('rior linnds, to the ('xl('1I1 111111 il is nOI ('wn Clt'llf Ihut Ilwy 1Irt' hy " oliwin, ..\ cerillin risky, col· luhorllli\'{' dimt'liS io ll IIns I.IlwllYs pre\'llil('d in III(' rt'prodllcihl(' commercial urIs. only lu{('ly ('lIIbrucinj! fillll and t('I{" 'isioll, II has U('{'II c!t'ur sinc(' Ihl' iJl'IlilLllillj! 111111 whl' r'NIS IIl1l11y hllnds Cilil 1I111k{' 111Il1l81I'rpiN!(', Ih('y CIIIIlIIlSO lIIuk(> II Im~ss, Fill S T II'iurn l)hs of ~;(,Clllll r (' 111011\'(' IIl11d8CIlI)(' pni ll tilll! OC, clI l'l'el! ill Dlil't'I"1; IlIlIdsClipt' WIlIt'I'colors, wllich SP('111 to III\\'£' bf'('11 illl l'lIdNI ollly fOl' hil; OWII I'YI'S. TheSt' h8\'e lInother t'lt~ III ('1I1 or proto·cim'llUllic IIrt. thllt or truIlSpllrt~ IL C~' . Dlll'preould 1101 try ror Ihnt in his hlllldwritlen wood· cuts III1lI po('lil.: PIlj?rllvi ll gS. wht'rt' II(' lISNI lighl iciiosYll c rllLicully, dt'sigll ' illll' hi,; own cOlllpl£'x seh('lII(,s for ('xpoundinJ.!' black·llnd·whil(' relllily. SO Ihut !WIIU' pht'llOlIIt'llIIlIr(' d('sc rilwd and others ar(' r('\'('III£'d. 1111 in the S8111(' lliClllrf' , Bill ror til(' wah'reolon; lit· look III' li~ht as 111(' illrorming sourct',

THE

:u I

AI.rIKt:CIIT AI.TI)OfU'ER.

TA r /hI/IN/U' I'flfll'!J. Et c hing

94

M OV I NO

PI CTU K ES

lil,' lump Ihut pours Ihl-oll~h /I l inlNl film to (!ri'IIt(' 1I S(:('IIt' \' ihnHillj! with 1I1most unff'lIl rlllliUl lCl' (:1, 12). T hes(' works S{,{, IU tiki' tile first {'olor lSlid('s. uillit'd III gt' III' !'lIl i lll! ci ll{' l lI lIlic powl'r ill Iht· cuplurinl,t of st ill \'i l' w s. L ik(' Caspar Duvid Frit·dr·jell's 1I1lIeh lute r, lit('se SC£' III'S S('t' lli to 11lI\'!' 1111 \t(Hlllcili ' "it'S. TIlt',\' un' 1101 clln' fully fnllupli 1 0 IlO~P'uphiclil "it''''s wilh ('()l/lis~/'$ at t'IH: h sidl' 11111\ I"rIJ/JI/.',xoir .'»'t'els in till' flll ·l'~ rnlind . '1'11 (' ,'('cOI'di ll!! f'y(> flullt s. hUrl II' up by Ill(' light thu t holds til!' world tog I he hUi! shot ill Th e Clock, wlH're the ClHnerll swings up ll nd buck f,·om the I)o ignllnt. part.ing lovers to show the desolate girl merging with the I"Ushing mill ions ill New Yo rk . Bruegel died lit, forty·four lwd o nly pninted during the Ilist ten or Iwe l\"e yeu rs of his life, hsviug do lie cou nll ess d rawings fo r e ngravillg by An twerp publis hers d urillg his youth . For his prin ts, he copied the style of Bosc h ·s grotesqueries lind did many co rn ie lind Sill i ric plill es de,'o id of mnch poetry. But his sketches and drawings show the same incredi ble delicnc)' Ilnd clll r· it)', even trunspllrency of the IHtinlings : Bnlcgcl wus un artist. with both a poetic und II g ruphic tempcrnment, who clearly would hll\"e lIu.l(lc movies if he could.

not- d

Ie

I

FOUR

The Early Baroque

I 6 0 0, it wus c1('1\r Ihlll 111'1, likt> Ellropl~ it~t'lf. Inll..1 brok('11 up /Iud was .'('co mbin ing. 'I'll(' No ,'the l' ll g l'aphic Ilrtisls PllI'SIWd thrit, c ri s p. hlnck ," nd·whi le> il1uslrnlin' Plitt. III the SUII1£' timp lhul Ilw greHt V('lw lillll lla illfi'l"s W('I',' slIturnting th l'ir \'1181. myth ic SC('IH'S wil h co lor 1111(1 s h illlllJ('r. BUI Titiull IIlso designed sOllie (,IIIoP'uvillgS of e llurillOIiS size Ihllt might 11(> f/ri,l;oille Veuetillll paiulillgs. and Fit-mi sh l\Iallllel'isl paillll'rs wm'e at.· 1 (> IUJ>till~ b,'uvurll r(,lIditiullS of C l assicllllll~f lhol og'y . EI Gr('co's IlIIgt', fli ck· prill!; cpipilullies we,',' conh' mpu t'Il I'.\' with Nicholas lIill iul'd's prpcise porlru il lIIinilltures. Although su "uriaHs lind so II111iuIIU1 , IIrt WliS ull the 1II0re thoroughly int c mat io llali u 'd by thc s preud uml prpnlh'IICt> of prill teti pic turl's. tiespitt' the gulfs bctweell Cnt hulic 111111 PI'olesttlllt vil'ws of iIIlUg'(·ry. ull d Iwt.w('ell views of lIlutcriallif{' ill ubsolut(· 1lI0llar'chit,s alld ill ill cip' iellt. I·(,puhlies. TILl' printing o r pictul'cs IIlIHI (' it possibl(' 1101 just for II('W pictoriul id(,lls but for t.rudit.iouul imug('ry to I}/'ol if('ru l(' tlud mo\,{' Ihr'ough gUl'olw, wh('l''('w' IwfCU'I' it hnd Iwell s latic 1111(1 isolulNI; u nd so, J>lu'lldoxica lly, art rnOl'e ensi lyerossed nutiollill alld 1'('liJ!ious boundaries tha i had si· ltIultnneously become Shlu'p('r, Ncvcrthel('slO, 111(' Prol('stltnt NOI·tli uud the Ca thol ic South contilllH'd to dewlop (h('ir din'e l'(' llcPS ('\'('11 us l ilp,\' s hnred th('ir SO llre(,8. Til l' COUlltl'l'Reformllt ion produced Olll' kind of " reuli sm" ill ,ut IIlId ndvancl'd Prot estanti sm unot!.('!'. It oln' iously o\'('rsimplifi('s th(' ens(' 1.0 try to hep them l)olari1.ed, since so lIIuch cross· refe rence und cross·i nfluence we re I>ossi bl c; lilld yet t1ut OIlO IIiOliS traditions die hard . Th e sevcntcenth-century art of both Cnt holic tlnd Pro testant Nf'the r lunds showlS it s df'bt to the Northe rn past, delSpil(" the amount or r'espect for Frllll ce ulld Italy it lIullulged t o in· ternalize. In Itu ly, classica l ideals urticlIltltcd ill the Henn issan ce were held over' into the sC\'c ntcenth ccntury, desp ite inte rvening Manllcrist distortions or I'cl'S is tc nt influences from the No rth.

C

h

100

.loI O VINO

"' . 1

PI CTU RE S

II t: R (,U I. t:S 8 t: O IU: K 8,

TIl t! J/O¥SlI Tree. MonolYJK'

Graphic power wus now lIli ackllowledged rorce. Cou rll~' Ilncl ci,·jllls well tiS religions propagaudu was prollluignt(>d by prilltcd imagery, 111)(1 graphic artists w('re indispensable cmployees of kings llnd dukes, cn rdilluls lmel alJbots. Th e em otional leehniques (h'\'cl0l)cd by the book illulIlillllLOrs we re joilled to the rhetorical skills of public church uri unci officin l porltllillire in U CO Ulm on , fluid , graphic t"euler o f pers unsioll. a mo\·jng-picture pnlne(' wiliiOut walls. Just us ill the modem world, arti st~ could stea l frolll ull

other artists Pll Sl lllld prN>cnl, a ud fol' eX l re m(' ly vuriowl PU l'pos('s. Thl' old hermetic viewlo; of craft und urt re prt.'sc nl ed Ly Leonardo da Vinc i wert" ex1)loded. By di ssc milHtling both len rlliug Itlld illwgcry. prilll broke up thei r isolatioll-t he keeping und telldiug of sppiIlK of bouudu r i('s wus l.l Jri" IWl'ully \'isibll' lIud fH III On!) Iilclllt' ill Bu .-oqnt, Itn lillll IIr!. bll t I('ss 1I0 Iic(,lIl.Il .. kintls o f arlists \\'('re Illso goillg I)('yond old limi ts . A pri\,tltt:' artist such liS Hf' I'cui('s 'PJEh(, I's (15 !l- 16:J S) WIIS illl(,llsir~' illg hOlh the possibilities of prilllNI grllpliic ex pression HIle! tlll~ t'lI1uliOllll1 SCO I){' or

11l1I(\fSCIlIW, 1-1 (' Illude lurge pr ints in 1II01l01yP(' wh ic h COllld not i}{' "('pro· duced. ulm081 as if hI' Wf'rl' wor'king ill pain!. lI is gn.lphic works look til(' med iulil beyond lit(-' dellulllds of COIIlIII{,I'cial lOUCel'S!) into (ul,tht',,, pUI'C'ly IIr· lislie realms , sOIllf'wlml us photogruphy llils h(,(,11 t llkf'1l in this Cf'II!UI'Y, Th c' IUHllllillg u'x tur('s UlIIJ IJllllosphl'ric quulili('s S('l!hf' I's CI'l'lIl('(1 \\'(' 1'(' 1I 0t unli lublf' lo COlllll\(' rciul graphics until II hUllcirt'd and firl~' Yl'l:U'S 1111('1', wilh t.he in\'(,lItioll of li lhogl'Clphy, In OUI' prese nt clillwh' 111(' illWll l'dll (,SS of Seghe rs' illlugrs SeNtI r('llIted to 1U1Idl'rll Expl'('ssio nist goals, hut hi!S US(' 01' cnslIlll llHII('riu l subj('cl !Unt lel', su ch us books IIl1d hoats and "it'w!; ou t tltt·

4 ,i

II ER e U I. F. S S ): (I II ); R S,

IJ ;Jllfllli r i,,1/'

I/'

it h

H r fltH' " of J' j /II'

1',.,.,., )!Ollo tYIW

102

M OVINO

l' I CTU RJo:S

wi lId ow, besides unpeopl ed landlScupes or eeri e flll\, O,., cO lltri bute 10 I ht! Ci llc!Untie \·i('w o f phenomena . 1'hl'Y co nvey the ro muul ic ici(>u LIIlI t detached objects ex is t to 1)(> invested with subject in fer ling. Seghers- kind o r art, llloreO\'er, s hows itselr to be a me r(' condu it ror this process, to nllow it s fllllctiouing in the \'iewcr's eX I>Cri(> IICi!; t he Ilrtist is II Ot til(' olle whose e mot ions are bt'ing exposed. S(>ghc rs e mphasizes t his s ituation by usi ll g spe c ific but imagina ry land sca pe , as if re minding be holde rs of the ir drl'u ms, nOt describin g hi s (.1. I , -t .2). :\'Iove me nt he re is not a prope rl y o f t he sClllUlin g eye o r of the trees and wat e r th emsc lves; it is t he mo\'e IlH'n t. of inner r C!; I)onsc, IIOW tolully seculurized and illd i\·jduuli1.ed . Th e use of empty hllldsc8pe ill pllI,t icular mnrks 8 deliberate s hift away f,'O m the d CIIUllld that spi ,-itual rcs ponses be focused on th e Christian lIly th (or e\'e n on Clnsl-;iclll my th s ove rlu id by th e Ch r ist illn one) a nd toward an unmed iated d e ma nd fo r sp irituul cngngC'ntenL S uc h themes "'e l'e th orough ly ex plored by Ho mnn tie arti sts who, like li t hography, flail r ishNI two cc nt n !'ies IUI(' r. long 11 f' e r S('ghers (following' A It d o rfe r) hud enullciated the m. Hi s work re prese n ts anothe r 1Il0\'f' townrd movies, sUlull bill di stin ct. Seghcrs' urt wa s ill sy mpathy wi th allothc r prolo- Rolllil nt ic und protoc inemalic art ist of hill time, Ad a m l1I 1 is in the flll s h or gillIlC(,S Ihlll c hllrg(' Ihl' IIiI' 1I1rputiy pri'pnrt'd by the g low or th e III Hl P to fill wit h th e IIWart' ll eS$ 01' fli,' illt~ l>I'l'SI' lI can s('(> t he ulpr!. e>yps of 11If' f!Mls , silrll ily bl{'ssi ng tilt' sucl'pcl n!lic::f's 01' hospilll iity tlWI nrt' PI'tlCI'('dill g so s klwl." II lld s tirn." HI t ll (' IIgNI co uplC"J; huml s, This puilltillg, IJlt'tlsllrillg six by li llie IIIHI a hllll' illclH's, co nta ins n who le sct'lle from a 1110\'11', 1101 Ollf' hu s hrd tablellu , Til l' old \\' 01111:11 1 shakily folds bed · dillg, tlml bf' I' hu s bulld conCf' ll tratcs 011 slIr,'ly cn rryi llg II fu ll \'t'ssel: Ihei r eye I; tire down, t hc~' c rt~nk lIud s hlltll ~ n bit at Lilt'lr WOJ'k, ~ h,tin whilf' In the dim light of Ilwi r hut. ti Ll' discrt't'lulId wl1lChI'lIl god!>; 811111111111811111 bllt UII · lIoliCf'd rt'gult'lIs(' , illulllIQlic('d godly drf'SS , We> squirm, wnitillg for th(' old fo lk!; to look lip, to r('(' 1 t ill.>di\'illr IIl11'lI , 10 notice tile stnill gen('ss-bul t h e~' wou ' t , b(,llIg p rol('c lNI rrolll slic h knowledgl', tiS th e,\' lire I'rolll se lf·con·

104

M OV I NO

PI C TURES

sciOll sness. by th e ir perfect goodness. Now the gods Il nd W(' are secret ly willlf'Ssi ll g it. t.oget hcl'-l ru c vil"lllt' at work. lik(' two tiny flames ill 11 huge bplli g h t.('d 'l\'OI'ld. 0 111y lomorl'ow will CO ll I(' tile duy lighl, the c ilip ilany. l il t' ,'ccognili oll, and th e rewaro . 'I' I\(' s lrai g ht(o l'wllI'd d CIu il s ill

r~l s h cime r 's

little picture" 011 gl'Clll

thCIIH'S give t hem II cnme rnl ike fla vor thot 'r intoret.to illld " c ronesc. Rubens. C,u rtl\'uggio, unci the Ca rrllcci Ilvoided for tiw ir [u rge-scall' VC I" sions of simi lar su bjects. The V(>ry choic(' of II s lImll s iz(' for such works. th ough it may have been dicta trd by c irCullIstn ncc, s ugges ts a diffe rent goul (rom the olle purs ued by t he greul expe rt s 1I1.1)ugt'Ulilry working' lit the SllIIl(' pe riod . E lshcime r always ayoid s the d ivi llt'ly th ('u lrica l lIlf'thod in fuYo r of the cine mil lic s l y le. wh ich depcllds on th e cUlllc rll's prosilic record· ing eye ('\'CH while opli lLg for th c sweep o f mYl hic grllndeu r. I n th e cuse of sacred martyrdollls and heavellly visio ll s. he Ilc hieves t ll at hi g hly renlist.ie III IN'ulit y whic h SI)(,Cl8culllr fihlls hm'e: El s hcimer see lll s 10 ha\'e "di· rf'cted " Th e SIOllillg of 81. Stephell, 1'01' exa mple , Th e massed figures seem I'('ul Ill'op l(', th"ir bod iI's IIlId istort.ed by IlIly so\'er('ign stylistic Ill ode, only w ry IIdroitly pitlcNl ll lid ins lruc tt'd (-1 .4), C inellla CIlII lH~ve r d o what 'I'illl Ore1(O or Hu bcns did. S u ch plliulers e ,'c, nl ed figllr(' st,yles li n d paintiug techlliqu('s and CO Ul llOsi l ional ploys sO flex ih le IIlId interdepcll cif:III t hat t hey llIay belollg on ly to pllinting, a nd the hcavc llly \'is ioll s or I h(> ullegoricul ilppuril iOlls I i\'e o lll~' ill n rt iSI ic 1.(')'II1S, No photo-graphic IlIflt ('ria l CUll in trude. or tl\(' illus io n wou ld b(' lost. But EIsh(>i nH'r u ses ligh t ill the NO l,th e l'll pho lo-grllphic way. to creul.e 1111 ell rl hly a etua lity for hNn 'cnl), c ircumstu nce s. insteud of fi ll in g tlw uni\'c rs(' with pllillt.l"rly lighl. like '('i nlorcllo, whic h 11('('(110 SlI spell!;ion or d isbelief to be r igh tly 8(,('11 , H e' IIlso IllitS WOllle ll hanging up thei r lu und ry in to The Fl iylll from BI(I'"iIlY Troy. und s h ows SL !('pllf'n 's IIrlll S hanging IU'lpiessiy down, his jaw dropping in St.UII IICd, IIl1l1c r'oic style ufter the firt~t slone lIaz.; stnlck him . whili' t il e IIlIIIl behind hill! sl l'ctclH'S U]) 0 11 ti p t.oe to crush Ihe SIOII£' d ow lI again on t he blt'(~di llg Ir end, AlIl.h e figures in l hcse pain ti ngs have rreslr. naturlll -sccllli n g bodily d c portmellt, Ilnd t he Iighling hns u pcnctl'uti ll g flow l hllt is only c lIl phnsized wil ell Ei shei lll ('r SIIIlI'PCIIS it for olle o r 11is !lig ht pieceli, 1'he r{' is 11 0 insis tCli t lh('utricnii ty or ei t her light. or gest.ure; bUI there is ulso no I}oin ted (>xl. ra (lwl..' II)(1rd llcss, such as both Cllru vuggio ulld Remb ran dt e mployed, Th ese bodi('s ha\'c fam iiia r ('asp unci pro po rtion rather l.iuw any Ilrtistic·looking clnssic gracc or !lilli-cl assic c rud ity, 'I'h c~' sce m si ml}ly uli\'e. Viewers need lIot WOrk to Irllnslnlc t.he ir bod ily rOrmS i\nd a ction s out o f II poetic lUll' guug(' in to plain hUlIlun s hnpe: Eisheilllcr hilS u rrllllged it nlr('nd,v . De spit(' the lilllc he spent in Rome, E isilci me r was a tr'uP Nort hern urt-

C pyr

te

Til ,. f ;al"iy !Ja roql/"

4.4

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F.1 .8 11 ~: IM.: N .

n ,.SIQll i"fJo! S/.S/,.,Jhl'lI

105

1 06

M OV IN G

PI C T U RE S

is!, II devoted l:'cio n of DUre r and Altdor fcr, t hough one for whom the reso ul'ees of I lilly were ellS), to al$s im ilnle rather than probl emat ic. The s l1Iali

sizl', t hl' transc(' ndcllt lISC of light, th e delicate signs of human interacti on 1111 link him with Vlln Eyck and I..hc illuminators carlier und with Vermee r 181('1" bill. also wi th the cine matic impulse altogethe r, despite hi s ca pacity t.o use VCIlClil111 schemes a nd to e nco mpnss class ical monumentality . He Ill/IllagN; to make Illliinn elements feed his German need to use the Uluudnnc as t he right fram e for unearth ly t ruths a nd s piritual expression. L"n nd scape sen 'cd hi m particu larly well for this. on Altd orfe r 's model wit h some hel p from Giorgone. There he would use separat e and speeific sources of out.door li ghting: th e mOOIl, the r efl ectio ns on water, t he searchin g beams of t he SUIl strik ing from be hind the si lhouettes of trees , bonfi res, lan terns, und lorches-or, ill th e case of St. Stephen, thc heave nly searchlight beamin g directl~' from the throne of God. He could unite the characters in his lege ndary narratives with t he fee lings suc h lighting inspires. A nigh t scene out. of doors, even morc than a n inti mate cand lel it inte r ior, IIl lly e ngage the wh ole myste ry of ea r t h' s darkness, which everyo ne expe r ienceS whe n night falls and lights arc lit to fight. it. Perhaps th e moon le nd s its far glow. a nd someti mes the stars give t.hei r d istaut reassu rances. In El s heimer' s Fliylll ililo Egypt th ese pheno me na that. evel'yone ha s WOIld cred at con tribu t.e both their ol'd inllrincss a nd thei r magic to the se nse or CO llllll on life being li"ed a nd cos mic atte ntion being puici (.... 5). Watc hed O\'{" r by the eyes of nigh t, the fugitive fUlIl ily with its one hopeful torch ltI11kes its WUj' around the moonli t la ke townrd the safe ty of a s hephe rd's bonfi re in the wood. A se nse of immediate real ity comes from th e Cact thut th e seve ra l light sources are a lso co nt ra s tin g sou rces of heat or chill : t he cold lake und llIoon contra st with the ho t fi re and torc h; ex tremes threate n on a ll s ides, protec tion is uncert ain-fa ith mus t. prevail. T his scene, like many other E lsheimer paint ings, has no d irect all tece· d(,ll ls. H is conceptions werc uniqu(' in thei r time, prophe tic well beyond any predic table d escend ullts , of whic h there were quite a Cew. Ru bens, Rem brandt , and Claude Lorra in. all unique a rtis ts, were se lf-confessedly indebted to Eisheimer, wh o died at t hirt y· two havi ng do ne on ly a few small wor·ks. Other grea t painters thus recogni zed his intimate and graphic way with great lege nds; his paill t illgs wc re kee nly if only private ly apprec iated in his day, nnd much Intc r by Romantic writc rs. Hc was clearly attem pting something not then conventiona lly e ncompassed by the establis hed rules oC pa in ting. whi le ha"ing no othe r contemporary channel but through graphic •.11'1. which h(' I1lso prllct.iccd him self. Al though hi s pai ntings glow with jewcl-lik(, hu ('s, it. wa s his graphic inte rpretcrs a nd reproducer s who made E lsheimer intelligi ble and famons, beginning with his friend Hendrick

(

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10 i

OOlldt. through whose engJ'llyi ngs his works were mos t widely Illude knowll, 1'11., bla ck-ul/d -whit(' medium t hllt Ill lldc so IIllllly pniut('rs 1I\'uilnble to tll (' world inl e ns ifif'd Eisheimc r 's sp('cial qualit y wi Lli pnrticular elllotionsl poigllllll ce, The Mocking 0/ Ceres, for ('xum l)l c, kllown bes t in nn f'n(~~Ta\' in~ , r eco rds un odd episode from O"id in which Ce res , overcomc with thirst and given wnte r nt n co ttage while senrc hing for her daughl('r throughout the world , is mocked by a boy for he r greedy gulping, and exaspe ratedly changes him in to a liza rd , Th£' Elsh ei me r picture shows th e gUlping nnd t he moc king, lil by torch and cli nd le outside a hut 81 night (4,6), Th(' old mist ress of the coUng£' (a r elation of Baucis, b:' h('r looks) tri es to s(lu elch th e overexcited Iiul(' boy, while s he herself sLares al the thirsly st ranger with 1I1t (,1I8(, but r(,8('1'\'cd illt (' res t b,v the light of her ca lldl(' , A dOilies tic glow comes from Ihe cOl tllge inl ('rior; II cool moo n loo ks in from the othe r corncr , Ob li"ious fnrlll people warm th emselves at a s llIall fi r e in the stabl e yard at the r enr , T he t ight Iy composed sce lle is busy, mys t er ious, faintl y menacing,

108

) I OV I SG

4 .6

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" I C TU R E S

LS I!~; I M~: ft , Tltr J/orkllly

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Th e /:'·(I,.ly Ba,.Qque

109

und cxcitiHg, like ull suddctl inighttillle uct ivity perceived by children. El s hci mer has d eliberately chose n a subject thll.t is lImbiguous and not obvious, and he depends for the picture's effect 0 11 its interna l emot ional relationships-the close, sudden ly illum illll.ted encollnter of these three odd ly assort ed charact ers: the sta rk -naked poin ting boy, the hooded and peerin g old wOlllan pushing him back, and th e strong, beautiful draped goddf'ss, with t he li ght full on her barf' throat as s he t ips up the drink ing vessel. You can almost wntch her swnllow illg, and (eel t he boy's u ncontrollable ngitali on nt thl' sight. Who is she r What will happenr Th e scene is open·backNI, and ollce IIgain indifferen t ordinary life fl ows a round and over t he crucial episode in focus, ns if to suggest its ve ry arbitrariness . The IClb/ea,1t vi llani s tyle or dramatic rendering favo red by ClIra\'aggio is vcry difTerl' Ht. Carm'aggio tliso work ed in Rome lI.nd was E ls heimer's COli ' temporary, and the two artis ts' work has sometimes bee n associated . But Cnravaggio's scellcs take plnce well dowllstage, closed off by II backdrop, with a hidden s potligh t on the llcti on and the hOll sl'ligh ts off. Th e s peak ing illum ination ulld the 1II0llUluentuJly-sornetimes elegia cally or ecstatically - lIwkward figures have a fixed se lf·co nsciousness thnt is infin itely eO Ill pelling but never 1l1ltural. Charuct.ers orten sta re chullengingly at the audi ence or engngc one an other with a kee n llWareness of being seen. There is great light but no air ill Ca ravaggi o's paint.ed encounters; t hey ha\'e a el!lUstral , s had ow·boxy, nnd almost opprcssive IIlcaningfulness. In eaeh one, t he possi bility of alternative circumstallce has been renounced: th ey have 1l fated look, emphnsized by tire s tnsis of even the most. drllmatic corn · position s (4.7). Th eir pos ing s trengthens the erotie qua lit y of eaeh figure, even old and wrinkled ones-th ey are (ee ling t hemselves looked at, th ey know t hemsel ves transfixed by ou r gaze, forced to experience our sense of their flesh. Ca ravaggio's pailltings are somewhat like ph otographs mude to sim ulate pllintillgs, with models ca refu lly grouped and lights carefully truirred . There is no flow or life: everyon e's breath is held. including ours. There is certa ili ly all intense e"ocation or t MI th in C3ravnggio' S painting, but it is a tru th at odds with what. the subject ill\'okes. Something is being expounded about the lives of the models, 1I0t about t.he lives or the saints they play. It. is thei r own arresti ng bare soles or s houlders and e figurl' slyl lIulkes you f('l'i hi s hllnd. 'I'll{' kind of IIlllllual brilliUIlC(, pnlclic('d by Cullot or Oolly.iufol in etc lling lind eug ru\' ing relishes lilt' dillll'Clic of while ground IIl1d hlnek IIHlrks-tlw glowilll' sc ree n of lIot hillglless . lIIugicull,\' brokell lip lJy n f('w lilies und s hlldowfol into reul 'seClIlillg, g r ipping visions. The re is 110 s(}(,ciul lIl'ligh t ill 111(' III('W llllld burin , or ('\'(~ n in pell IIlId ink : d rllwings by Ca llol hll\'(' t il£' SUllie bl'(,lIll1tllkillg brll\'(' ry t hllt VUII Dyc k's und HemLJrilndt'ti s ilow, the- look o rb{'ing eonjured oul o r Iht' vo id IIl1d lit by it rrOIll behind. It is quitl' diffl'rent froUl 111(' insistent. cnlligrllph,\' of DOn'r, wlle l il{'r l'Ic lled, ('ngraved. o r druwlI .

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in c08mic II'I'III S, j' mplo,YI'" al'l iS l s with II St!'OIl/.{ Ill1ciPI'sl liUdillf,! of show bu si llt'ss to 1It'I p Ih p lli tllJ it. III OI'dt' I' lu slls ill ill t il i' I'ij.!lil lIolf', II (:(','Ill ill Pllllac lll'.1\ rpsl in' SOI'I uf j' xci tpwpul wnu ld hun' In slI n'u ~w all k illds of i l ll Ilgt' I'Y, It wOllhJ IIpply 10 )'(,COI"!!; of gl'isly ('Xi'CII I ;OIlS 110 I(' ss tha ll 10 dc, sC !'i p tiolls o r SIIl!!P Pl'tldilCliOlIS. 10 )'I' l i f,!"ioIl S illll sl nlliOlI 110 !t·ss 11111 11 10 fu s ilio n Pl'ilil S anti St(' II('S u f lIIilitm'y triu m ph 0 1' Im ll llil'lIpil1(', Ew!'y kind of SC I' II(' i ll ('u llot's Of'U\' I'C s hows Cl wodd w il h 1\ s at is fy il1/.! s lII' fll CC !!Ioss 111111 flllll (' !'s till' \'il'\\'(' I', \\'1111 11'\'(' )' t h(' s uhj rc t -

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I I4

M OV I~ O

J>I C T U R"~S

I!('stillg Ihnt tilt' univer!w is rc ndcrl'd c hic by hi s guzc, amJ Ihllt all reulily constantly pn'scnts it sl'l f to bc rl'li s ilNI a s II sort. of ente rta ini ng tribu te. Thi s wns a H oll ywood d evice clUJ'ill1; the g l'cut dnys of Ame rican sel fflattery , III the golden agr of H ollywood, 1101 a killg bUIll whole nal ion wus s{'l'vNI l ht' visiLIl' world on II pl a tler, as if it wcre pCI'fectl), bnked lind glu z('d , On ly the mos t becoHling d ishevel me nl graced t he hai r o f di s traught wi " (,8 and mothers; teneme n ts IUle! laundry 8S a rtfu ll y festooned as t he (!I'u pe ri l's of IIHlII SioIlS; perfec t fit wus s hnred cqually by pri so n gnrb, office w('a r, SI UlII lllld farm genr, CUIIli>US to gs, itlld evc ning d ress, a nd perfect fig1I 1'f'S by a ll tlH'ir weare l'S, It WIIS del iciously rea listic, Cu llo f s sce lles nrc lIluc h more like suc h nlO"ics t hnn n rc most o f th e Ilille tee n th -cenl u ry s pectllCulllr paint ings cc lehratillg Fren ch or British impCI'ia lislll, and t hat is becnuse o f t he affi nities be tween graphic mcdin , d es pitl' the absl' nce of co10l' ill Cli llol. Only g rllphic art can keep t hings movillg, Fritl! 's Ho i/way Statio" unci /)rrby Da y Il r(' full of precis(' colorful drwi ls und in cident s wit h a prt"cise llnecd otnl comple tene ss: Cnllot. ICLS it nil SW('CI) ncross t he plaut.' ill s treums of (' lIe rgy, w ith inc id e n t bnre ly shtclted or ski mmed, and IlI'ecision ill !l tcad a t tllched to th(' unifo rm stylishness of g,'stu re, dre ss, Ilnt! sl,tti ng. E\,('u th(' .\Ii.~e ries of \VO,," pic tures 111.1.\"(> 11 gliUf'r Il.I1d fl ieh r a ile! II. mobil€' cO lllposi li ollll1 exc il CIIl (> nl t hnt h eps t Ill' IIl l'OC ilies r" 0 111 s Il'jkill g I! OIIIl' V(' ry 10 1lIlI'ply. Til {' I' x pc ri ('11 ct' " P ill II ills sce lIic, lik(' u filIIit'd (' ngag('IIH'll t bctwe('11 In diuns lind cn\,lIl ry, In bot h. a utll(' lI lic (':(.;ile lll cll t is grJl{' rllt f' d Ly vivid use of lh{' mediullI more t htl ll by Iht' hOtTors of the battle , Thi s pilrtic uhu' kiud of gl'ilphic "rclilism" suggests t hat tll {, ff' ur and s tl' ir{' o f o th f'rs is won c!f' r ful f' llterlainmellt, but of cou rse oll ly for 8111>(" 'iOl' beings. who may \' i('w it t hrough th e lllt rncti\'e vci l (01· film ) o f It hi ghly s killed 1.(·c llllil.:al r('pr(' st~lIt a lio n, Brueg(!I , on t he other 111111£1, is like II Ellro peull fil m-milker illh' lI t 011 ,'(' ri SIII spiced wilh cynic is m, Th e wOl'ld o f powe r II.HlI pr('stig(' is 8('('11 fro m II. d istllllce und pCI'I)c lulilly a s kllllc{' , 1]("\,,'1' lllkf'ri ve ry s(' riollsly or \,{'ry p('rsonlllly. eV('1I when gr('ltt (" '{'lIts a l'e IIfool. 'I' ll(' viewer iJo; row:;ed ill his fU ll dn me nlul sYlil put hi {'Jo; and ill his S€'II S{' of hUlllor, 1I0 t soo thed in his Sf'lIse of comfortab le s upe r iority_ III t ht· ('urly SC\'l'llt el'lIth ccn tu ry, l'\'(!11 during t he full t ide o f th e Count.e r -Re forlllutioll und th e gnwd iose s(' lf-co l1 ceptio lis o f mona rc hs, o rclimu'y Sl'CUhll' subjcct. mlll\f'r hnd b('collle s tllndard f'VC II in Catho lic monnrc hies, This WIIS in part possi ble pr('c iscly becnuse of t he pene t ra tion of traditional paintill g by l hE" nfOW fo rcE" o f g raphic art, which had be E"n so pre· COciOlUS in ('X plOl' ill g seclIlnr ulld gC llre til{,lIIes and whic h had corn e to forlll a " is lIul ba ckgrou nd und represenl8tio llul stu ndurd for nil Europcll.1I life, Gt'orges d e la Tou r (1593- 1652) , like Ca llot a citize n of the Duc hy of l ..orraine, wh er{' va ri ou s r eligi ou s orders hnd powe r besides th(' I'e ig ning du ke,

C pyr

te

1 15

could p..odu c(' SC('II(':; of t'lrJ,!anl chiclIll('I'Y lIIh'i 1IIlI'oal'ious J,!;tllLbling, ~p' in! POI'll'lIi lS uf \\'!'{'tclwrllwIISlIllt:;, fl S \\'{'II tt:; ('IIIUlrllllltic Mug-liull'u!) , !:illinl ly IlIIl l'tYl'do lllS,lIUd Biblical gT OIIJ)S, Thel'e is 110 il'ony 01' Sl'llli llH'lItnlily in his \'i('w of Oil(' 01' l ilt' oth(' r kind of thr ill(': II IIllif~' illJ,! visicHl iufor-Ills hoth, us if lit' WI"'P /I II lOv il"CIlIlWI'i1 s lIhj('C I to III(' 811111(' r('gi8trlltioll of pIWIIOIJl(,III1, \\' 1I11!t-\'C'I'11I1' conti'xl. H t' doc's nOI clI l'ef-ully 118\'(' 10 paint s('culul' SC(,II{'S llS it' lilpy \\'Pt'i' tilll('I('ss, Ot' l'piiJ,! iclU!:i S(:PI1('8 as if tllp." wrl'l' clistollLary sight s, h(' CIIII St' {'\'('I'." t II i II g is t' x 11'110 r 1II0vie close -up:;. Th (' powe r of lIIini atll"(' illu lIl inlltioll Ihul Ei sheimer had conlillu(>d to llIuk(' USf' of is hf' rc lrulIsccn df'd lit Illst, fo,' the fi rs t t ime: Int{'r ill the cf' ntury Ihe Du tch IIllI s te rs wo uld eO lilillu e t ill' en'ort. It ulmos! 8(,(, IlI S Iwtllru l t hai De la To ur had to wni t for gf'lle ral ,'ecogniti olllllltil t he ce lltury of Ihe 1II0vie sc ree n, wlwrc SlIIlI lIlIIO IlWlltS (ll'e also IImdt· g rell l by li ght IIml siz(', unci the s li lliwss is ill lIl o ti on, O lh el' Frt'llch p(lill lrr8 ortlle curl y BllrO{IUe pe riod such as S imo n Vouet C(" 'l uilily worked ln rgt', o n eil with s ilililur subject !lIutter silililarly til'rlinged: Sll crcd nnd s{'cul m' con frOllt l.ltions of solilnry cOlltf'mpl al io n, "i{'\\'NI fro m \'{'r~' closf' , Bu t fOl' tIl(' most PltI't s uch SC(,IICS lu\\'e Cu ru\,u ggio 's fl avo r o f t he {hellter (1101 (IJ(' o p(' rll stl.lg'f' 01' th e IIIl.1 sque , bUllhe s lr('ct Iht' tlt ('I' of ad hoc Iw rforman cc) or til(' posed tubleuu , "'heatriclli flav or is ce rta inly sui led to II ht!'ge painting: II highly no ticellble piet u re coneei\'cd ill s tnge styh~ IIIny politely add ress the beholder \\'ilh II p l'oper snlutntio ll, instelld of le!tillg its heroi ne j us t si t th e re Ulluwares, gazing Ilwuy in t.o th e cU lld lc flum e 01' eve n cutc hing u f1 E'a inside her opc n s moc k, forcing the \'i('w£'1' 10 feel uncom fortabl e fo r intruding (-l ,11), Pou:;si n, a ll othe r French conte mporu ry, by cont rust exempl ifi es the to tnl paint er 's view, both ullti·gruphic und anti -t hca lricnl. He re is t he ma sterly hund in lengtH! with the in tellec t , lIs ing th e se nsory powe r of color IlS U lIIe ht l)hol' und c hi e f ex pository med ium , as Cezll nne lut e r did , Th e light ill POllssin's wo rks is u \'ibrallcc indu ced by th e inte rllct ion of colors,lInd the spnCt' is created by th c IIHlIl lige mc nt 01' plnnes. ';u st as iu nbs trnct pai llting, These works , 1II0l'eOVe r, try fO l' Il bsollite beulIty, lik e those of Pi cro della Fruncese .. , An d Ihe,\' ofte n Will , Tbey IHlve Ih e S8 111e e ll chnnling I)OWe r thnt is bo th d istullci ng and e le\'ating, bccausc Ih e paint ed wor ld is complete ill itself, I)c rsuush'e only UhOlil itse lf lind the peo pl e in il. Thc wny th~'y arc is remo te f"o lll Ihe wliy things 81'C, and the wily we 11 1'(',

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tarl

1

F I VE

Dutch Genre

§

EVE N TEE NTH . C E N T U R Y H ol hm d mudc it se lf a d istillc t i\'c EuropNIII pow(· r. ll llli it s 1.11"1 1I18u hnd UII Il llm is tul\llbi c charae1.('1', 11 0 lo nger \"('I'Y obvio us ly trllc{,llbl (' to Curnvugg io, It al ian clnssic is m, und Munne r isrn , or evell its OW II H f'lII.li sSIlII C(, pus t. Th e sc\,c nt('c nt h·ccntury Dutc h Illod e IU&I. bee n CU Ii N I 01 1(' o f d escri p tio n ra t he r t han IUtrrutio lJ : but tl wst' wo rks some how d o Juno£" ullden iab\f' llurI'aliv(' mot io n o l ll('r than tha t

of

Ull IlCCO UIl t.

or u

t l1l(',

Tlwir df'sc rip ti\'(' propc ,"ti es a rC' (·" idem .

b Ul

some·

th illg is ,,1"'tlY8 huppc nillg CW II whe n llll' re is 110 ('\'('111. Tht' grea test of those Du tc h II rti SIS devoted to tllt~ sugg{'s li ve 1\cI118Iiti(,8 of l ife opell th ings to the eye and til(' ('ye to tllings ill 1I1l J) I'pc('(I f'II INi licts of n~ci proc ul re\,plut.io ll . Th ey hu\'e It truly 1II0\' ie lik p !S ly lp, nol. athl incd iI~uin 1I1ilil llu' film s o f the lal.e tW('lItie th cp llt u ry. C uru\'aggi o's t ht'lIlricnl (' Il"t'c l!« w(' r p IIIl1dp ci llf' llI a lic in H ollan d. TrUIl!«' lIIut.ed by Nor t hprn nttitudc8 ubout illulllilUili on and l' xperic ncc, C ll rtWa gg(' s{lJle scelles re nd('red by 1'e rbrugg hf' n and H Ollt horst hlln' tht.' IlllIbi en cc o f possibilit.y: s hift !; of fce ling nnd nc li on may I"f'u ll y occ Li r. li re \·isib ly occurring UI
120

M OV IN G

5. 1

('ICTU Rt-; S

HENDKI C K TIo':KIIK UOO II~ N.

wellr i ll~ e.\'e~llIsses

TI.,Culli" g o/SI. Mallll cw

und .lrlllor liS he counts hi s coins. toward th e uppre ll ens i\'(" gUild)' boys who flank )Illtlil ew. ulld straight to )llIlIlIew's g'l'im IlIId sentie nt fuce , 1-1(' hils lalrendy t is com ing III him. lind 11(' mu st makc a move, I-I t'I'(" just as ill so Ulllny J(·sus mO\' ies. the Hed('(' lIIer's power is lIIeuslI l'cd by (II(' l'(,lIC lio li S of Ih os(' willi wholll he d l'u ls, Wt' \\,ul e h thei r ruc{'s us III('.\' look III hi m, wllile lli s figurl' I'('uwins s hlld owcd olld p('rip lll'l'ul. III' n" WI' call just Sf'(' II iI'; lips OI)ClIllS he pn' pur('s to s PNtk , )1t' ullwhile II bouqu ct o f mobile IWlld s fills I he CCIII(',' o f Ilu' li g hted s pacf': Iii€' pupcrs nre ruffl('d 011 both wallund lublc . tll(' d ('coru Ii\'(' flil ps 0 11 11t{' boy!; ' slcl'wS IIrc agilliteci-soml' ullelirthly brl'e1.e is s tirriu g h.'r(', cllllsi n g u ch illlllld SOIll(' UIIl'US), m o\"e m{'III , Auolhe r fell lllr... o f tllil'; paiuling Ihut is 1I0t ShorNI by Ihe e ll l'il\Ing-gio ve rs io n is 11t(' hil)-ll'lIgth , life -s ize vi('w o f the charact e rs. Such frlllllill~ has 10llg bee II II c il1(,llll.tl ic given. l\I ostlllovie ('lIcou n ters tlrc s howlI lit leos t once rrolll j us t s uc h II distIlIl C(,. wilholtl legs lind feel but with 101'808 lind hunds for ('xpression. jUSll:lS we see l>eol>le wh('11 we CO III(' lI('a r to wnt e h llllCllis\('1I to Ih elll , Film ~ Iill i!i s howing' Iwo or t h rc(> churuct('rs ill cOIWf'rSU li oll im'IlI'i, ubly follow Ihi s Bnroquc CO II"{,lIl io ll, which WIIS by 110 IUNlnS confilled 10 H ollll lld lind uppcurs cO lIstllltLly ill Europeull 111'1 of t ll (' S('\"(,III(,Cll lh CC II -

I :! I

lUry, Th{' mort' d itS tliliCi llg fllll·leny lh "it,,,, 118('(1 ill so IIltllly of C'anl\'u!!gio's j,;'roul)s (ns OPl)()sNI to hi l; lilt£' 1)];:I,\'e rs umlg rupf' tuslt'rs), just liS ill 1I!lIIIy (rom IIH' firt('£'nth and sixl('(' ulh C f'lItllril~l; . is partly whal makf's tilf'1II su IIlII ch lik(' lli('IIIi' r , lIil)· Il'II(!liI \'j{·\\'S ar,' lik{' lift,. n,' llIor(' so, '1'1If' c1i" 'ici' WIi S II lIot ht'r IlItp·fi I'll'N11h,cI'1I1 II ry 1llllll1lSCI'ipt i1111111i IWIO" S' i11,'('11 I iOl1, II IInl h,' I' 1) 1' Ihf' ir !'lIr l ~' SII'PS luwllrcll' ll1o li oliul illlll lt'd iucy 111111 "t'I'isilll ili tut!I' ill pt'l" S01ll1l Iwrc('lltion, In liI(' Sf'WII1(,1'"l ir (:('ntury IIii' mol if S('i"Ill S to hun' ue, cOlll pulli f' d IIII'g.:', ('\'f'1I li f(',,. i7.I' forlllrll pu iutcl's sough I n clo$;er link willi thc viewer lind his own pcrsollu l cxpcricllee. Belli ni Vil'gin s, however Il'neil' r, barriendc thclllsl'l\'(>s bcllillel purupetsj but Gerllrcl Dav id 's Virgin sits at a low tab le feedin g J esus from 1\ bowl right ill the suml' roo m with li S (5.6). Genre motifs here rc inforc(> rlltlll'r IluHI dimini s h till' supel'nnt.urnl liUI·II: lhnt is t he secret of t he ei ncmatic met hod . 1·le n' lIguin U Ilible fi xes t he aClioll, bUI makes a lillie sceue out of t hl' sti ll imnge, into which wt' feel ou rse lves drawn . The mosl sl.l'Illghtforwardly descl'ipti\!(' Dut.ch pllillt C'I'S 01' the S('\'C II1.(>(' lIth ce lltury htlve st.rong uffinities wilh lIJodt' rn 1I11illUlted Cli rLOOus, j ust. li S lIH'Y originally (lid with 111(' mora li7. ing prinl.cd picture·books of t he ir OWII lim c. Th ey also suggest the kind of l~ pl\(,lI\e rnlllnd enterta ining lu od· e rn 1lI0\'ie IIUl I creales int(, lItiollully c rll (h~ lind glossy "crsions of realistic material. II s uull y for comic ctT('c t. Oil(' v('ry cll l·toonlik(' Olll c il urlist was Ad r iuell vnn Ostnde. whose vi i· lagl'rs ali(I taverll rowdil'S S('l' lII direct pertinence to t he theme. Th e ju mbl e of "ilelioll'H'nl:1 defi es rl're llily betrn.vi ng her husbnud, bllt al so huppily lit cnse lind not lit ull stifled IImid t h(' satisfyi ng trllpping8 of middle-class co mfort. Met8u's nlgs und jugl> und slIl,in skirt!!>, emuroidcred slippers nnd glossy lutes ll r (' never excessivr; as in the most s uccess ful film mciod rnllllls, til('y look nitllinllb le. Sigh t is always the poiut-t o sec is lIO t 01l1y to kIlOW, bu t to possess, i\ large component ill the a ppeal of stic h paintings IUU St. t1wn lu1V(' been just thi s oppor tuu ity (or s tudyill g, SilVO I'i ug, and viSlllllly possessing lo\'ely IIlll \.('I'ia l objects, whill" being pleasantly cntcl'w ined hy subjrcLS sligh tly rig(jlH~ , s li ghtly sellt iment al , or Slightl y (1I1111Y, 'I'hp moralmcan ings about the wickedness of sloth, greed, IIlId lec hery IIl'e II CIItly folded illto a delic ious pa ckllge, just us ill .. Dn ll as" Ilnd " Dyna sty t" cons ist i ng lil rgcly of mute ria I th ill gs exquisit.cly rendered to show th llt their tnl c va luc is quitc detnc hNI frOIn tht, mona! of II ... story (5.9) , There is somcthi ng 1I0t oll ly cillcmlltic (i n t he womtlll' s-picture stylc) but positively Amer ican IIbout this pictorilll mod t'o It demonstrated the same un s table co mbinatiou of puritan is m lmel se lf-i ndulgence, of prudery an d licentiousness t htll hus s tllllll)ed muc h AIII('ricull cu lture-and t here nrc reul uffinities betweell se,'entee nt.h-centul'Y I lollund und tiS, when we nrc seei llg oll rsel\'es 1I 0t on ly us Ilrog r'essivc lind prosperous t highly morn l, li nd ruth er piollsly lIIute ri ll listic, but IIlso us silliple-heu r tcd, lIll soph isticnted, und sexIllt lly volatile-lIs ma ny of Olll' I-Iollywood fil ms have oftcn s hown liS doing. There ure CV(' II m O I'l~ , cxc ru ciuti ll g echoes . Wilh these lovesick maidens visited by pOUl pOUS doctors, or t ipsy hOllsewives a bout to wnrm lip unbecomingly to dashing cusual culiel'S, t here is Il ram il i;}r .vet uncomfortable sense of thc sex(' s, ou(' we used Lo see COII StiHllly in fi lms of t hil·ty yeurs ago ulld be fore, Thr se well-Io-do lIIiddle ·c lnss WOlliN. ha,'c the kiu d o ( freedom thnt comes wi th enl ighte ned bourgeo is leisu re 11Ild a ffluence , Ihllt permit!!> cOlll l'adeship and social purity wilh men bu t no prac tical power or active ambi l ioll. They III IlY play aroulld , lI nd also spend moncy on the msclvcs, and keep the hou se exquisite ly withou t 1I husbuud's or rUlher's superv ision; wj"es und girls hll"e greut freedo m, but no o\.hr l· wor k. Tending ulld brood in g about 10"1.' lind possessions-somet inlt's children-n r(' I,h('i r p reoccurnt ion , Th e cxp('nsh'e pros li l.u t.(', t.he chic nmtl'o ll , und the princ('sslike

C pyr

te

/) ukh (hl/rt'

I :HI

duughll'r 111' (' 1101 t'IlS~' 10 It,ll Ilplll"t-tlH'Y all \\'1'111" thl' SIIIII(' ('x pt>lI si \'I' dO lil('foi , ('X CIUl Ilg'i' I('{!t'rs wi th 10\'l'1's m lt l co nfid('ll c('s w ith s(' n 'IIIII S, look ill (1 )(' mirror. unci pntctic(' d('crpliotl itS wl- II as lII usic , .\I Nlll witile, lind mos t im porlll lllly , Ihr' ,'f' is 110 u"islOCl'ltl ic s taudllnl. TlII's(' 111'(' plain folks, ('WII if t it('y Uri ' rich, alltl tlu'rr i"i 110 traditioll uf rt~ fillr tl, illlugillu l i\'(' idlr'lIl'ss 10 iHl!ll)O!'! 11)(' 111 . I II S1(>utl. UII itll'II1 uf\'irlUOIi S s illl pl icity. intlu s tl'y.u lIll righl' ('OIlS IH'SS k('('ps l i1 (,8(, ,·icll and itll(' pf'opli' pnll'if'llt unci hypocl' il ical. lind p rod ll c{'f~ gr('ul ltI llbigu il Y ill pict oria l I'!' ndt'!'illf,;'s of COIIIIIIOIi S(:t~ II('''i , ~1t~ 1I lUI\,(> rC1l1 husill(,ss \' !h;('wltt' r (' Il llri lin' 0111," slll,\' illg Ilwhile', uuh'ss I IH'Y Il r i' just going to (l'U\'i' 01' j ust Il ITi\' illl.!- 1I11 t il ('s(' d oc lo,'s. u ' ucil('rs of music, curiNI gnllllllls. OIliCf' I'S , s oldi prs , IIl1d Ilotll l'ips. Is lill y II r IlwlII II I(' husbUlillf WOlIIl'lI llr(-' lit 11 0111(', Ofl{' 11 fi tig(' l ing, Y('I St' XIIIII N I!llIl it,\' is Stippusl'(1 to ('xis l, 111(' doOl's lind wiltflows lillll id 0IWIl, III., Sl ri' ('1 h('c kons , '1' lu'Sl' WO!ll{'U fi'('1 fl"N' lIud 11111'1',,(' 1.11 0 11(:(', Ti ll' ha ppil'st. tI ... OIlI'S WI' lik(' bps!. 111'('

130

M OV IN G

PI CTU R,,:S

those ei t ht'r deeply absorh("d in a task

OJ"

I'cally huving

(1111

wilh

tl lC

lSoldirrfS.

The Diles bein g plied with liqllOl" or doubtful proposit ions. or struggl ill g

lIlutinously with the keybourd , or disclissing a clandest ine letter with the lIlllid arc !lot much at case. h is in fact not. PCllCC but uncase informed by d ecorum lhut mnkes the

greatest of these Dutch works so compelling. The at mosphere in the pnint· iugs of Terborch, De Hooc h, 1111c1 Vermcer is somehow imme nsely freig hted , bec8us(' t hese artists, un like Metsu . Stt:'cn. Van Ostade. and DOli, ha"c d('·

liberttlely addl'l:~ ssed the probl em of ulIlhivnlen ce. In works b)p the hllter group, faci al expression is fllirly sta ndard ized. Three 0 1' fOllr conditio ns of SOU lll1'C clearly rende red: mothel's are benign , tll'chins g iggle, teachers a nd doctors look sobel' or ... ffronted. Boors in tave rn s grimace, YOll ng g ir ls are demurely lascivious, But amid the sercne appu r te nances of De Hooch's un iverse, for example. the fa ces o( mothers, chi ld ren. maids, and vis iting gcntlf'mclI are oflf'n cu rry ing so mewhllt unde fined umbiguous expressions that are anyt hing but sere ne. So, too , are t.he postures and the physic"1 re· lations among th e \'isible charneters. One device used by this group o( Delft pn illt el's is to kee p il tleast olle fig. ure with its back LUmed , o r with its fnc(' othe l'wise invisible and rendable. St('ell 's churncters hnlf tu rn to th e nllciie nce, awurc o f being see n und pluying 1.0 the gallery: ellch scelle is a prf>pal'ed com ic pi ece. and we art' fixed out frOIlt. Bu t. ill tite De Hooch nnd Ve rmee r sce lles, alleast Olle PCI" SOli is an obvious non·performer, obl iviolls to obsen'ation, absorbed , and e lllo tiolllllly Ullllllccountabl('-und sO the whole pic ture olso is. Tile I'xoct balance is not made clpar. In the greut Dt, Hooch Mother I..ac jllg lie,. Bodice (5. 10), the motlwr looks pleasontly stllp('ficd by hnsic IlIliterllll l (unction, still feeling ti ed to t he bilby, who is oll ce 1II 0rC swallowed up in its protective c rndle and mil ky dreams , Meanw hi le the three-yenr-old hns turned her bac k in the shudo",s, and slopes off qu ietly towttrd the tiOO I' . Just whnt is in her s llInll heurU Understa ndably, tiw dog is undecided whether to follow her s low shuffle out tQ the sunny yard , or stay with the satisfied pair in· doors. This is IIOt. trnnquillit.y; it is only qu iet behuvior und ordcl'ly housek('e ping, The actual emotio llal circlllllstu llce, t hl.' ;' s tory," is ullstated a nd mutable, still in progress , Hy con trast, a curtain is drawn up to revea l Gerard Dou's Jl!othe,. (5.11); she smi les bl'ight ly, t he baby g rill S, ogles, nncl fla s hes its bOllom at us , the mnid bcallls, !.he crad le y"wns in luxurious in · vitation . Th e maternnl breast shi nes en t ic ingly, and cvcl·yt.hing reeks o( Do mest ic Contc ntm ent , seef Butnol mu ch of tnltll. In the indecorous mode, Stee n's com ic visions of dnlllk elHless and license are unleavened by any principle of real joy. no r are Van Ostade's tave rn brawle rs feel ing mu ch delight. But the ncutely pcnccfu l ill teriors of the

"II

Cpyr

tel

I3I

5 . 10

I'IETER DE

1I0o e ll . M olh ,.r IA,c j ll{j llrr !Jo(/jc€

wry well b('huv("d t\l'(" 1II0CkNI by Stt'('u 's funwsy disorde rs: this is 11101'(, like what is rt'aliy goiug 011. Alld ill Ill(' 10w·kPYNI ('ucoullt('rs h(>lw"('1I ')'(>1'borc h 's and D(' Hooch 's IlIdi('s ali(I tiwil' 8en'ltnI S, c hi ldrl"lI , and ,·isit.ors , there is cOllsidt'rublr Irl1sioll, 110 mat.tt' r how smooth the curls and dust-free the windowsills. 1'h(' tidy and sunlit. sumptuollsness looks like n finn effort ilL control, UIL orray or rrnguwllts sliort'd nga inst mOI'a l r1lill. Th e theme see ms to deepen into Ihe re presclltution of llIut('riul ricil('s us one kind of sp irituill test, II thicket. of comfortuble c irc ulIlstallce t hrough which, ill which , aroullc! which th(' illmost 1';011 1 IIII1St find H way to opernte. Th e UH'WI)hor for lhl' sours now in and MOllnd Ihi ugs is ligilt; the struleg,v for gu iding it uright is pe rfectly ordered spuce. In nil th is muterial orde r unci comfo rt t here is lit tl e plensu rl1ble ph,\'sicnl casl;', s uch us Rubens or lIa lil1l1 puinters continually convey. Bodily moveme nt and pos ture is either restrnined 01' awkward , and lIIuffled by the clo thes . By contrast . slight ges-

M OVING

132

5,11

1'l C T U ItES

GERARD no u, :l/olh t' rlludChifd

tun's of l hl' IlIlIu l and s li ght faciu\ ('XIWt'ssions 111'(' th l'OWII into pl'omitH'net', ug'llin us il' to show 1)l'inttt' sp irituHI 1I1O\','II\l'llt filldillg its wuy 1lI II 0 II g the hC'IJ"Y rUl'll ilul'(' IIl1 d slin't' II('d glll'mt'lI l S, Dilly II few 1)lIill l(,I'8 1I11(,lIIpted 10 coun 'y this sttltl' or illwurd Ihings ill thllt lldvllllCNI ti nt'lIIuli..: slyh' which go('s \wyolld n'COuI'S(' to t h('ulrica l 01' eli rLoo ll-graph ic Il'ud il iO Il , tlC'yo lld T('c lillieoln l' Ii ollywoorl eO llll'd." U lid lIu,lod l'lIlJut illio Ihl' rC1I11II of s(>riollsly poet ic fH III III'1. Dl' Hooch wu s 11 COlli ' PI'('hPIlSin' Itlllstf'I' at it. H is II!oiP of c hi ldl't'!1 is ('spt'cia ll." pow('rful , ulld it is oftcli thilt SIHII\' Ihl'('('- to-fj\,p-yeH r,o ld j.!il'l who roc lI s('s 111l' illlllgt' UI)OIl flouting consciollsncss, l'uthf'I' t hull UpOIl COIIIl'oll('(1 ('Wilts , This chi ld is Ofl f'1I physicl'llIy Sf'J)lll'ntNI 1"1'0111 'ldull S, ;I ud !If'r I"ncf' IIlId hody III'{' sl ight ly illd ist i liN. Tlwl'(, II 1'(' 110 CII H' , wist ru I looks or cheeky ~ri liS to em phasi 7.(' the

• 1.11 11111 vir\\' of chi ld/"('II, justus thl~ I'(> an" no satisfyi ngly COlllpl(·I('. rOlludNi · oil' formu l arrllllgf'uu'nls in tile' DOli II UUIILe r (5. 12. 5. l j). Til l' dogs i ll De lI ooc h ilJ"(' a lso co ndu ctors or.enWl;.iQlluJ almo!:ipliCJ'('; Ih(',\' stlH1 d ami turn llu' j,. la'ads Ilttt'lIli\'('ly to look III sO lllt' t il ing lik('\Y 10 11('('(1 nllf' l l li o n .

whf'th{'r o r 1101 thf' com posi l iOIl o r t li(' I)ictllr(' indicat(>s its impOl'I Unc{''lh'"l, r('u dy to s hi rt foc li S i Il Slllll tl~·. ju s t liS w(' IIh' . 'I'11(' lilll(> gi l'l uray IIf' lu-Jpin!! wilh t i ll' IIOIl8,-'hold tllsks ill allll l H' rnpilIItie way-no CIlI f'Il(,sS hf'r(> (>i lh('r-o,' j u st wa l chi ll)! Ih(,lII. T Ilt' 8(;('11(> is eNtn in ly 1ll'IIC('u lJlf'; IIl1d y(.j III{' idt'li or illlu' !' co ndi t ions 1101 Il('Ct'ssll l'ily in

wit l, t)utwlIrd p('r(('clioll I IICl I\llI!(' S to sl lrracl' il' Ilwst' wQt'ks il llll J!i,'(' IlwllI l iI('i,' lUodl'I' 1i Ilpp('al. 11 is U IIlllI'k of this sopl1isl iclIlPd cillt'lI1utic lU('t hod tha t Ih(' IIrt isl's OW II 1'('('li ngs ill'(' mlldt, to ,'(' I I'(' at. so llwt tilos(' of liL(' hUIlI UIi suhjt'ci (' llglI l.!f' I110s(' of l ilt' \'if'wf'1' d in'cl ly. il' fllCI S{'('1Il to !t'll l> into t il{' ,' of i t s OWII In HSSI'I'I in IhN,t' wurkN (5,1:1) , Tt'rbol'c h is IIIl1ill ly con c(>l'IU'ci with \'('lIal 1(1\'1', lind hi s 1II110l'OliSly t'll ' gUj.{I'd chllractt'l's II r p lIslIlIll y ill ultitlu lt's alHll.:Olldilifllllo> of h('IIIUM'IIIt'lIl a lid dOli hI, 01' 111IIIdSO IlI{'

pori nlYNI

shillY ciol hc's

ill

1I101l1t'1IIli

1111(1

of sl iJ!h I bill Pl'I"\'HSiw cOlI slrui III. 'I'll"

r ich SI' IIillgS SC'('III 10 prorlu c(' III{' cOllslnlill1

ins((' ud fI( I'nhu ll cillj! (' lljO,\' III(>III-111(>Si' brOlilC'1 d rllwillj.{· rOUlIIIISS('lIlblil~ s ,

t; C{,IH'S

Inllk lik " \' iCIIWilill

wlH'ri' IWI'solllll f(,l'li l lJ,!' ili 1Ind('r strict Iwlut\'iul'1I1

slIlICliolll-; IIl1d 1'lut'I'ltl'S u nly liS UlllbigllOIiS fa c illl t'xpl'{'ssiulI or 1I1'lIrly illl '

p{' r c('pt i bh' hodil y s l i lTilll!S ,

The I('ssoll ill DUlcil

li(!' o( pil'IISI"'!' is full of cOllslullt PI'I'SSIII'i'-

(' ls cllrE'fully. he r e."E'S fixed on her work; til(' boy curE's lI othing fol' thE' Iwelill g of the Hpph', but tries intently to read her filCf', What is sh(' t hillk ill g f Wiull dOPs shE' think of mE" Wi ll s he s how 111(' p hol1(> will signi fica n tly ri ug or b(> lift('d. In ti\{'s(' Dutc h sc(')\{'s t il('

141

hUlklu'd fills lilt· U St'.!

to cull til('

with 1111 11\\'IlI'('I\('s8 of drillking. whl.ll no\'rlis\s or WillI', ('WII w}\('1\ 110 OIH' is lookill/! HI it or t.ouching

IltIIlOl)plU'I'('

fUIlU's

it. 11 co n t rihlllt·s to Ilml IIl1iqm· comhi lllltio ll of emmlll 1} 11t~ 1I0IlWIIII with c lllll"!.!t·d PIICQlllltt'!' tilli lmovies d('llI'lld Oil , lind that tlH' Dut ch seem to hll\,(' ;11\,(, 111 ('(1. 1,\ 111(' V('rlllrrl'. t ill' tUllkard . brimful or Iruditiol1l.l l ull'lln in g. s ilU Illy s its t ht'I'p: bil l jus t h ,\' ht·ing ill thl' 1'00 111, whe re Wl' C/lII St' C' it. forlll iug /I big: Ihi,'d wi l h till" cO llph', il COlljll l't'S arse ly occu pied in t he ea rly hours of the morning. 'I'he tec hnicuillc hieve ment -the perspect ive a nd t he 8un pat.ches-beeomes tran s parent , moreovc r, us ir th ere were no Il rti sl in the eCllUltion and only one kind of obse n 'cr, a singlc senSi l i\'e eye, effortlessly and at. once gras ping both the private situation and the neu t ral beauty of t he ind oor light. Alpers' formu lati on t hat. seei ng a nd " pictu rin g" were one acti\'ity for t he Dut.ch pain ters will work for th e movie cament , too. A sense of the un edited visible world as t he right. med illlJl of esthetic and moral t MJlh shows in t he way cinema ha s t ran s muted old s ta ge conve ntions. jus t as Vermee r and De Hooch t rans muted s t.age-sty le pictorial t hemes-Th e Mer ry Co mpany, The ?"Iu sic Lesson-into what look like caslin I occurrences in co mm on life. One I.nlth about the vis ual Ks peel of real life is that. it is always parti al. Vermee r's scenes hm'e t hll.t s pareness of mllte ria l inciden t t hut looks s ubject.ively right , so d ifferent. from Jan S t.een's interiors crammed wit h all inord inate s how of d etail. Vermee r see ms to be cxpoun d in g t he t hought t hat at KIl)' g iven moment in norm al li ving, mos t mcan ing r1l1 dctuil is in t he hend; the eye as it s trikes surrounding circum sta nce is us ulI.l1y only a rb itrari ly furni s hed wit h significun t. mll.tcl'iu l, and ofte n meagerly. III Ver meer's works, as in Relllbrandt's, what we llclUll l1 y see is quit e simpl e; whut is impl ici t is enormous. It is often made ou t or assum pt ions, coll ectious of slllltli visua l allu sions that. th e viewer is assu med 1.0 unde rSlU nd unconscioll sly. He needs only the barest hint. for the right \,isllul associations to uri se und

14 3

compose ill his hea d. ali(I in his id f'u o f whnt liI(' pict ur{' shows. Thl' I{'ss abu nd ant th c ViSll1l 1 mll tc r iu l. t he mo re cO lltri buti on t he virwcr f{'cis lik e makinJ!. Th e ligh t mea n while Stll~'!o! fluid . Ntriking with s lunnin~ ind iffl'r· (, lice; tht-" "i{'wer IUUS t liSt' it to ill t('rpl'f't I)e rsonli lly. 10 fc('1 let ill on th ings. But m llsi(! ul so fills t ht, void und adju s ts th e 1' lII otio llll l t(' r ll18, jus t liS it docs ill tht-" lIIovi('s. In tlIPs(' paintings 1H1Isie'lIl11king lind Illu s ica l ins tru me nt s nlso st!l ud ro/' NIIOlioIlU I UIO\'(,IIJ('lI t ils{' IL lik(' 111(' light.. Jnlh e lIl any Dut.eh see lit'S of IIITI1 I('111 liff' con l uining llIusic, sOllie doubtless demoll ' s t.rnte pol ite iIn/'lllon.\·. Bu t tilt-" Ve rm ('('r music sce n('s, just like the De Witt ('. see m to be us ing t he slIgj!eslioll o f sound to uuglllf' nt th e tens ion, li kf' IInderscori ng, to replace b road gest u rE> a n d poin\t'd fa cia l ('xpr('ssion or n big collect ion of "isibl(' ohjects. De H ooch 's lut e works hun' It'sS light li nd 1II 0re 1II1Is ic thlln his g reat.llnd falll ous m iddle-pe r iod ones of rooms and cOllrt.\'Il. rds, and eve n more sub tl e illl ilginilry se tt ings. TIl(' shadows Ih ickf' 1l timon!! t h{'s{' well-dressed youn g p{'op l{' as til(' IllHsic gf'ls iOlld(' r lind tilt' lund scape o f rllnlasy expll nds arOlln d t hem. r-'orllle rl,v I)e H ooc h had iuw nted m idd le·elilsts houses a n d th e ir g'll rd e lls; luter he tnrned tire ilCtlllri :'\'ew Town lI a li ill ,\mstf' rci am to his own purposes, sOIllf' limes pretl'ndi n g it WIIS II pleasure pa hlce full or !Satin-clad re\rl'lers, SO Il H! t imNI rellrl'lUi ging' it 1.0 give it a fi ct io llul t ho ugh qu ite plau si bl{' !ls pec t. e\'('11 while depictill l! it uude rgo ing the scrut iny or vi!oli tors and tourists- as if to ques tion the whole poss ibility of objec tive "is iol! . S tf'"PS ('ehoing Oil mnrbl{' floors and thf' inditstinct hUIli of voices rf" place t he Hl Ul)ic, li nd contribute 1.0 the eO'ect of suggestive funta sy, co nceived in s p('ei fi c loell l terms. In the lurge sce ll(, s howing " isi to rs to thl' Hu ll. the intent ga ze o f tht-" prillci pa l lIIu le figun' is turned upwlIl'd owr our hell d s (5.20). He see ms to be wat ehi ng' til(' hu ge cUl'la in lhlll simu lalf'S one hanging be fore t he paintillg it.self, IIOt ill it. as if h(' hnd II S(,IIS(' or oll r prese nc(' thut tht' ot hers lack. Oth er discollnet.:led groups gu ze in di ll'erf'nt direct ions. a c hild seems to look id ly toward liS, It dOl! at sOllwlh ing out o f the picture. Th e rai s('d gaze of th (' solitary UUtll hilS 11 s trllll lo;(' IlIItiJ i\'u](,11 C(" likf> so muc h behuv ior in De H ooch's work . Th(' m U ll SI'(' II1 S IIhOlitl O 10wI'r his gn u' to llIee t ours. b ll t he is too enlranced by 111(> lifting cu rtai n. Are we in filet. c haracters ill the pnintillg he will finally 1)(' nh) r to look 111 whell the curtnin is fully ti l)' Some t hing about t he IIrbitrarines s o f v is ion lind its fUll c ti on in habits thes(' Dut c h pic tures. Apart from t he gr(,lIt ge niuses o f genr e-De H ooc h, Ve rmee r . TerbOI'ch-modes t prnclit jOllers express the Slime co ncern . They s how th e odd ness o f o rd inary phenoln(, llu in s tead of th e ir b etluty and si g· nificance, and record d ull, lIuharlUon ious moments even when ostensib ly ce lebrating Iiii' pellce !lnd qu ie t o f virtllous ('xis ten ce in prosperous towns,

C :pvnot- d

Ie

144

MOVING

5.20

PIKTKK IH! 1l 00C II .

I'J CTU RI-: S

I lI/ prioro/,,, ,..\ 'c HJToU'II l/ alliH /I ,,.,lut/IIII.

putHtiw'ly 11 no ry lIIod('J o f h lll'1I10Il)o' . J acobus Vrel is !such a pninL('r. Like 1II0ti('rll towlI·dwcllers who fed that a pri\,Hl r S('I1S{' of I}sychic emptiness is sOlll{'how in l (' nsifi('d 11)0' 1}(' r fecl dOIlH'slic surroundiugs. the persoll nel ill Vrel's works IIr{' 8('('11 to be sOIll('wIUH cllllc('!ed by Ill('ir milieu .

\fi/.dow. tlH' woman's h{'ud is pllrlinlly c ut off from our "it,\\, by the window frullw, 1I1ld wIIll1.8h(' it'; doing is obscure (5.2 1). I-i (' r fa ce ulld hlillds nl"(' illv isi blr und her body ",lidded up ill her clothes: Il('r 11\'('1111 ('8 of ('xpr(:'lisio ll IIr(' blockNI. And yeL tlw 1110111('111 jl> ('x pressi\'e. It records noth ing of t.iI (' WOllllut, but rlltiler OUI" nct uf s('('i ng her Icnn out thnt Wily, tag if Wl." w('r(' (, lIl pri ll g nnd glllll cing uround !lus tily. registe r ing phenomenK without nltnching significHnce to them. but ree ling something so strongly In

trQ1I/(l1I

al

(I

145

5 .2 1 JA CO B US \ ' 8.: 1••

" '/1111(/11 ('/ (,

Il'imloll'

thll t. 1111 " irma l d(' llIil h{'tOlllt,S thll'ifipi! IIml II cqu ir,·s II fnlsi' significllllce. Th e womUII I{'u ll s OLlI ; s ilt' do('s il 1IIIIIIy lim{'s /I dllY , to I'mpl y /I jug iUl o Ih(' CUllul or lShukl' /I 11101). But tIll' piCtUI'l' ilS 1I0t s howing Ihis fa cl : il is /I see lll' not of donU'slic but of " isilal lifc. bf' ing oO'cl're! as a 11INnphor of ilillPl'i ifc, just liS it is oITl'rl'd ill film. Th i.' picIUI'l' s hows huw suc h 1111 lll'bitrllry, ill ' cOlllplf'le. lind slightly comic \' i('w of /I \\'0111 COli ' trust., as cOllt nill('d li nd d ('filled und luc('111 us Ihe glass her hllnds prott'cl. 01' liS lilt' Ilutp llhow her hNld (5 ,2-1 ) , III Ih is art. SC(' IWS withou t WOIII"11 urI' qui t l' d ift'('J'1'1I1 rrolll Ihosf' with ClipS IIl1d ski rt s, ~ ta le 1J('llIwior is rull of l hl' lIulIl'riul qUlllity of ntnlt' IlCCl' S sori(·s. III(' conslnllt ~H' II S(' or killllld j!eU/,thnl Ollt' cun SI'I' illlll i li t ur.v J!roup pOl'll'aits (lS \\'{'II as gual'{iroolll pni lllillgs, E\'f'1I ci\'ilinn portroli t s s harc l ilt' hlll -lIlld-lSwcf'pillg,cloak t hel ll(' with the mi litary IILl1II, 1'11(,8e lS('wnl eell th , 011

C(>lIll1 r), lUul" bodi~'s hun~ no lin(' lind hurdl,\' 1111,'" clear shuJW, ('XCt'pl Ihal occusiollull y give II by II PU1'ti1l1 bl'(,IISlphll(' or IHlII SlIlIlIy ti~ht 8\(,(,"('s, Their e rotic ('m'ct s IIIU SIIIH\'j' lIri$;('1I oul of sarlorilllllss(,I,tion,nlso n l!l llifl'SINI in bn~gy b,'('('ciH's aile! bunc hy 8Itil,tsIN'\'('s, tllI{l ill bij: co llurs (II' I'ull's, W illl'lII Duyst(' r 's So/dic ,.,~ by {/ Fircp/arr shows II C('lItral figul'(' wil h II huge rlll'b" illl lll('d hnt , a stll!' 111110111,(' IIIf' ot her hut s 111111 fill III(' scem' w ith tlw ir loollTing Ulld lil lill /.!', '1'11 (' Cllrd galll(' 111 Ihl' back nnd Ih(' slol'y tt'lI iug II I l iIe fin' hn\'(' a Iloll chalnll c(, "1IIe1 lack of soc ial tPllsion d{' IH'IU]('1I1 011 II 110 Iict'able luck of \\,0111('11 Or drillk Or. for Ihut lIIulter, ellinger (;),25), Th('S(' 111('11 11I'e Sitiokillg lind s pNlkinf;! ill low 100I('s ill n ciliblikt~ 11111biellc('; II pUI' ~'I,\' lll11sculill(" low-keYNI i"It~ I'p l ny is in I> I'OC(,SS, T h(' glllllC(, or I hi' st nile! iug 1111\11 I a k('1S I\eu 1 r.. 1 cogll i l,;IIIC(' o r Otl I' rl'l~S{'lIc{' -'\'t' n r{' II IIIUII nlld .. 1ll£'llIb('I', 100, Chi('fly, the lSyslellllllliling Ihe pools or light also unites Illi's{' qlli('t 111(>11, nHlkillg two Jll1 lpabl(' COllllll llll it i('s within t ht· piclll r(> bill crellti llg one grnc iou s llIi lif'lI ror til(' illlf'rchalll!f' o( cu llll chnl and complex

(

~ Igt";

tar I

150

MOVING

I'ICTURf.;S

. -. ,-

•

,

•

COIIlI'ud£' ly fel!ling, Action und passion are lit II dislllllCC; so lire folly. Slllllll(', 81 riff', und brtH'lIdo, The ligh t hen ls und slis tain s , Th ese lIlen wcur shoes, 1101 boots. and their big hats have II benign prolecti"e look, Swo rds ul'e 1101 ill c\·idence. Ar£' they indeed soldiers? If so, they nrc 1101. insist.ing 011 it at this moment. The foreground boy otTers the r epou.,sQir, t.he silhou('IINI figure ugllinst whose l1WllrelleliS lhe light ed scene exists. We CIIII II Ot. s{'{' his {',ves; but hi s pal'ted lips show his absol'ptioll ill the fur-h ulled spellker's words, p('rhnps ill hi s UlIlI SlIli 1 fa ce alld dress, and the boy's sillisfllctioll lit being tlllIong these glowing bei ngs who lake'their euse und admit him to their compuuy.

J)lde" Grllrt!

5.25

WILLEM

DUY8TER,

I5I

Soldicnbyo f'irtlJla ct.

Hest nlillt. is t.he note stnlCk in this alld other Ouys ter sold ie r pictures. The "icw('r is permit ted to e nter its cOlllllluni ty IIl1d ret'! o ut its cmo lio nnl

temper by d egrees , as in fi lm scenes where the nctioll co nsists of just Lhat -the grudua l exploruti oll by the CUlllcrll of n roomfu l of men slow ly lIlIJold· iug n situation to thc viewer's co nsciousncss. It wa s done in 7'ltt Jl jgM S i ll!! and UlallY oth ers. In Terborch's I}ninting ca lled 1'II e J) jspa/ch, the net ion is Ch~llI· but th e situatio n is Ilulode muted and resonant: we nrc invited to co n· side r wlull is going O il , not told. The standing tnllnpeter a\'erts his gaze from the seated writer exnctly ns Vermee r's standing maid does from her writing mist ress in t.he Alfred Beit Coll ection painting (5.26 , 5.27).

MOVING

152

5.26

OJ-:RAR I) T):RHORCH.

PICT U RK S

O/firr rlludTrl4mpetcr(Tlte D iJlplilclt )

Lon' is !I1)PIII'Pllily the s ubjpc l o r tll('s(' I>c l'('('d8, which will be delivered by li\{'se su lJOni illlltes: but it is the psycltologicul co mplex ity of lo\"e tlmt is suggestt'd with pr('cocious lUo(h'I'nity ill such simple situations. They ore like t!lf> paintings of H oppe r, Or lik(' sce nes ill films wll('l'(, tht' canH'ra wllieilt'8 III(' 11I('III I)('r8 or u group or eOllp]I' , dwe lling nl.]ength on eneh without COIlIllI('lIt, ielling possible elI/lUges of il1wul'd stille suggest lhelll se h'cs without till' uccd 01' o\'c rl uctio ll or l'xJ)n-.ssioll, lind without s peec h. S uc h dl'umlllic d e\"ices wI'n' only gruduully approprinted for ci ncnw , after it had

lJuldr

(;"11/'1

," •

5 .2 7

J AS

V~!

R N E~; R ,

1\'/)1111111 W ri/iny 1/ I.rllrr, lI' illt It r r .1IUil/

obviollsly IrlillscPllciNllllp 11I('lIlriCIlI COII\'{,lIlilll1i~ willi which il h nd ~ lill'l l'Cl: but III('Y hnd b('(' 11 (·:duIIISli\'(' l." f'xplorlIch us the ye llow-and -bla ck silk bodict' WOrn by five very

157

dilTerent WOIILl'1I ill \ 'I' I'lI1el'l"'8 Of'lI\'''(·. III V... I"IIII'{·... cnc h ..00 111 is made 10 look pui ll 8ta killgly obsPt"\wl. ami yN ellch is s lij!hlly cli ll'Pl'(.·III-illld 011(-' IIIl1st concludE> lhat. ull arr invelitl>lI. just likl~ J){' Hooch 's courtyards. III s uc h u wuy or doing Ihillgs, till' idf'1I of drtac hNl, IIl'utrlll visioll ilS ulldf' r , milled , Elich illl llgC is individlllllly "Sl'I'II " illto pX iS!('IICI', with all dctui ls precis('ly tai lorcd to tltt' 011(' rt'v('uINI vip\\", just as ilia clrculIl, or ill til(' kind or fillII 111111 ilHitll ll'lS a dl'l'lI lIl Ulld IInl II pluy, T hill Vp .. IIICl'" bodicl' r{'lwlltNI ill fh'(' din'rl"'11 1 hUI simi lar spots rllis(~s th(' {Illesiioll, Did h(' illw' lIl it! Is t his ~a"11I1'1l1 11 rl',,1 s tudio prOp, wonl by a s ... ries or IIlodt'ls I.Iml llllltlf' 10 fit ('uch by pi ctor illlilli l orill~, or dit! Verllu'er "design" il hillls('lrollly for I II{' pailil illgs ,l ik{'ull thes(' I}('..r('cllll id phlUSi · blf' rooms-ignoring what till' gil'l reall." lIad 011 so as to inlroduce Illal br ill iulIl. hluek lIlItl yellow' Or wa S it simply IIIWlIYS the sU llie moclel, we l.lring her OWII bodice owr and owr1 By 1665 it was ou 1 or rnshion und appcars 110 morc-Ve r lllct'!' m'wr igllOl'ed ras hion, whnl('\'(' !' o l her minutiae hI' trnnS I)()8ed, De H ooch hilS i l S('(III('lIce or sce ll('s s('t i n Wlllll c urso rily St~ellls the s allie rOOIll. with II Clipboard Iwd nlld 1III011l('r rOOll1 bf'yolld s howillg II gll rdf'1I t hrough lIlI Opf'1I doOJ'. They "CI'y IIIl1ch IUI\'c Ihl' f1 lwor of II I'f'curri ng dr(' III11 : t'ach "il'W or 1ht· 1"00111 is Ih(' SIIIIIt', but t'lic h set. of .1('l nil s is s lightly differ(,IIi.lllid ('ue h SN' IU S llulhOl"i tllt in!. In 011(', a c hild i!; Iwing df'lolised by hpr 1II011wr; ill llllot h e/", l lif' salUC child 1'II11 S in f,'olll the g'llrd('11 wldle thc IllO ther IIll1kt's th(' h('d , Sli llllllotlu' r shows 1I youllg cOli ph' d rrssing" b," llIe bt'd with 11 dog bUI 110 c hild . II woulll ht, r llSy to COIIStl"llct II fil mlikc mln'utive Ollt or 1111 of Ihl~ SC IlIkl' lI 101;1'tlll'r, l'S I)('c ililly sillct' Dt, H ooc h C\"l:'11 pro· vided Jill f'1'1'i(' close· up of 111f' c hild who e nt e rs r" olll th e gardl' II , ill 11 se llilrut l' p ielu rl' St'l'lIl1S by 1I zoom 1('lIs (s('(' 5, 12 Ullci !l, 13), Bull'lIch rOOIl1 , though Ilw saulf', is 1101 t lH' Sall1(', Eli c h piellll'f' is its OWII £11'1'11 11 1, its own fil m c ntir(', full of ils OW ll COlUplf'lf' slIgW'st iw 1II 0\"(, IIIt~ nts and Si tllJ:ttioIlS, Th e su bj('c l in:, eOllsciollSIlf'SS is ill\"okNI ItIH'W {'uch I iml', And ),('1 Ih is SNIUt'nl ilillook aUl(iIl~ 111(' llil intillj!s of Di' Hooch lr a 1U1I' I'nlin' Ilwnw. SCvt' lI t(,ClIlh-cc nl.llr.'" Dutch pni ll t illgs W(' I'(' ill ract ort.f'1I d Ollc in puil'l:l 01' pcndlillts , to show two llSP('ClS of 011(' lI10tiLIiS ir to poi nl out the 1I11fillished chll rne tl'!' or alleX IWrif'lIct" hoth 11I00'a l llll(l llUllt~ riCl I. T Ilf'Y aim to {· tI1pha, s ize til(> Illek of cllciellc(' puss iLI(' ill 1111.'" si lll!lf' wkl' , Dl'lIlIWlic s('(lueIlCf' is cxpressNI not ns 11 row u f Slllif'1I1 1II 01l\('lIls, but ll ti tI\(' plllY or the rt'c('plive, s('ck illg e."(' !'lllll-dllg 0\' 1' " lilt' mlltt"'inl WOI"ld, wI'IH"ing \\"I~b s or me aning <wd ree ling oul of 111(' look!> or Ihill~rs ,

C :pvnot- d

Ie

SIX

Landscape; Prints; Rembrandt

C AP E setting provid es a solution to t he problem of showing situat ions in process; nature never stands s ti ll , says Monet. Th e Dutch land scape-pai nters put that fact to use with s pec ial atten tion to the constan t movement of light and to the arb itrnry character of natural ph enomena, which Rre so d ifferen t from neal roo ms. Ae lbcrl CUYl> was a partic· ular master of rendering the llIotion inside the s till momen t in terms of lire ont or doors. He see ms especially to have add ressed the qucNtion of s howing the sun actually r isi ng and fill in g the world with vis ibil ity, 88 if t hat were the rnodcland paradigm for all action. Almost nothing else happens in his pictures, which s how moments fi ll ed only with th e passage of lime, as cows ruminate and herdsmen seem to do the sa me, anglers wai t for a bite, and horsemen sit back aud let th eir horses d rink (6. 1). Th e best of t hese paintin gs are mesmerizing for th eir expecta nt, pregnant beauty devoid of incident. Th ey are not d ocuments of rural life or harbor and rive r life, but olily of the morning passing. The cows are full of prese nce, and the ir slow responses matc h t he pace of the light's slow rise. The pa int itsel f does not move, as it seems so vigorously to do in Ru isdael's and Hobbcllla's wor ks po rtrayi ng similar scenes. There, the a rti st s tirs th e trces and the sky with hi s own brilliant talent; but Cuyp withholds that interfering kind of encouragement. He, like De Hooch, seeks to keep anything definite Crom occu r ring, so t ha t we can supply all t he possibilities. Philips Koninck illu strates an alternative ci nematic mode in Du tch landscape-paintings. Hi s flat pan oramas invite scan ning and seem themselves to be flowing past under us a8 we fly over th em (6.2) . Th ey have 110 arrangemetll, except that created by the horizon alone . The sky and earth are separate, bu t beyond that Cact everything is in flux; the eye may travel for milf'IO in a ll directions without feeling fo rced to rest on any cminence or

1,(I IIII:WlI IH':

I,,.ill ',~:

/lr /llIl,.,, 1/(11

l}rOllli nt'lIl'{', Tilt' IIWllt'/,ship illl plit'd b:,' lilt' IIcl uf IlmkillJ,! 11111101 s tay fluid lllle! kilt'P IIIcl\'illl!. Ilt'wr fixi lll! lilt' wor ld illiu II Pnl1) llI't'l lllUl ('lulld III' lubl' l,'d "pI'I'ft't:I" Of' ""t'lIl1 lifll l" or "Iypical." IIlId ISO Ill' PUl'oM':-'St'd lik(· II S I Il!fl~ h l)l, Tl ll' lIl'tisl SI'I'IIIS to iw Sllyiu j! this 10 h iIll M' If.lol): u rl islit: tJwllf' r · s hip is U S{'Hli ll illl! jl r()('l'S$, 'I'11i' f"H llIl' kt'f'ps s h iflill~, shon-i ll l! that I lu' l'l' renlly CUll be 11 0 fruIIII', 110 box ill which 10 pllcktlge lir (' vi('w, Ci ti('s in th is sc h(, IlH" IIrl' simply furth l'r co nfigurlltiolls of th l' hwd l)cll l}('; 1I1le! t OWII und CO\llllry, lik(' foreground lIlId di l)IIlIlCC, illl (' rlll ing\(' wilhout se tting th (' III' se h'('s UI} in cO II\'(, lI lio l1ul oppos it ion, The Dut ch frl'{IU{'lItly used th{' cOlllr('-j ollr Il'chni SUII\'(' illu s ionis m or unifil'C1 Sl.ylis lllu'ss of lh(' Fr(,lI ch lind lwli an courtly th(,lIlricn ls thlll hud c lllss iclil p ..o tol~'I)('S ill milld , Ulld t hut led c\'{, lItuull y to o pcrll , Emphll sis in t he Prol(>slll lll. mi dd l(>·cl uss ~orlh

6 ,:l

REMBRA NDT VAS

RIJS ,

JO&l!I,h A (,(,UN/ by /'oliplt ar's lI'i/1'

lAtif/sea/X! : Prillls: Hell/bra/lell

163

Europea n thenter wos all the t.ext and th €' acting, not on significa ntly harmonious \,isunl beauty- thc persolllli kiml of IIcting t.hllt led cyc ntlllllly to the movies. The props and costur'iles C81l loo k 8nY' w8Y, exce pt that rich is nat urally lll O);t f1m ; th e poin t is the drama 1l1ll0llg the charac ters. Dutch painters of the slime subjcc ts liS t hose IIsed 0 11 the stage wcr'e in fa ct d ivided bel wee n those CllIlllutillg I talinn puillterly met hods, conSonant. with R cOll rtly interest. in ideal izin g spect.nc le. and th ose showing how slich sce nes might actually look if real people dressed up Illld acted them out in a naturalistic style, The act ing in such puintings KS Hcmb rnndt 's Joseph A ccllSed by Potiphar's Wife, for example, is li ke fihtl ac ting, dependent on t he effec tive reve lation of persoll,,1 chnracter rat he r t hu n on ski ll ed projection by a performer. Alld ill much Dutch hi stor,y- pll iliting, just as in film , personal quu lity crcnt.es th e d rnllllltic illll>llCt. lIot thcntricnl groupings, gestures , or exagge rnt.ed fu cial ex press ions. The bed in thi " SC(' UC i" Illlother ci nematic touch, pl aced Ilnd lighted to sta nd 1)lain l,\' for sex, while t he actors cont inuc to C{luivocate and maneuver (6.3), Acrl de Ge lder's Wa y to Golgotha intensifies the same movie-vision oC sacred scenes first reali zed by Bruegel, and tor one of t he same subject.s (6.4). We are watching Chri st come up t.oward us over the brow ot a hill with his burden; but. the visual mat.erial that fills the frame co nsists of t he costumed watchers and marchcrs and the panoram ic setti ng, as in th e movie at Bell /J ltr. Intense pathos is foreshadowed, not direc tly dwelt on. The psychological conditions for respond ing to it are being prepa red instead of assumed. By thc time the dista nt bowed figure rcaches us, we will be ready to shed tears, because we are now bein g mude to COli sider t he long stony path he has t rod from the ste rn city gates, Ih e milling crowd of soldiers jostling him 8S they sc ramble up the rocks, the cu ri olU; onlookcrs, and the indifferen t placa rd-bearer, whose att ention is so eas ily di stracted by a disturbance off-sc reen, Faces are turned uwny. IIOt only troUl Chri st's progress but. from us, to emphasize the total lack of 8nyone's personal COllce rll in t his drama. A point is made or its slow, increasing desolation as th e scene moves out oCJ crusalem to t he bleak hillside. No angelic hope hove rs in th e busy cloudy s ky; town and cOlUltrys ide ure alike forbidd ing. Chri st si nks under it all, a lmost out of our sight. as heave n, nature, and man d esert hilll , and the camera centers on thc outline o f t he gri m and distant city wall. On a more intimate scale, The Dance of SCl lome by Jacob Hogers takes a cinematic vi ew or a muclHheat rical ized Bibl ica l scc ne (6 .5). In t he center of the painting, the huge drapery frames only a nameless courtier, who turns to look at the dancc: t.he whole view is ill th e process of shi fting away from a conventional tabl eau of the king and queen at t.able, wit.h the d rapery all the left. The camera hns backed up and mO"f'd to the righ t, so as to

c

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~

(l

I' 1 ( . T l ' H ..~ S

16 5

inc lude the floo r 011 which the danc(' begins, nntl hus b('gull focusing 011 thc young princess boull cing townrdl..u s £r'om the left. 0011 tll(' view will sh ift further uround, und we will hlivc;81ilome in the cent er-the ollposing tubleau , seen bet.ween the two roynl head s . this tillle with Ih(' drallery 0 11 the right. Now Salome's stiff linked leg wit h it s snndaled fOOl kicks oul, like an awkwurdly uPI)licd Cluss icu l allilsioll, Illld also likfo Ull in decent di splny 011 th e pa r t of u chi ld . It seizes thl' l'YC-Qurs ancl e\'eryulle's-llt~emlse felllille legs li re rarely seen in this III.'a\'i ly chid mili eu. Ludics hare only the bosolll; the bure leg is for mythicnl beings or p rofrssio nnl s. This stolid young girl has bee ll inveigled int o exposing herself unsuitab ly, alld her dllllcing dress has been d esigned to allow it; but he r wicked mother. so like her in fpatur(' , is unperturbed alld (! VCU cllger . Ouly th e benrdcd courtier lifts IlII ineO·ec· live ly restraining hali ci. Snloll)(,'s own hallds Imllg straight down: s hc is powe rless. But. her fHce is serClle, Hnd her s traight gU7,C at us atlirms that her OWII honor feels uucomp rolllised. ,'hi8 youllg girl 011 thl' ext.rl'lIIl' left.uud this WOIIUIIl 011 the extre me right ure the t.win focuses ofat.t.ention, ills ist('d 011 by t he lighting, bllt Lhcy arc in all uneasy e(luilibriulIl , becuus(' t he trnnsi t iollal IIrrllllgeul('llt gives the sccne a co nstantly lIIo\,ing ce ntcr. The tllbl('uu rcfIH3es to jell . The s ti lT \('g declines to mukc a graceful bend, wh ich in turn would Ilulke the costume look more bruutiflll and legelldnry, ill stcud of shocking. Thc widl'ly Sl'parated female figures a re almost. falling ouL of the fram e Hud can barrl)' hold the dramatic te llsion together. But. t he SW('(~ Jl or the d rup(' docs thut, fur· ther suggNiting t he mot.ioll of eyes nnd feelillgs, and the swing of t he cum· ern in its st eady arc around th(' ce nt.ral group. Even lulilly its tWe willl el1\'e the danci ng Sn lome und 1II0\'e ogllin t.o t he right. to stu re nl the s hi ning charger over t he queen's hend . • The costumes and props in thi s sce ne olso IU1\'e th e (I,d hoc look of ded i, cated coll ege theuter. wh ere all t.iqu e l)Omp is oftellllJillilllally conveyed but. great emotiona l intensity is ge nerated by the totul conviction of th e CIISt. A simi lar effect. occurs ill eurly hi storical films (R('noir'lS Nalla, for example) made with modest concern for sum ptuously aecurute p('dod decor bllt a gr('at deal for etTeeti\·c lightin g and brilliant movi c acting. A good example of his torical movie-making by a Dutch pain t er is Nicholas VUII Galen's J1tdamelll of COUIlt. Willialll Ih e Good (6.6). Th e scene depicted Hetllally took place in t he fourteenth century, and !!IO everyone is wea ring standa rd Hy c Olde" cost.umes: Miffs, CIlPCS, and bcret s with plumes, an agglomeration of motifs 11ctUlIlly dati ng from the s ixteenth century but which seem to hu\'e registered as " medicval " ill the 1650's, liS they still do. ']'his scene of SlIlIllllllry justice is offered. however. asn modern and

C PY'

166

MOVINO

PI C T U RE S

6.;, JA('0 6 1I00t;K R, Tiu IhlNt"rII/."inlomf

1.(11/(1,'«('(11)(;; Prill/ ,1: /lr/lll.mllldt

167

pl'rilU I)S justifiNlatroci ty, portraYI-.d as if by a qllick-willNI pholojollrllll lis!. Till' gl't'edy IJlli lilT who stOIt-'ll PPIISlIllt 's cow is IIbolit to be brutally dccnpillltl'd by Ii Coul'l Sl'n'lIl1t , rigbtJ;e.fOl'c the cyt'S of til(' l'eiJ!nillJ! COUII I anrl a fcw of hi s r"j(,lLfis, without du(' proc('ss or publ ic h'gal c(, rt' lIu)ny, The hust(' of tllis {h'cisin.' IIct iolL shows ollly ill th(' hill'sh light ing lIllIl ullcert'Illouiolls II.rrllng'I'III('nt of th (' group, The drllped dllis for the senled COUII I's throll(, is diflicuh to rend IU' sllch; t he cU8 uully grouped courtiers lire sllll1ding on Ull undefincd flool'; SOllle witnesses ' faces are as dim us those of Ih(' !linin nctors-hclldsmtln, culprit, and clel'k , Th e' slur-t he virtuous COUII I, Ihe fl'iend of defruuded pelislIlils - Ieu ll s to till' lefl IIlmosl oul of till' picture liS he 81.'(,'1118 to sp('uk SQ flQ I.'OCC

6,6

N I C If 0 I. A S V A N 0 A I. ~: N,

TI,,· Jllt/gmfll l

of COli III

\I'ill i(1II1 III,. Good

1 68

M OV IN G

PICTU RE S

to the clerk. The odd shapes taken by ordinary th ings IS how the photograp hic mode: t he wretched bailiff's feathe red hat on t he s tep, the ungraceful hanging, and t he lan ces a ll take thei r ex istence only from t he arbitrary fall of li ght, wh ich is no respec ter of intrinsic imporlan ce Or claims to ab· st ract. beauty. There is no rh etorical fu ss made here, no half-d raped personifications of justice. no wailing womcn or pi ous obse rve rs and commcnlalor8 reacti ng, only the impassive silhouetted clerk wit h his record boo k, and the bemused court ie rs watehing the t hi ef meet hi s fate with one efficicllt swing of the s word . The satin a nd plumes look grotesquely irrele"ant. Th e sccne looks as if it could be occurr ing in th is ce ntury, and it eve n rese mb les the fnmous lIewspapc r 1>l!otog ru ph fro m World War I I showing a Japanese about to behelld lUI Ame r ican knee ling before all ol)en grave. The introspective ex pressions of the onlooker s a nd the s had owed fuees of execu t ioner and condem ned man suggeslllll unauthorized view of a n exped ie nt political act., swiftly carried Oll t away from pu blic sc nHiny, or n scene from a movie about secret violence in high places. The thing will a ll be ove r in a few seconds, the mess cleaned up, the head s man paid , thc cvc nt quiet.ly e nte red in th e record ; a nd thell the feathered hats will move on out· d oors to some public fun ction, with public faces suitably adjus ted. This pa inting was mennt for llnd sti ll ha ngs ill n public pl ace, like 8 fixed histori· cal doeument.ary fi lm. It ad orns t he town hall of Hnssel l, vivid ly showin g how things we re d one unde r th e e nl ightcned despo ts of t he political pas t. It pays homage t.o nothi ng whatever of artistic or d ecorative grandeur, only to notions of eirclimstantia ll)OWe r, both visual a nd practical. 'rhe re is lUI appealing suggestion ill th esc scenes that fan cy-dress releases behavior not poss ible fo r t hese recognizably ordinllry rolks in th eir usual clothes . The turbans, pea rls, and armor are what allow Dutch girls a nd busineslitllcn, depicted us legendary pe rsons, to e uaci. scencs of rage a nd jealou sy-not ns t heatric"l I)rofessiona ls, like the ex hibitioni s t. per· formers in Ca ra\'llggio's works, but as themselvcs, here si mply inspired and dressed by mythic circumsta nce . Film actors 81so give thi s impress ion. Peter O'Toole 8S King Henry II or l...awrence of Arabia, or Charlton Heston as any kind of lege ndary hero, is always himself, r isi ng above or si nking under the force of the story in his own person , with or again s t wh ich we call iden tiCy. depend illg on the role. The more the role d emand s Caney·dress, the more uninh ibi ted can be the actor's action; bu t he is th e same as we are, only licensed by costume to take extreme paths. The pa ill te r's lI im of persotla li zitlg t he great.. Biblicallegcndli refl ected a general seve nteent h·ee ntury impul se to de-iconicize religious a rt. to lift the cu rse of idolatry from holy rep resen tations and insist olily on the pf'rsonal

, " d

[Allldscope; [ 'rill/ s: Rr mbl"(lIull

1 69

meltuings of sac red e\'ClllS, to be persollully IIpplied ill modenl lifl'. TypologicJ:1i aud embl emutic religious scenes. wilh !IUlIly atlcudll nt figures and many laye rs of mea ning, glt\'e woy to dramatica lly eoneeh'cd luomenl S ofcon frontlltioll and s uddt'n ili lier chunge. 11I tol erant Hollilud the simu lta· neous prese nce of Catholic inflne ncc Illllong Protf's tlillt and J ew is h patron· age allowed au es pec ially broad scope fo r re ligious subject nult.l.er . S imilarly, t he prf'!;f'lIce of hll uullIi st icall,v ('dllcated pnt rons permitted 1111 ad mix ture of Classiclll th(,llIes. now II lso treated with draHl lltie 1)(' rso11111 s implicit)'t illsleud of wilh th e cluborulC courL· 'lllIsqllt' · like slngi lless of t he sixteen th century. The Manneri st s tyl e of history painting. foullci('d 0 11 H(, llui sS8 l1ce models and re prese nted in Holland by Bioelllo('rl, Wtl.ewu('I, und Cam elis \'till Haurlem , following the eXlllllple of thr F'lrlili s li arti st S pru nger, had pro· duced works fill ed with vigorously twis till g or s wirling figures. It hud n('\,ertheless he ld t hese ar tists to th e old ernble llilitic method of showi ng everythi ng pertinent present Itt once. III s uch II scilelll(> nO IIcti on. howC\'(' r

6 .7

A!I H. A H A )f U LO E oM A Y. H. T . T1tt:l/a rrill!/t of I'I'/ C. WS 011(1 Thll i,l

17 0

MOVING

PI C TURE

turbulent , CRn escape t he (rame and involve the viewer. Moreover. no really s ignificant. movement. seems able to occllr amid the compel iu g eddic8 of motion-there is no room Cor lIll emotional center, alt hough th~ re may be 11 ccntra l set-pi ece (6.7). Eac h dancer or set of dUllcc rs in tlit:' mllsqu e d 2m811ds equal sta r billing, and the eye is inv ited to find the r ight rererc uccs and a.llusions, which ure rhyt hmica ll y distributed ove r t he whole s tage at once. The subject must be grudually deciphered , aud so the viewer is flattered in his ed ucated sensibi lities . Th e unifying harmony of the sce ne is conveyed ill the cxciti ug sty le of the dUllC (" s hown i ll lhe 811 111C erot.icized torsion of the figures and t heir ide nt icall y 8uggcsti\'c semi -nude limbs llnd made-up faces, not by lilly p r imnry emotional meaning' ill thc cve nt. From t hat., artistic dist.anee is c8reflJlly kept. All over Europe this program was late r uitf'red , the s tage extras ban ished , th e lighting employed on ly for centra l emotiomt.! emphas is, motion economized , und characters individualized . SOllie results were even more inte nsely theatrical, s uch as t hose or Caravugg io, as we have sec n; but othe r and mostly Dutc h pai nters took thl' opportunit y to reconceive t he whole visual domain in these new terms, Ilot jusl the act ing space. Rembrandt, VerUlcer, and Vels Zortrilit-it is lIslUl.ll y a Icg('llclary scene, 11 map or 11 mirror, or posi;ibly II. lundscapl'- thr te h'vi sioll s hows o( the ti me , showing the sUlUe world ill u differcnt represl'lItntiolllll cOliw lLti oll , relldl'red as a CO IIIIII (' I1 tary, a warning. or a joke, Ot her, less s ubtle paiut el's did Ih e Sl.IlIIf', Eglo n nm del' Necr's so her COli ' pie in Bos ton's ~ h ujc ulH of Fi lIP Arh s il I)('II('IL III 11 lush nud life ,s ize V(,llllS and Cup id , in s talled ove r their til'e place (6, 8), TIIl' ir wulls, fl oor,lIl1d tables are muc h 1II 0re sU lllptuous ly c lad t l1all tlll'y IIrc, ill thei r black gUl'lIIenls with constric ted s hou lders sct off by sti ll' whil£' linell , The big nnkcd figure directl", o\'er th ei r head s is like a cnrtoOll balloon of the ir inlllost thoughts; a nd its fmlctio n is to s how thnt suc h gCllrc sce ne s lIlId snch history puinlings hu\'e the CO IIIlllon motif of indi\'idulll imU'r ,'enlity, In the large, airy sa lo n, t his Ve llus is think ing of t hem. eV{'1l ItS they th ink or her; s hl" loo ks at Cupid lind brood s a bou t sex Itlld chi ldrell, unci 8ell ies with co mrortable nude ense into her fra nl(' o\'er tilt' malll !"!. Iliking happy responsibility for th e realm of plt'aslI re that thi s pair prf'fers to project on to Ih£'ir su rround ings, This kind of submerged emotiollul situa tio n cO!lwyed by Ull ord inary surfa ce image is C1 basic e lemrnt of 1111rralive Ii IIII urt, St>t1 ings Ilnd clot hing ha\'c significan t elllo tio nul c lul/'ge, rathe r tlulII detllchllble s~'mb oli c lIleH Il ings. and they arc alwu."s specific, The cOIll I>lete \'isual elT£'ct is etTorll ('ssly llatu ra lilHic. with 11 0 vi s ible fo rc ing of menning, Th e e motiona l mean ing is discharged a liu ll' below t ht' o ptical surface , where oll ly casua l appear' anees are deployed, just us ill Ilctullllife, i\ll.Ic l! is offe red for psyc holog ical app rehensio n, wh ile st raightforward mutter is set fO l'tll qu ite plai nly, Liter , alness and psychic complex ity coexist. Inter ior ity, t he privllte application of all genel'al mysteries, is obviously em phas ized by showing such all ar rnngclllcllt illside un urban room, Town life means living pri\'ately indoors. with a prO\'isional relation to th e out d oors and to othe r lives, Urban interiors in Dutch paintings are made to seem like inwllrd stutes Furnished with contui nc rs nnd co nduits of pri\,llte feeling, And so legends and hllldscapes a re offer ed by town,dwe ll ing painters to town-dwell in g pat rons as pertinent expansions o( silch inler' iors, lllt('rnlltivc fictiollill vis lns of the SlI IlIe p"inltc ps~'chic Ia.ndscape . Wh en the Iwo lire s how n h}getil('r lind insid{' 0 11(' 1I1101 h(,I', thc outwll rd turning but illwllrd-lookillg idcnl is just liS lIoticl'lIbll' as wh('11 lnrg£'r worlds arc s uggr-s tcd through window!>, Mo\'c lllell t be twt"e n thl'lII is illlplied in the same wny. all interaction thl'ouglt th£' dool' frnme 01' the mirror (I'ume, the window or till' I)ict ure,

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17 2

6 .8

M OV I NG

EOLOS \'AS

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PI C T U RE S

PorirUlt %

J f ol1fJndo \\'o"lfJnlnOnl,l/f.rior

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Vermcer 's great View 01 Oelll s howti II whole c ity subject.ively, like an iUlJe r lu nciscUI)C o r u rOOIll . III t hiti pUlIorlllllU, light. llnd s putiul a rrllngcment are disposed with that slime u\lcnsive particu lar "iew insisted on ror s lIlall ind oor scenes. Thc whole cit y is OIiC roo m, or one mind. exa min ing its.1f (6.9). Another pain te r or 10WIIS, ElIlllllu e l dc Wilte, onc or whose domes tic interiors we eXlim ined curlier. lIlud£' si milarly lItm osphe r ic I)Or lrnits or the insides or churchcti and or tOWIiSCUPCti (hu t combine genre unci arc hi tectural elements . The iden th ai vision mirrors psychoiogicill 11101 iOIl appears strongly in these out.doo r shot s. where I>cople nre sc(' 1l in moment.a ry c lose up as t hey 1II0\'e along a crowded squa re s hoppiug III vcudorH ' stalls. Th e selllsc or s ignificant passage is keen . II passllgl' or glnllces IlIIeI responses ncco mpanying th e pllssnge along' lt s treet, set. olT by n pliBsing view or all ac tive, ne utral urball milieu .

., 6.9

JA N VERMEER .

Vill lV

of

Dl!lfl

M O VING

114

6 . 10

PI C T U RI-: S

EMAN U EL DE WITTJ.!, A J/ arkrl "I

Q

Pori

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The vir\\' of the people in A Ml,rket l' /Jo,'( shows th em from 1h(> knees lip, inti 8lllndurclly ci nClIIlltic f e l8tiOlllo the ir frum e (6 . 10). WI.' i; (,(~ them a s

if we were llnothcr cuslomer III the fish stull , or else II camel'a moving in on them Crom II more clllcompa ssilig view-un es tablishing shOLof the harbor M moment before- to foeus the flavor of the general sce ne on th e small interc hunge among th ese three. Th e white-beard ed man s tares at th e WOlll811 'S fH ee, invis ible in its hood; the fi s h se lle r looks at him ac ross the s hillY fi s h ly ing in he r open hSl1d . Are Ih(' IwO cu s tomers li trollgers f marri ed ' fath e r lind da ughte r' cl a ndestine love rs f We lIIu st keep " 'tHchin g. At any mOllle u! the Cllllle ra may move on past th em a nd cO llcentrat e on

the two men we can see conversing jus t beyo nd; but jus t II OW the graybeard's hand see ms to rest on hi~ heart : this is 8 tellse ir fl eet ing exchange,

1i 5

TIl(' whoh' pllinting is II I"nllll£' frolll /I IIII'gol'r sIOI'Y, II film of IIl'blln lif£' ill which thl'sl' fish a nd thai tOWI'r lind Iht' ligh l 011 III(' figurt's of PHss('I'sll." pluy parIs lis druillu tic liS the ul,;.lprii', This \\'01111111 !iilows lIt'itilpr 11('1' fucI' 1101' ill'l'llIIlIli s,j ll sl likl' IJI' Wi lle's olh(' I' llidy III Ih{' k{'y!Joill'd; bUI Ihe COII 1('llt!; of her mind lire JtlI.Hlp silll ila rly 1I0licPilhl ... through 111(' hnck of 11 ... 1' IWlId, whil ... w(' wulc h all III ... 0111('1' hUllds , tht:' nlh('r rll CI'S, IIlId IIIf' ( 1)('11mouthed fish addl'(' Ss h{'r, "h{' who1{' 1Il1l'IJor is I'ngagi'd in till' cOllfronlnlion wilh Ihis ludy ul t h is 1Il0llH'nl. t\ nd so Ilw whol(' cily is now III£' c hum!Jl' I', III(' \'isualizll l iull of l iI(' illnt'I' sl'lf; lIIal yl' t nOlhillg is rt~ all y hap, pening, Onc(' a~ain it is olliy I II ... IIIO\'illj! Ilri'liS of light Ollll'lIllsilOI'Y Ihill~s (III ... slladow of Ilw pu il 011 Ihi' \,i'ln't sk irl) 1IIId Ihi' IIlrfinilihNi ,'('Iation of thrse (1II i£' 1 hl'ighl figure's 10 ('uch olh('1' lind 10 Ih('il' g,'olllld Ihlll crNII(' Ih(' $ellse or c rllcilll lH'inllt' incifiPlI1 ill l}J'oc('sS, T ill' 11101'1' d islUll lly fOCllsf'd ci ty "il'ws of B£'rckhl'yd(' ha\'!' a simila l' c illl' IIIlIlie glillt·1' IlwI k.'('jlS U 1lI'lIll'IIl fhwor frolll IWI'domi nllting, '1'11(' slIhj('cti v(> look given to O,' lft by VI'I'IIII" ' " fr(J1II his conH'lIIplalin' vi,'wpoint acrHSS till' wntl'l' is h{'n' I-!'in'n 10 Ilaurll'lII ill 'Iuitl' ullolhf'I' s l ylr (6 , 1 1), WI' ilt'('

) , +-

6.1 1

OERKI T I;It:RCKIl El'l)t: , 1'IIr.l/Ill'I.·"'p/(II'''ul llllflrl r m

176

MOVING

PICTURES

again moving acroliS the square, expecti ng a moviclikc encounte r. The city itselr is a matrix for unnameable personal drtl. Ul 8; its image is like the inside of our head. Whatever happens to us will find a reflection in its physical fcatures. By contrast, the topographical painter Van der Heyden keeps the vi ew 8. backdrop, and the flllvor picturesllcss maillot for ded icilliolllo Ilrtislic princ ipl es that set th em apllrt (rom their customerS.

C ;pvnpt- d

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Ij 8

ll OV IN G

I'I CTU UI::S

The' gr(,llt si milurity of th('lIw ill so IIIlI ell seen lnr Dutch art. it s{'lf sugges t s th(' pressurt of slI ch a llIurkN, IlS does tht Ilu'lIIlItie sim ilnrity ill the hundred s of movies Illude hefol'(' tel('visioll , and in tel('visio n drumus ever si nce. The sOlllcwhut. st.rict ciussificlltion of DU1 Ch themes sugges ts the same t hing: s till ·life, seascnpe, winter sce ne, domes tic int.er ior, Bible sto ry, a ll fu lfill ing ex pectati ons t he way Weste rn , war film , romantic comedy, caper ll1ovi(', and historicnl s peclnc lil u r do. Ii igh s tnndll rd s were dcveloped and seri ous urtists were not unapprceiuted; but no Shitrp concept.ual division IlI'ed ed to (·x is t. between t he creutiv(' aims of the pa inte r and nn effort t.o please the piclure-Iov ing public, Graphic urtis ts past and prese nt wcrc pe rceived 1.0 s hllre in those SllllI e /lims. Producing pictures meant sntisfyi ng certa in populnr requil'ement s fouuded on all the earli('r pictures t hat had renched a profitalJle market. Brenking a rtistic ground could bc aecom· plished disc rc('t ly or ind isc rcet ly within t hose limit s, But printmaki ng was now lHl e\'en bi gge r busi ness, a collecti ve en ter· prisc organized to prod uce It cO lll lllodity. As in t he modt"!rll grnp hie modes, includ ing film. diffcr'eut kinds or printed produ ct. wcrc a imed at d ifferent. consu mers, and p rices und quulity vlt ried cnorm ollsly. eerlilin painters' works ..... ere rel)rodueeo. bu t by 110 lUeallS nil, and Ullilly rcproduct ions badly debased th e pictures c,'en while they spreod th e a rtist's fam e. Such reproductive print s were ort CII cntdc wOI'ks hop nrliruels, not sensitivc Il l' ti stic renderings; Il nd t hey helped t.o create th e uneasy and s till -unresolved relation between refi ned grllp hic art and cheap cOlllmere ia l prill t ing-n reo lation that has nlways bee n co mplicllted by the s imultaneous exi s tence of bad or borill g artist ic grap hics und very good co mmercia l a rt. P ri ll tlllakiug was offi cia lly done by IIrlisa ns, and picture painting by artists. But there had alwuys been g reat printmu king painters, especially in Nort he rn Eu rope. and very sophisticated repl'oductive engravers . In the seven teenth cen tury, howcver, the expall ding print -market caused t he graph ics busi ness to fragme nt furt h the same. I t is as if he did two takes wit h two cameras of the same g roup of actors, only changing the angle lind the li ght source. Wh ich is best' Both are best; we can move from onc to the other. Classicizing a rtists tended to sa\'e fluidity for skctches, and made monuments when they came to paint. The rcsult. is a world of exp ressive difference between Guercino's volatile drawings, for exampl e, lind hi s stately paintings. By con trast , those ill love with t he fe el of media,like Rubens, visibly enslaved them all to the same uniform and conspicuous ma st ery. But Rembrandt's later painted su rfaces are characteri zed by a great \'ariabili ty of texture, with thick impasto inte rspersed among lireas of smooth glaze. Paint itself is not sovereign; it s intcgrity within the pict.u re is less compelling than its flexibi lity in sen 'ing th e subject. The consistency of the scene, not of the medium or the style, must be presen'ed, however grand or mod· est the production. The invention of mezzotint in the midd le of the seven teent.h cen tury WllS a significant step in the adnmce of photo· graphic expression, This new tona l graphic met hod freed t he reproducing of paintings and drawings from the mesh of engraved or etched lines t hat had bound it fo r 80 long to a " written" style. But since it was dependent on scraping the ink off the plate in varying degrees to produce the modeling, the tcehnique used no precise lines, and it. t herefore turned ou t to be too crude for the most sub tle reproduction of complex paintings. It sen'ed best as a method for reproducing port raits, where thc tOlla l g radations of faces and garments could be particula rly effec ti\·e. and it was most extensi\'e ly used in E ngland in the eigh t.eenth and ca rly lIilleterll th cellt.u rirs. where portraiture was a (nvored genre. Rembrand t did not need to use thi s meth od; and hi s magical

, " d

188

M O V I NO

6 .20

R EMB R ANDT VAN

"I C T u nE S

RIJ N ,

TIt l' HI,iSi l1{} Of IAI Zllrlnt

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6.2 1

REMBRA ND T

VAS

R I J N,

T/H' Hui,jll(Jof IAZUriU. E IChili j!

19 0

MOV I NG

PI C T U R ES

way with etching had far lIIorc influ ence 011 later und lesser llrtisis in th e graphic tradition . Bu t alth ough mezzo tint d id not immediately become th e preferred re product ive tec hnique, 1I0r an in stantly important c reative medium like etchi ng, it represented 8 new desire- soillc ne ..... need for a black-a nd-while medium wilh certain poetical possibi liti es differen t. from engraving or e lcho ing, somethin g with un emotional overtone be.yond t he reach of the cris p methods used beforc. It is not su rprisi ng that it (ound its best s cope in Romantic times. Pu re tone, mobile and fre e of line, could suggest what the mov ing CHllI cru also C\'CIl1\1811)' offered: an aualogue to pure vis ion free of ktl owiedge, a leap frolll rending into un mediated see ing. Portrai ts were adored not only in England . In Fra nce part icularly. cn· graving tec hni(IU el!i we re perfected es pecially for portraitu re, so t hat celeb· rities and grandces and beau t.ics might all be fix ed in s lick pictures for the public. These were not just reproductions of privately com mi ssioned paint· ings , but ofte n done from drawings made especially to be cllgrnved. Van Dyck made his brilliant seque nce of a hu ndrt'd et.c hed portraits early in t he century, and his I colIQgra pky set 8 stnudard t hat lat er gene ra· tions had a hard t ime matc hing. These portraits indeed had an earlier prec· edent at. the dawll of the cenlluJ' in the work of Goltzius, IUlothe r Fleming, wh ose dazzlingly ve rsatile graphic ski lls had made him tile most influentia l North Eu ropean artist of hi s ti me (it. was his pupils who later staffed Rube ns' works hop). Among his other a mazing performances, Golt.zius made e ngraved portra its of a s tartling im mediacy t hat was c reat.ed mainly by sharp chia roscuro. Van Dyck took thi s s tyle f'u rt he r, adding a Baroqu e panache to the I>e rsollal blll.ek,ulld·whi le illlage Gollzius hud propounded . Van Dye k was a sort of double fath er of the public Iwrtrail, lhe fou nder not only of a peer less presenlational s tyle for the painled ima ges of t he great, but s lso of th e pe rfect graphic 1II0de fo r Ihe same t hing. He invent ed a way for d isti ngu ished printed picture!> of inte resting people to look that.lssted well int.o thi s century and eel'la inly influe nced the camera, both moving and st ill , in its own fu r the r explorati ons of reproducible star imagery. It did not happe n immed iately. The dashing modern look of his firs t etched portraits did not satis fy so well as t.he much sil kier e ngraved \'e r sions, more si milar to the Frenc h style, that we re subsequently done from them. But late r Roma ntic taste caught up with t he sparklin g dramatic style of his first examples. ft was in these that Van Dyck inaugurated t he me thod of defining t he face in great d etai l, a nd t hen using an inc reas ingly looser. sketc hi er techn ique for the clothing a nd hands and appurtenances as the imllge approached the edges of its frume. Th is dralllul ic sche me fo· cuses attention on t he fac e. jnst us the eye or the cumera eye does, and sug·

( "lpYriO h

l. llllrlS('U IJe;

Pri/lls: {(rmbrtllldl

I !l I

gests t hat the illll)recisioll o f peripheral \·ision is most su itabl e for every thing else ubout the perSOIi. Ingl·cs lat.er used th is d evice with exquisile skill in his finished port rait drawings. The effect is agnin one of emotiollairuovemcnl , fro lll the hot ce n ter to tilt' cooler edges. Through thc seductivc gruphic Illcdiu of the late r sevent ee nth centu ry, portraits entered cOlluuon visua l fantasy rlltil('r t hun staying put on priv8te walls. Portraiture took 0 11 the standardizing charnc ter that t he modern famou s phot ographs o f ccl('br ities have, tlw ir wuy of distilling pe rsonal looks so perfec tly thnt forever afterward Ihe perSOIl must rese mble the picture in order to look right. Engravi ng ('xhlnl port ra its was Il way of reproduc ing o lle kind of work of u ri among muny; but til(' Vun Oyck se r ies suggested a new genre , the p icture series of cc lebra t('d folk, int end ed t.o bring well -kn ow n persollages to visua l life for e\·e r~·o ll e-s edification. By the end of th e seventeent h centu ry, huving your portrait paint('d had beeome an o rd ina ry bourgeois thing to do, besides being a mailer between greal kings and gr('ut pa in lers; but to have you r portrl.lit clIgral;cd-a muc h mo re expensive tec hnical proceSS-III CllIlt t hat It prinlmaker lind I.l print publish er we re prf'pared to im'est in t he sa le of you r imKge. You were usually an import8ut officia l or a well-known nobh.' ln a n or SOUl(' kind of nationKI figure , eve ll 1I0torious. whom Ih(' public migh t be expected to Wllllt 1.0 ha\·e a look a l . Wheth er tnken frolll a d isli llguis lif'd pnin ling or not , suc h un eugra\·ed view w01l ld be rendert.'d in til(' same s lf'f' k graphic language in wh ich the journl.llistic CUlllcra 1I0W trall sm it s ou r Illlb lic fig-urf's , Ul1mf'diated by an assf'rtivc artistic vision: the '·nrt" lies in the edi toriailille ni. whi le til l' ··t('c hniqll"'· is 11 tec hnologica l gi\·{'II. Rcmb rll nd t naturally df'lIlo nstra{('S hi s pr{'occupntiolls ill It \"I'ry ditf{'rent kind of pOI·l. rnilll rl'. H is kind lIIakes lilt' pict lll'e of /I persoll 8('('n l lik{' II 11I0vie se('lle with olily 011(' ch llrl.lctt'r in il. ratli{'r thll11 n more capt ivut ing lIew example ill t l", IOIlI! port rail I rlld it ion. Thf' s('{ltH'lIce o f lIf'nrly a hUlldrN i pll in tNi s('l f-po rtru its shows this lIunlit y ill pllI·ticular: und the s llIull OIl(' in Bostoll showing tilt' yOllllg Re lllbrll iid t ill hi s s tudio milk/' s this poi n t especially we ll (6.12). The pic ture·" s ma ll size drnws thc \"i('\\"('r, us it .. lwllYs does: bllt the curio usly angled co mpositio n draws him further s t ill int o thi s sce llc inhabit ed by both th e s lll ull , distanl pain ter a nd h is large. nNlr NtS(' 1. 0 11 which it is strongly suggested lhat l he same sell'- ,lortrllil s tli ll d s. Thi s is n psychologically indu ced sugges li oll- th(' siz(' lind hOl'izontal frame of the invisible paint in g IlUlkt' 1\ S(, Jr-po rt rllit IIl1li kf'ly. Bllt liIe illtellse bOlld c reated betw('('n th e IIHHI B nd his CI1 I1\·IIS in this li tt le composi t ion re lates it in our minds to thllt. end l('ss li nd IIlso somehow unbea ra ble processio n o f sel f-portraits IllIIt S(,(, lll like Relllb rnndl 's aulobi-

(

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tar I

M OVING

192

PI C T U K.~S

I I

ogru phy, full as it is of so IIUIIlY \'ersion8 u nci guises ulld sl.'Iti ngs for ont' IIHIII 'S fuce , Elich 0 111.' of tht~se, lnrge Ulld smnl 1. is lik e II whol(' sce lle, SO Ill (, ' th ing iii goi ng 0 11 ins id(' Ihe mllll' s mind . illsid(' Ihe room, betweclI til(' mall Il ud hi s l.l1 lfli('llc(', or tltr IIIIHI nlld hi s cO lIsci(' lI c('. or It il>; UIi'llIory. or hi s Sl'lIse of humor . Or his urI. Aud so this CUll\'IIS IIlIIst bl' this "('ry pnilltiug, uud we, tht, world, ure only 11 grl'ut she('t of IIIl1 tllbll' r('(lect mg g luss. Th l' third princ ipal churac lrr in thi s Jiu l(' grollp is titl' pool of light thnt "ib rntes in 11t(' s pnce be t ",('('1\ Ihe pn int('r unci hi s clIs{'ll ik{' nn IIngelic pr('s, cnce . Th e p!l illt e r slluuls buck to ullow it roolll, his OWII ('yes in s hu do\\': Ih(' puintillg holds up its fllc l' to rcceiw it. This is not u si mple puilll('r's s('lf· portrait bul R 1110 111('111 f1111 of slIu('d CXI}('chlt io n. The door lit lh(' right is II1l0tll('r c hurllc le r , Lik{' 1111 the doors und beds u nci t(' lel)lIon('s in mo\·i('s, il is Ih('r(' to slIggl'st its possiblr us(" b('fort' or

eve n wit.hou t it.s being used. If we 1\1'(' allowed t.o watch it. like t itis, t.hat mean s tluH sooller o r IlIte r· it wi ll opt"n--or perhnps it lUll; j ust closed, o r wil l soon be knocked at. or ha stily bolted fr om the inside. At t.his in ti mate artis· tic mOllle nt , t.he door suggests int erru pt ion. The c lie nt, th e appre n tice , the wife, th e mll id, the dog-someth ing mil)' ut uny min ute d isturb this silent coll oquy between t.h e artis t, his lighl, and his su rface: his shadowed e,yes are wide ope n, pa rtly with IlPI)rphclIsion. MNlllwh iJe w(' nrc nlso frei", llnd('r the bright gaze com iug llt u s ( 1'0111 the back of th e room, to bel i('\'(' Ihut we nre s imp ly the model o urselves, syndics or burg('sses loekcd in with thili elose·kn it. tria d , wait ill g to IIwke II four th. The zoom eft'ee l in thi s painting, like t.hr on(' ill Ve ruwcr ·s Officer alld J..ollghill(} Girl, is 8 d evice for exteu d ing the li se o f s tlHidn rd l)crspec Uvn l met hod s and ill s is ting a ll optical d epth . I t keeps the Ilction from lookillg as if it were st.aged at. a fixed d is tance, and instead indicates t hat we must be included in it, by invoking th e wny our cye would grasp it i( we we re nctu· ally prese nt. Alt hough t.his pictu re is s mnll , 811d e,·c n b(>clllise it is. we are drnwn first near to it , t hen in to it: the pic tur(' "Jnne SC(>IIIS to vll nish. The Dut ch peep-boxes designed ill th e scve nlP(,ll th ce n tury h,v i-I oogstl"l.lte li oml ot hers produced the sa me ilHlruwing eiT£'ct by mechnniculmcnns, {or t he same se llse of exciting e n tl' rt niu men t that ctll"ly pee p·show mov ies ofl'e rcd. Th e ordinu ry world drops uway; olle is rapt inside the liny ilJlIsion. It is not s Ur) rising' l ililt. pornog raphy s hould be s hown thi s wny. C ine lll nilitoget her, however huge th e sc ree ll , issues this SllIlI e I)C I'soIiHI ill\·itatioll to ('Ilc h viewer, iso lates him and ca pt ures him. In Refllbrnndt's famous po rtrait Nchillg of J an Six r('uding ntll wi ndow, made tweut y years htler in Huo lllt~ ,· llU'dilllll li nd ullot l h~ r city, we get. tile same 8('11Sl' o f sce ne ruth e r tlulII sf'l ting", with light HS one of t he chorllc tcrs (S.23). "he IIIIIII' S o pen coilUl' im·itt's Ih (' ili co lll ing uir lind so uiso 8('('111 8 to invite the inwa rd fl ow of th{' dayligh t hc is scekin~ by t lU' window. W(' can sc(' thut lIo thingehw hutlighl is 01111 11('\"1'; ind OO I"'S is whrrf'ull t llt~ 1hOIl j!ht , feeling, and a c t io ll dwell. Bllt II II II'S8 li!!hl r l1t rrs, t he png!' is uni n te ll igibl r, the roo Ul is filII of IlHIIIl'I(' ss u bstllc lrs, t ht' rl'i ut iolls Hlilo ng crelltllres nre red uced lind prilll iliw'. '1'111' t'US£' of Ill,' 11111 II ' S lIt1i llldt, us h~ s lllllds e li ligh t · e n£'d in hi s wi ndow corne r shows him to l)(' I.l confid('lIt ligh t SN' k(' r. much nt home with p rin ted Illllth' r -th (' s('urc hi' lg light fillds IIno the,· Ol}(' n book lIeurby, the lIIe rf' l.oPlllost o f I( wh oh' " ih'. Bllt f'lII'licl' 1II0IIICIIl.S i ll this \"CI-y SIl IlIC SCf'lIf' W('I'C recOl'c1t'd by Belli · bra udt ill Ii s ketc h full of b ll S,\' strokrs «(i.::!.J). ) )(".(' Jail S ix is plnyillg wil h t he d og, lIIo\'i ll g g rud ll nlly buc k lip lIg'ninsl llit' window iNlg(' 10 ,·esist t he dog's happy IldvlIllces: nnd hcrt" 1i1e skrtc h shows tlmt lig ht IIIllU('rs \·rry lit.tle -t he e nCOlln t('r is sw ift, l)Hsic,l1 l1d lIlc1il(' . SOM'- how('wr, Ill(' sCI'\·nnt

C pyr

te

I 94

MOVING

6.:!:I

PI C T U RE S

It ID IH KAN I)T , t AN It IJN .

JII" Su Illluh"y. ElChiulC

calls a ll' the dog. the relieved Six sellies more comfortably all his elbow and picks up the pamph let. He begin s to cOllccntrulc, nnd Ihe ",aitillg daylight responds promptly wilh a knowi ng cu ress . Unde r tllut touch sound d ies, steps 8 11d ba rks recede, attention turns inward, and t he eye alonc moves in the room. The one picture is not Il s ketch for t he olher. but anot her frlilne from the sa me episodctjust like muny Dutch drawings relul('(110 paintings. Moreover , t he different mome nt from th e sa me event is conce iv(,d in a dif· fere nt but re lated med ium, us if to dClIlonSLrute the lIIutobili ly Ihu l is r ight for tnlc visusl na rration.

/.(IIIc/SC(Jpr: Prillts: Hrmbrlllldt

19 5

And so in Helllbrundt l)Qrlruilure becomes lIurrlltioll , just like self· portruiture, in the cinemtltic mode . In all hi s vurious Uled i" th e theme is irradiated. mobilized. and mad to share in the fluid Mild s ug~e s ti"e atmosphere of daily living and inward change. or in the hush of holy appari tions , even wh en there is nothing in the picture but a (ace. Only Rembrandt seems to have created a body o( portra its with this expectant quality. The iu dividuals painted by }-" rans Hals, for exampl e. are quite different: his works are much more like the brilliant portrait photogral}hs b.,' In'ing Penn, where the look of a single persollal instant seems eternal , caught (orever in one miraculous flash .

,

.

,

>, •

6 . 24

ItEl4HItAS[)T VAS RIJS .

Drawing

J IHt SIS'

H·i,,,

a /Jog.

7.1

J AN VKKKOLJE,

AIIElcgalllCowpl r illl1l1 / l1ierior

•

SEVEN

French Prints; lUttteau, Chardin

By

of

ing t he Sun King"s reign , llnd

('V{'II

THE lust ttUUrlcr the sC\'C IIH'c n th c(' lItury, mosl Dutch paiuters had lIlowd llWllY frolll Hf'mbl"llnd l's I1I1I11 N li»I£'(\ style toward II more suave and clegunt tOIiC. F' ,'cllcli esthetic lIlstc irradiated Europe dur-

tile puinlcrs of Hollilud w('re not. im-

mune to the impulse, Ulllil the n IlIcking in the Ncth (>rlnll ds, lO\\'lIrd academislII and the establ is hmf'lI t of niles for art. But the resu lt s of

Frellch influence among the genre pailllr-r8 werc quite hnunting and r they like to e njoy the new refi nement s of upper-class life Ihllt improved 011 t he olde r s illlpl icities. She wcars a gau zy vcil around her !tend lind s hou lders, to mystify her bcu uty a nd com plicate her movemen t s with a f€'igned impedime nt to tnle per ception ; the windo ..... lu.s cirap('d cu r ta ins for t.he same purpose, to embelli s h, roman· ticize, a nd pretend to im pede the ligh1. Just us in Hollywood , the figu res of th ese two urc rendered especially attenuated and crisp: their hair is lUI attractively neatened version of t he ar tless curls ill earli er modi·s . Fashion itself, if tlrt may be the witness , was creatillg th ese \'ery refin emen ts ill lut.c-sevc nteenth-century dress- shorte ning the sl('eve, ti gittelling t he waist, editing t hf' coi ffure ror both sexes. F or me n the result would soon be the great periwig that was to put so \'ivid 8 stamp 0 11 all mu le looks for more than a hund red years. Verkolje's gentleman. brsides hi s newly neat, leg lind neat waist, has much morc beautifully a rticulated curls thall a ny s imilar gallant in Terborch's cast o( characters. Both puritanical an d military modes are out. T he new fash ions initiated at Versailles were havin g their effect on everything, and details not. only of dress but of erot.ic manners seem to have been s harpened up . As the lady picks up he r instnlment, s he momenta rily r est s her knee on the chair-a more indecorous and also more artful gesture (or legs t.luUl (ormerly. Now he actually t.akes her ha nd to make her turn he r elegant. nec k (how sedue· tively t he vei l moves) and overtly points t.o hi s viol , suggesting a-(!r, duet. These two are bot.h less sexually disc reet and less nut.urally behaved thal1 Terbore h's cou ples. They dis pose t heir legs with artificial abandon and part t.h ei r moist lips while t.hey lift t hei r eyebrows s lightly, s tudying one a nothe r 's style. As us ual , the dog feels the tension and questions t he ae· tion , here perhaps puzzled by the lack of straightforwardness. In this e n· counter, there is not much spontaneous feeling needing s triet control; the sce ne is a s tudi ed exercise ill aTllorous good form. The indication o( a carefully schooled leisure is t he right note to strik e. the flavor oC court etiqu ette governing the discovery o( love and all su bsequ ent pursuit.s of pl easu re, aud importing a modish whitT oC ra refi ed d epravit.y. Sin ce the painter uses the props and sell ing and na rrative form of ea rl ier and s impler Dutch lovers' meeti ngs-mu sical instruments fingered in a loft y duylit c hamber- we are free t.o see this as a pointed nostalgic reference, on t he part of both the director· pain ter and his actor-lovers. Ootfried Schalcke n W8 S another late-sevcnteell t h·celltury gen re painter who liked to r efer to earlier the mes in del iberately romanticized style, as i ( making a his torica l movie. [n his work the effeot is qu ite poignant, never

c

,

F ,.(' lI r /l I'r ill/ll; Walt rll ll , Chill'dill

I !) 9

stagy, only height ened , refined , and self-co nscious, In Sc halckell 's s llIall I)uin l ings. IIlId ill liI(' g (' lIr(' works of Vlln dcr WCl'n' bt'fol'c he begun 10 d o class ica l his iory- pn ililill gs, the charnClcrs oflen udopl II lIew kind of Ullltlscd nnd consciolls s mil e, wh ich is 'Illit e diO'el'c llt from Jun S trc n-s S ll laciolls grins of eurlicr days, u S wcHa s from the s trni/.tht li nd radillnt s mi lc of Vermce r's girl. III Th e Doctor's Visit, however, we hllvc ICurs, dn intily dabbed with all nprOIl (7 ,2), Schnl ckcn wns n pupil of Grl'lI l'd DOll , li S Ih e s mull formal , dcl icut c lighting, and s wee piug drup"I',V hcr(' dCllloll s trllte,

7 .2

O OTt' RIED SC IIAL C KE N,

Th t DOclQr ', r;, il

200

)tOVINO

PI CTU RE S

but mu ch more cinematically in cl ined. Th ese two figures look away (rom each other. th e slende r gi rl moving off ill distraction. the doctor cOllcen· trating on the urille in the flask. He is speaking. gr8\'ely and nlefully; she cl utche8 her bosom, her lips tremble, and her eyes fill. for all the world like Lana Turner in a 1940's wOlllan's picture, a8 she discovers she's pregnallt. Tlte J)octor's 1';.;, had been a. standard comic Rnd morulizing theme (or Dutch painters ca rli er in th~ centu ry. It was used by both DOli lwd Steen, often to poke (Ull at the pompous doctor cha rneter (who wns also II familiar stage figure) or to giggle at the signs of fema le liccntiolilSnes8 (see 5. ). Here, howeve r, we have 8 bit of authentic sentimenta l drarna with no snigge ring, a s mall midd le-cl ass tragedy actually in process. The girl is sweet, the old doctor wisc ulld sober. the si tuation very sad in th e best romull t ie style_ The frallling, groupi ng, und lighting IlIl\'e the ar bitra riness ond immediacy of film, different from Dou 's staged tnbleaux or St.ee n's bumptious furccs. The feuthe ry technique gives 8 1)luy of l)Qssible movernell t to t.he figures, the look of breathing that. DOll's s mooth paint.ings lack. Another Schalckcu, IIOW in ~"lorence, is one of seve rnl fnshionably ero tic fantasy portraits he IUlinted, t he kind o f thing no Dutch I)aillte r would luwe done in earlier years (7.3). Here is the modern sm ile that. is almost. a simper, 8 come-h ither glallce enst in a new romantic style of sex uality. a Ro. coco vision enhanced by lhe cand le flame thnt dancNI suggestively out from behind the little hand with its crooked pinky_ And yet the lighting effects, derived from Honthorst. Elsheimer, Rembrandt himself. give her real life and freshness. The "graphic" ideal is intclisified: th e calldlelight is there to reduce other colors and focus the feelings. in this casc on mystery and intimate exci tement. S he is a synthet ic vision, like a pinup, u long way from Vc rmeer's !lead of a Youllg Girl. and Illoving close r t.o commcrcial art. IlOpu!ar illustration. and the movies. III fac t , not j ust. earlier artilSt ic themes but. the influ ence of fushion urt. apparently intf' r\'e ned bel.ween Se hal cken uncI his mode l. and bet we('u Vcrkotie Rnd his lovers. II placed 1\ filter o,'er th e dire -t renderiug of hU1II1\1l si tuations thut would pernumcn t ly complicatc llud curich the ci nemat ic view of things. By t he 16 0'8. series of figuns de mode wen' u st.uudnrd feature of graphic IIrt, aud they IUUSt. have been lUi impor t"nt ele ment in l he subseque nt. sense of personal looks. Such fa shion prints are nOI 10 be confu sed with co mmercial fashion pi utes intcnded to encourage sales-these were not in existf' nce until the late eighteenth century. ~l orc import.ant, they are sets of tYI)ical figures exemplifying fashiollable dress llmong certa in groups , including fallcy-dress and theatricul cha racter d ress expressed in modish t.enns. Thf'Y ga'-e a presentatiollal s tyle to what. was already worll , rat.her than suggesting what might. be worn next (7.4-7 .6).

F rt'tlcll /,riII/3: 'fullcllIl, Clw nJiu

1 ,:.1

OO TFKI~;I) 8 C II A I.CKY.S,

20 1

l,u(/y wilh (' Candle

By t he clId o f the s(!\'entccnth Ct' lItllr~' , wilh tlie institutionalization and acltdemi zat ion of French c rll fUi , and especially wit h the rni sing of eJlgrll\'ing itself by ed ict to the rl.lllk o f li beral alld not mec hullica l a rt, th e Frenc h were by far the best designers and re prod ucers of s lic h costume prints, Not only were Fre nc h persona l luxuries tht' IH ost refilled und desil'ubl e ill Eu rope, but thei r s uperiority WII S confirm ed h.v I he supe rior }o"' rell ch version o f complete personul chic, pur\,c.\'N I ill s upe rior fushion I)rinls, portmit prillLIS, und p rints of fashiolluble lire , In the first three declldes of the se\'c lIlce nth ce ntury. Jucqll(,s Callot unci Abrahalll Bosse hlld fixed the illt.l'rnational illlng{' of el{'gllll ce liS esse nt ially French, well before IJolii s XIV insti tuted l h(' ('conomic polici('s that fixed its pructica l reali ty, By the time the elaborille r it uals of nobl e idleness had been organi zed at Venmilles. ami It II the luxury goods used there were IIHIII · ufactured ill France, nnd the uendellli cs Iwd bet'n fOllnded. I"re llc h e ngru\, · ings-which IIlso etl fll C to bc s trict ly reguhlLed li S Lo prinliJlg, publicnLioli. and sltle-Imd long since estublished LII{' ir nb~ollile authority as images or

·... -

•

Aool..'tI le/t: 7..1 J . ~ . 0 E ST · JKAN, Swit \Vor,. willt

/I

Stt-ord. Fuhion prillt. 1670'•. "~o nnal courtly eleganee. Aoot:~: 7 .5

J . O.

DE ST. - JEAN.

Lady WalkiNg ill tlte CowNlry. Jo"'•• hion prillt. 1670·s. tiff bul sprightly leisure clothing. u/I: 7.6 J . D . 1)1'; ST . ·JEAN , Gelltie" lo lI 01 Qwolit y. Fashion prin t. 1690' •. Casual Rococo style

RigJd:7 .7

JA C Q U ES CA LL QT.

tigtlrt' Or a nobleman rrom LA NobI~,,~ l or-m illt, 1624

&/oWJ: 7.8 ABRAIIAM B OS8E. Sltop, vlldullte IAIl! Covrl,.

Etching. c. 1640

204

MOVING

PI CTU RE S

sartorial elegance. No prints of mod is h life by Vall de Venne. J ost. Ammall , Caspar Luikon, Wences lllllS Hollll.r, or eve n Goltzius, cha rm ing IlIId infor· Illalive as they are, can possi bly match the brlt"ura and sUllvit.y of CaHot, Bosse, or Jacques Bella nge. All t hese reg is tel'ed in bl aek and white the French genius (or picturing fashion long before Louis XIV consolidated French power and ca used Ir for IIJ(' e it,v's II('W cultural life: role pluying, til e exe r · eise of wit, the purs uit of pe rsonal dr1l1ll 8. and Iht' d is play of pe rsonal atlract.ion s could all be ros ter('d in th e at.m os phere of II s tage trlldit ion newly libe rat ed for the purpose. The re wert' o nly two offic ially r('cogni zed and subsidi zed stages in !cople togcthcr and create unexpected encoun ters with umbigu ous meun ings . Fashion prints undoubted ly had a part in this scene-playing, s tyl econscious manne r of elegnntliving. Th e costume "lutes of Picart, St.-J ellll, and others had continued th e tradition of Bosse and Callot insetting II uni · formly elegant tone for sequences of very different. figures. Watteau also did two serics or them, aile or figures d e mode alld t he other of fig ures de dive rses ca,ractere& (7.9). These were theatrical or reg iona l or hUUl orous fig· ures with the same dashing style as those in the rashion p rints. All such se ri elS hud thcir ori ginu l source in the s ixtec nth ·cc ntury costume books, which s howed class or regional dilStine ti olls ror anth ropological purposes; but th e .... rcnch engravers or the seven tee nth centurj' had gone on to creat.e stylistic model IS. ~ o that th e figures' comm on sty le, und not t heir differe nt costumes, came to be t heir main theme. Th e academic, Mlle'llIaking climate of cu llllre under Louis XIV had ros· te red such an impulse, and mallY of S t. ·J ean's figures, ror exaulplc, d isplay a ce rtain formal sti ffn ess despite their elegance. But \Valleau , with the in · fluen ce of the Northern style lit his command, co ntinued th e theme with new conviction. The extremely casual figures he sketched, apart from t he ones published as prints in sequence, hnve the sallic sort of com pelliug chic as those created by modern fnshi on photographers who use the device or ca· sual and c,ren awkward Ilclion for their artificial arrangements. Th e mell ill \Vatteau 's drawings and prints have an incred ibly elegan tlc ngth of Icg and torso, 8 grace fu l gllnglineslii or pose, and a magnifice ntnonehnlance in the nice disarrangement or their clothes. It even improve8 on Cui lot ill the qual · ity of its apparently unstudied euse. Some of this Waltellu undoubted ly learned from Vall Oyck. whose drawings he copicd- aud it. was this syndiCsis of North ern realism and French stylistic clarit y that was one of "' rance's 1II0st influentia l contributions to interllatiollil l rashion; th e look or the total figure in its cloth es , rendered (in a graphic medium thllt could be reproduced and eventually popuilirized) liS both ideally elegullt und per· reetly natural atlhe samt' time. Th e f88hion camera and especially t he movie Cll lliern have crcated the ideal nnew in thi s ceutury. Ever since W"ttcnu. it has been somethi ng to

( "lpYriO h

:!O9

7 .9

ASTOISY. ""'ATTY.A U. • ' ('II jll

,vIlH

/'rofilf'. i-.:lching, IWcoml

''',,/king . SIKh'

live up to, a focus of aspiralion: it has looked I)('rfec i. hut aU(l;II(.ble. As th£' prestige of courtly fu~hioll gradually losl its importnnce, the cnpacilY of graphic medin to spread (muong oth£' r t hings) a ll llccessi lJ le-looking ideul of dressed e legllllc€' lJeclIllw obv ious. and comlH€' rciul fushioll plntt's CIIIl\(' illto exist.enc(·; b UI the visllulizlIlion of thl' figure 011 which l li ry depl'lldf'C1 had bec n invc ntcd by ce r Luin figurllti\'e gcu iuses of {'urlicr duys-Cnllot. VUII Dyck. WIlUCUU. The WO II I(' II in WII Ueau's works show a particu larly distinc t shift from those ill the fashioll prillts of a genenllioll ell rlicr (his ('l{'Jotllllt mal('s li re closer to their Protot)1)es). und one part icularly COllu{'cled 10 Dut ch a rt. H ere again lhe movement of female sexual f{'{' ling is ('xpr('ss('d through th{' excited play of light on satin skirts. through the slight tilt or d il) or stiffening of the exposed lI('ck . und through s nullI gesturt's of tiH' hailci. The fe· m81e figure is thus very eloquent whe n \'i(>wNI from Ihe buck. whcr(> all these {'Iemenls are more rrwuling without the face, wh ic h may drcri\'(', as necks Bnd moving skirts ca nnot.

:n 0

MOVINO

PI C T U Rf;S

Vermee r and Te rborch hnd worked nil t hi s OUI long berore, but it hnd m'ver been s('en in F'rl'nch art until \\flllleau rt·worked it in Hoeoco terms . Un lik(' the Dut ch painters, ami unlike H\lucns, II(' mllkes fe min ine gnrments see III to weigh \'ery littl e lind to cOllsist only of delicately bUllclH'd and wr ink led yardage-loose -sleeved alld indisl ill CI robes hitched up, pu lled togethe r, or dntwn back. allchored only to SOUle fi rm s tays uroulld the rib cage. whic h smooth it. out to produce u well·defined bodice and dc· collet.age. The waistline matters very lilliE', t h€' nac reolls bare chest. n great dt'ul. And through thl' lightweight !;kirlS pokr the kUl'es. cOll s tunl ly shift· in g I)osition to catc h the lig ht Illld callnttclI lioli to th(' Ilgita tion of hidden thighs nud hiddeu I"('spollses. People of both s('xes ure ouly p " t~cariousl y unci pro\' is ioll nlly upright ; they muy loll lind sprllwl lind h.'1111 lit IIny 111 0Ult'ul, nnd tlll'll spri ng up uga in LO dunce (7.10). The cns lialmode l for deportme nt set ill \Valleau's works IllIs hnd n lasting etTect. The ullnfTected qUlIsi-awkwnrdness of nil th ese refined mo\·c· ments g ives I.he m grellt nppelll and , IIguin , mllkes their wor ld or leisu re IIml

.,,

7 . 10

ANTOINE WATTEA U,

P~u ceful J.AJI'~

F,'r l/ell Pp'i,.t,~; lrattc(/U , Chan/ ill

2I1

pleasure see m aCCf'ssiblf'. 1'his is partly because nothing mu ch happells; 1I 0thillg is very seriou s, exci tin g, or funny_ only ve ry suggest ive an d inco n· clusive whil e seeming very huma.p..J t is i ll 1II0lioll, a realism of the feelings that. dwell s 0 11 tJ'UI1SitiOIl lind ambivlllellec just. like the one Dc Hooc h cre· ated for his lute paint.ings. WIlUeau's th eatrienl costumes, shown mingl ing with ordinnry clothes alld unaO'('cted ges tures, bring up the mode rn idNI Ihnt all cl ot hing is costume, I>t'rmilting p{'ople to funcy th(>lII selv(>s pluyin g variOlilS parts for {'lIc h other, and for thcir own pri vut.e satis faction. Scxuullife is lu'l'c visualized, as it wa s for t he Dut ch ulld as it is for liS, in term s of fa sh ion, Thi s kind of art provides a sartorial expression of physicu l plellsure that d el iberat ely str esses the lIu cf'rtnin cha ract(>r of s{'xual f('{'ling-specificlllly, its " this· moment"' charnc ter, which is li llkcd to temporary gu i se~, pass illg fnds, per· ve rse fantasies, and f'xtrf'lllf' whillls, like fashion itself. It is from thest' early days of the eighteenth century, perhaps from \Vatteau him se lf, t hat thi s idea springs-that. fn s hion is itself th e mobi le v('hi · ele of lUI equalizing erolicism , no iong('r just of class distinction. Populnr theater hf'iped t.o confirm this notion for hi m, as th(' movies havt~ confirmed it for us. It docs not mra n thut fashionable cloth es IIIl1 lS t be cOllve ntionally sexy , with II lot of fla sh Ilnd exposure ; on the contrllry, (nshions t.hemselves may be si mpl e and mut ed . But sinCl' they eo ns tantly chllnge, it is the fol · lowing of them that suggt'sts sexuulity , u subversive lo\'e for th e richness of fantasy life, and a concollli tlln t beli ef, perhlll)s in articu late or only pnrtililly conscious, ill the abiding importance of f'rotic fet~ l i llg , In seventeenth-centu ry F'rance, and in ot her absolute monarc hies. it might bc easy to see the following of fa shion uS 81101 h('r arist.ocratic pastime, a perverse sport of kings invoki ng not the c rude di s l)lay of r llnk or riches, which is ulIllecessary for rOYlllty, but of imaginnt i\'e self-defi nit.ion, like the court. masque. It might see m to be something geared to the special needs of ar is toc rats, including the (orlllal restraint. of thei r public sexual manners . The late·scvcntee nth-ce ntury fllsh ion prints hlld s uppor ted the idea , with thei r elaborate detni ls and s tiff figure·compositions. But in Holland, Vermeer Ilnd hi s coll cagues had s hown how urban fa shion in dress infus es private bourgeo is fee ling and defin es the middle·c lass sexual se lf, not j ust its social pretensio lls. 1' he specific details of fas hi on, whatever they arc, become the co nveyors of n changeable personal atmosphere, and hence of mu tab le sexual possibility. Th is has been an importan t fun ction of fa s hion ever si nce, a view pate ntly argued by the whole history of popular movies aud now by t ele\·ision, where th e dress of people whose sexual fee lings we urc meant to take seriously is a lways II perfect example of a particular fashi onable ideal. Thei r

, " d

-" 1"

MOVI NO

"I CTURt-:S

l:.e rrection is like that of 11 \Valleau sketch or fashion figure, offering 8 completely current physical ideal of form and dress, ",hale\'Cr I he socil1l or occupational sphere of the ChtU'8CU! r, conveyed in a graphic medium that can suggest ahsolute reality, not. artistic license. Clothcg liN' part of all ord i· nary sexulil dnll1l8 ill movies; aud it was \Valleau. cOI)ying Ihe Dutch. who inaugurated this Wtty of using them . \Valleau's whole career has the flavor of lInrcsoh'cd movement that cine ma promotes. His pnilltings were doue directly, without pinus or cartoons. and of len 80 hastily that the I)uint failed to ndhere lind lUaintain u surfuee; but they were also slow to de\'clop, inefficif"nLly concei\'ecl. put together with that 811.llle clulllcy method 1I0W used for film, whereby there lire lItulty takes, muc h extnl (ootage, and editing c reates the final outCOIll{,. Wntt ellu made thouS811ds o( quick sketches and t hen quickly cooked th em illi o paintings, which lIone li19le8s never seemed to get finished . I·I{' hnd begull as U hac k. co pying slIIa liDutch pKin t.ings (or the popular nutrkcl. L,uler he lived in a llIarginnl way ill the hOlls{'s o( friends or pKlrons, ulld he le(t til(' world early, having always been su rrou nded by othe r l)eol>le but remKilling quite solita ry, never settled or stab le. as if he needed 10 keep moving all to the next scene . The screen like "('il of paint ill his works is 1\ refined version of Dutch chiaroscuro, tl lIew fluid. almost moist. KtlllOsphcre where li\'illg und feeling go on.

followed up Walleau's themes ill new guises, still CO I)yi ng the Dutch and this time ,'cry openly. As a fo'reuch painter. Chardin took a risk by sticking to genre and still·life themes without any 811usi oll to lhe el8s8ica l \'ocKbulary even ironically. or through the theat.rical lIIetaphor s employed by \VaLteau. It was ne\'erthelrss Il timely move; his works slltisfied the new desire for iuformality Illid were v('ry we ll rece i"ed . Childreu Dud adolewccnh (n·tIUelllly app"ured liS c('ll t rul chllrllcte rs, lind their prese nce suggests an evel! gLronger version lillin Watteau's of I he new 1II1nrfect,ed lless IIlId mobility of physical being. t he lo"c of growth lind clulIlge, (,,'ell in a SOftp bubble . One J!lore felilu re of the late-seventeenth-century fllShioll prints tha t found its way into Illter }o" renc h llrt Will!; lIll extremely youthful facial style for both Sexes. Smooth round cheeks, small chins, wide ·open bright. eyes. short noses, and fresh ex pressions pervade the pnilltillgs of Walleau . Chllr· din. Boucher, Oreu7.e, and }o' ragollard: these are the Sllllle bllbyis h l"re nch looks that rm'ive in tht' works of Rt'noir and ult imlltely in the films of Bri· gitte Bardot. Cha rd in was prepared 10 show them IlS the properly of actual children ; but ill hislllld 80me other Frenc h pnintf"r8' works, the fa cial tmils of ext.reme youth cOllveyed 1I0t only the quality o( douce llr. the gelltie grnv·

C 11 A R DIN

Pre m'/' Pr i llls; \\'a/ll'all. ClllIrdill

ity associatf'd with unsf'lfconsciolls inllOCenCf', butll iso conveyed purf' fashion , all echo or nctul.l l rash ion IIrt. And this echo Ill so hell)S make Chnrdin 's work moving, alt hough perlillps covertly, Th e chi ldish rucilll s tyl e suppor ts u stimu lating look of chic in seem' s of emphatic bourgeois simpl icity, whill" on the s urfllcl" it on ly suggest s th e slightly consciolls artless ness for which Chnrd in's personnel are so fI.lIUOU S, llnd t hut makes them seem so hUlIlun- t he lit ti(' girl s tealing a glance in the mirror,lhe boy gazing Ilt his hnt li S it 's bru s h('d by hi s llurse. It 's 110 wonder his genre pa in tings w(' re well loved . Th ey contain II d ouble truth : th e bl.lsic one ubout color, light, and fe elin g pun'eyed by Hembrlllldl., wit h whose nnme Clrnrdin's wns immediately IIssocillted : nlld th(' ot h('r, pervasive, but oft en unllcknowl('dged one about the sllt is facti ons of beillg perrcet.ly d ressed, which mlly go eycn deeper when curried ill soluti on in II medium or unim peachllble realislll . This is a main component in popular cinemutic imagery, one of the things thut mnk e movit's so inescupab ly rivetillg in th ei r basic \'isuul qUlll ity, before th(' act illg nud direct iug, the mu sic unci the editing c\'en regist er . Every single one of Cha rdin 's charact ers has tht' strai ght., a lmost nrched back of current fus hio n, n perfect figure . und a perfeclly groomed hend, perfectly fiuillg clothes (woru with stuys e\'ell by humbl e women and girl s), and extra-long legs (7. 11 ). All are yout.hfl l1 .md I!ood -looking. wheth('r t hey are lau ndry maids and cooks or ladies or till" house and th(' ir children, whethe r well-to-do or wry mu ch less so. All deportment. is grllce ful and beco ming without except ion, lIot just deccll t uml circullI s pect: th e Judy examin ing emb roidery with her danght er crosses her high -heeled shod feet with the aplomb or th e Mal' we ket'p s(,arch ing til(> dim sky for him liS Wt~ wnlk up lilt, S l (>p~. Th e persp('clinJ of Tiepolo's slIln ll ele llleilis i~ so perft'ct Ihnt it hold s tru e across empty u ir lIUpullc tullted by /lily clouds. builJillgs, or bod ies. The big flat nrens of muu\,c-Ilud-gruy fog on til(' Wurloburg s tll il'CIlSe c('ilillg relld etfortlessly liS renl places in 11](' sky, bl' ca llse II\{' ullegoriclIl groups sitti ng m iles awn." 0 11 Ih e edges IIrl' so cOlllfol'tub ly situllted in th('ir lilll.' spnces, Th ci r \'l'ry elise CrCUlf'S be li(','ubilil ,\' fOi' the spnrse and episodic action ill the skyey cellt ('r, Ti('polo marip COIIII)lel(' oil s ketches of h is ce ilings bdorl' he pllinl N \ th em-nOI drawings for IIU' se pal'at.e paris , but whol(' prelimilHtI,y "cr· sions. whic h lIIiJrht t Lln l out diffel'l' lIlly wht'll fully I't'lili lo('d ill s i /lt, wh e l'c II(' worked di I'ecll ), lind tiS if spollllllleoHsty, 1'h is ulso is IIn l ike I he pni ns tn ki ng eurlOOIl method of eXlle l prepnT'lllioll , uud 11101'(' like n DUlch pailltcr, 0 1' WUIt.('UU . or 1111 UI'I di rf'C IOr eloin!! sequc llces of COlltilluity sketcll('s, 1'11(' huphuzllrd look of 11i(> fiml l ('\' ('11 1 is sllPllOrt('d by wilo t(' -scc lI{, prcpnralioll -thc 1ll01ll{'nt is II('\'{'r s till. cuc h \'i('w of it IUlisl be II new OIU' , The IItlllospheric: pre scllc(' of arc hit ecture ill Ti e polo' s fl'(, sco('s lIl ukt'S 11 In rge COlli ribut ion to Ilwi r cinenllli ic fla\,o r. j ust BS a rch itect 11m) 11111 bit'llce III.! !'; so mu ch powe r ill fil m, It is bu ildillgs IIl1d pllrl~ of hllihlillg~ , roolUS from iusidl' und oul, sll'ee ls, stnirwn),s , IIml hallwll)'s that. fix lUo\' ies illsidc lhe soul, f1'l1' more thall , BUI the stail's unci colum n s ill TiellQlo' s works Wl'I'e in fact not donc by hilll. They were pro\'id('d by lin eXpt' rl ill tll'chitcclu rll i illus io nis m called J I(,lIg0r. r.i-CololIlIlI, olle of IIl1l11y in II long ltuti l1l1 d l'eo l'utive tl'adilion. It WIIS thesc ul'tists o r qllllOl'l ry. which is foullded ent irel." 011 111l' silllpit' rl'ulil i('S or UII ureliil£'ctll rul lIIilil'U (S. I O), Such cltrly·eighterlllh-c('111ury cx pl orllt ions ill to Ihe pONic J>ossibilitit's of

8. 10

C ANALKTTO .

Tit .. Po"tjro lI·jllr

/I

IAllllr ,,".

Et c h i u~

234

M OVINO

PI CTU RE S

city views and those of other groups of bui ld ings large an d s mall , crum· bling or g li lter ing, presage the importance of topographical art ror Roman· ticis m, and eve ntually for mov ie romanticism-which both have t he same origins in North Europcan art. The Vermeer lIiew of Delft and the Berek· heyde views had set the sta ndard ror deliberately non·fantast ical, non· picturesque, quasi-neutral renderings of buildings that ncve rtheless inv ite subjective engagement through the use of light. The Ita lian cont ribu tion was th e elegant Bibi cna formula fo r putting classic archi tecture into dramatic motion, u s ing its elements to urge t he 1)lay of rantasy. Canal etto and other Venetian vieW-I)sinters created a syn thesis of both, wh ich culmina ted in the German Romant.ic landscape· pa int ers and the Engli s h watercolorists . These both used plain topography for an accumulation of poetic ends that have had their most recent effect ill modern film . Piranesi and Canal elto were both trai ned in set design; but both , like 'riepolo, too, turned the themes of stage setting into t hat cha rged si mulacrum of th e real envi ronment wh ich fi lm sets now ofTer. Groups of rcal nnd solid archi tectural forms, li ke thosc often actually buil t as well us pninted on bac kdrops, are tran smu ted by thcsc artists into momenta ry, s hifting, movie-camera-l ike views. Everything is clear and in perfect perspectivc, but. it only exists now, as t he sun strikes , !\nd we look and wuit to know more. in a mome nt it will d issolve, or we will move, and another will replace it; the fl ec ks on the screen are in perpetual motioll . In Canaletto's Venice, just as in Piranesi 's colorless Rome or Hoppe r's New York , t he atmosphere crackles with poss ibility. Th ere is no need fo r artful gloom, mi st, or dramatic distortion to produce it-it is in t he cr isp s had ows cast by the daylight on the cOMlice, th e window ledge, or t he angle of the balustrade. Adm irers of serious painting have tended to prefer Guardi to Canaletto. Guardi's works, many of them tiny vignettes, have a fresh pa interly econ· omy that makes them seem li ke mu ch bette r works of a rt than Cana letto's straight and thoroughgoing views . But whereas Guardi gives a good sense of the painter's mastery, wh ie h always provides a ce rtain emoti onal completeness, Calla lcllo instead givcs the perfect sense of place, which ideally remains incomplete, as: We can see that we are very much here-but now what will happe1J here1 A'S in Ti epolo's ce il ings, the d isposi tion of empt.y s pace helps give the Canal etto scenes such expectancy, es pecia lly in The Thames ulld umdoll from Richmond J/OII.J;C, and Wh itehaU alld the Privy Garde/I, which come from his ,rarious I...ondon sojou rns (8 .11 ). Th e ope n sky, the smooth water, t he emp t.y roadway draw us on , a nd cause possible mea nings to coast across their fl at expanses, gathering momentum and waiting to di scharge themselves. These and other Cana letto townscapes seen across water con tain an ec ho

, " d

TiqHJ/o, I'i/'/I/I rs i, Caml/etto

8, 1 I

C AN A I. F. TTO ,

235

Tit ,. Tlt lllll ('11 1I11d IAHHlon Inull Ilirh moml 1101411('

of a Duteh Mlisl from (,\' ell enrlirr in tilt' sC\'('lIt eenl h century than Berekhcydc lllld De WiU e. ESllius "UII de Ve ldc 's riell) of fh e Zic,.ickzee WtlS paillted ill 161 8, t hirty ."cu rs bdo rc Vermeer wus to paint Delft; but it shows t hlltthe sourcc of pure tOI)ograp hic poetry had already been tapped in Holland (8. 12), Th e Dutch ci ty. like Vcrmc(' r's Delft and Callilletto's Venice, seems already posing fo r Wordsworth . " ull bright mid glittering ill the smokeless air," with the sweC I) of bird lIud cloud relld), to move us across the vi cw, lind pull ou t of liS the surg(' of fc{'ling-"O eur God! The vcry houlies see m 118 Iee l), "

MOVINO

P I CT U R ..:S

•

- --

8 . 12

KSA'AS VAS

OS V~; LO~;,

" io ,' o!tJt, Zi, nrJ:u (

The totol tlo\'or of Ctllluletto's Q('uvre is in fuCI ulle"elllllld ulltnuilworthy. as if ench picture , instead of being u complete exumple of II puinler's general ollwnrd slnlggle for perfection-a performullce, us Guurdi's ureis rlltll('r o ne of 1111 clld ll'SS series of rt'heursuls. l'X I)erimelllu l frallles of which IIlllny come ou t brillian tly and some seem deud. A IllIlJIb('r of them a re also imuginury. 1'11(' eighteenth ·ce ntury Itnl iU Il de\,elopment. or t he IIr· c hi tecturu l capriccio. or imaginary idea l \'icw, in dicntcs IIlIew focus 011 the illdepellden t emotional fl lwor of buildings, IIpurl. from their ('lIlbe lii s hment of the luudscape, till'ir pructicil l inferest liS lanelmurks. or c"ell t he ir Inteli · t ionlll I heut riC1l.1 UI~es. By I he I illle of C1I.1l1lie ll.o lind Pi runesi , buildings had become c haractcrs-us the Dutch had scen them , lind 08 Chllrdill hod seen the objects in the kitchen. The consC th(' idculllrhtlll look, ('\'CII in thl' occasio nal cou ntry- hou se s(-'tlillg: \'u ri(-'t,\' of civiliz(-'(I 1II0\'l'IIil'1I1. din-n;i l,\' of ChlSS and flll1Ctioll without UlI\\'oTI!NI ('xt.rCIlI(,S, POOl' an d rich a l'p prcse nt , hut 110 OIW is miss hapen 01' con' I'NI wi t h son"'s : 1101' is 1111."011(' on' rdressed or OVl'I'wcigh I. This mode ratioll ill Cn nni cito's vision uf poplllntioTl g in'li it it flu- gl'Pll t C)' degr{-p of oJltien l IT'lIt h Ihnn dol's IlIP kind of plillOl'lImU ins is li-nl 011 noliceab le cont rllsts: his 1t~ lllpel'ed, quasi-Dut c h npprollch to SII'N' 1 scclles echoes thp trup hllrlllon i;d ll g ac tion of till' )1('11 11';11 scn l1T1ill~ ('y£-'. A i'lll sl' "rcnlil y" of egrcg iolls skelda I b('ggnrs II TId blolltNI g-nl Tldel's (bol It of wh ich II IIdoli btI'dly pxiSlNi in eightccli th-cc li tu ry Venicc 1l1lf11.. OIlf!OIl) would in fUCI b(' lin ideal izat ion (01' idl'o\ogi 7.i T1g), II sty liZlHioTl of what is known , I'uth t' r Ihull 11 true mirror of wiull is seClI, If you look clos('ly at some of CUl lII lNlO'S pOOT', you Cilli spc Ihat th('y might be sick 01' wl,etched or crllZ)', Or thc ri(; h d epnl\'('d , if ~'O ll cou ld up· proac h Ilca r ('!lough 10 pXllmilip illdi\'idlllll s, Bill the light herc l'I'sel"\'£-'s ils OW II excitCIIU'nl. It s hi n('S ind isc ri min ately 011 hUTlllln lift' , li S if to sugf!('s t 811 ('qual d ra nullic potcllti al it,\' ill d with the stroll g

l iter a~'

t e nor thai c hurllcll' rizcs so

milch Englis h crt!lIlivc tnle nt , ulld t hat has made the dl'ltlllRtic s tage and the lIo\'el su ch brilliant English IlIcdiu . The rc is nothing ci ne matic Ilbout 1-1 0gllrt h pictures , beclllise the re is very lill ie in his work thllt eorre.!;ponds to th e st ing of dircct vis io n. J."'or H oga rth , t.he tru th in I)ic t ures is bes t conveyed by working 011 t he vicwer ·s previously digested vis ua l llssUlnptions, a s clIrtoon urt and the sati ric s tag'C "Iwnys d o. In Hognrt h 's grap hic works th(' imagery is j lllluned wilh llIen ning li nd c rowded with incidc nt; everything is d e moll strulrd lUld cx p licuted in successive pnragrnphs of witty pictorilll prose. The s pntia l arrllngemellts a re made eS I)eeially for suc h a pu rpose. lind Iliwe t hnl s howca se, sInge-pic t ure look. the fnmiliar s hadow box ill whic h the rye is prillwd to find ChiC,!;, lugs , alld kt·ys ill lUI accustomed a r rlly. Hogllrth is mu eh prai sed a s a po rtrnyer or individuals. be ginn ing wit h h is por t rnitl'i a nd end iug with the ("IUOliS engraved scenes abou t the rnke a nd t he IIlIrlot, the app rr ntices !tnd t he ill-mntc hed spouses. Such "i" id indi,·iduals as he created , hOWe\1Cr, a re IIOt shown inside " bel ievabl e visual fi e ld . E " en the ramou s com posite port rait of h is servants shows th e r!lees ill isol!ttion, eac h a mas te rpirce with no m il ieu .

c

1I0f/(/r/lI, GrrllU, Goy"

2 -I I

WII CI'NIS the 101111 mis,~ ·e n ·scP II(· ill II 1-log'IlI'lh ellgl'lH'ing rends like spir, iled prose, the sl ight eXllggel'l.Il ioli or l'vel'y figlll'(' giws euc h I>t'rsolilige th(' sped with the thin, t he stin' willt til{' lom;(', 111 (' hidl'Olisly distorted with the pu rc and sim ph-, Fa ces 11l'C r{'duccd wl'sions of t he progl'ulII , I I oga I't h' s a pp roach to us is Illude us if to I'('ndt~rs of AI,IKlIstUIi pONry, which w ru ps und l)ilU; the brutullibsul'd ity of lir{' into stUllllill~ cou plets, l'uth (,1' Ihan to sympat hetic obsen'crs e,,"ciug the difficult world. Hogal'ih's cngrllv('d st.or ies show how tI picture cnn bt, ddt I,\' filter('d tlll'ough t he fami liar hili' guage of pr int.ed lines, the SIlIlW 011(' thul pun'C'ys morB I hiles tmd cxposi· tory ,'crses, so IHi t.o indiCllt(' by thc pic turc's \'(' I',\' r01'1II thut il.l ike t hem, is to be rC'ud through- llCl'haps aloud 01' sct to lIlusic-not grllspf'd ut 011(' gla llce, J-i ogllrth WKS n gr('at. uhsorber or EuropClI1I Ilrtistic s tyles through the med ium or cngrlwrd reproduc tion, "mill(' WliS Yl'ry good at. quoti ng t h('m, 'rh e r(>fincd hlllgllll~CS or F'h'lIc h I>ngrnv illl! hnd, 1II0r('over, becolIll' w{'11 kllOWII ill En ghllld by his l ime, 11IId I-Iognrt h himself WIIS Il fr;('l!(i or Ill{' fo--rcnch cngrll\'c r Gruyelot, who lived ror ycnrs ill Englllllci nnd had u deep {'ffcCL 011 fo::nglish gruphics , Book illusll'utioll wus II 1·stol'ies. On'('I't'(1 ill II lorty liteI'M), contcxt. Hogart h 's trallsforlllution of ('xquisite c lIgr!t"illg in to Il IIwcliulII (or the kind or cmdc lII ora lity tait' fo rme rly cOllfill(>(\ to chcup brolldsides wa s thus a st roke or pub liciz ing geni us; hut it nlso kt'pt his nl\ rI'ati\'{~ imagery fi 1'111 Iy illsid~ the I>phe l'l' of Iiterllry (orlll , II WtlS oilly ill the pOl'trllit s, in cludi ng IIl11t or the lInollYTnOUS shrillip girl, thlll HOglll't h used II Inliy painterly eye, c"cn a cinellliltic onc, which sees t.he prOcess of expcrience at work, not. just the chuill or circlIlIIst.IlIlCe, Joseph H ighmore's 1)llil1 t ings thnt illustratc Hichurdsoll 's Pa ll/eio COllie much c lose r th811 Hoga rt h 's to Chardill's groups lind e,'(,11 t.o Walleltll's, and t.o Dulch genrc lc mornl s tory. l'l igh mor("s portrnit called .lI r. Oldllalll (llId his Fr iends lUiS 1I11l0\,ie·frame look nk in to T('rbruggh(, II 's A!(lltllcw. wlier(' so me odd· loo king mell ure s hown inte racti ng umlJi guoll s ly I.I round U tab leto p, lind we fr cl druwn int.o t.hrir COllip/.Iuy Lo fiud oul who 1 1 1(~.v are und whllt's afoot n), l). The people in thi s pa inting seem IItlLurli lly funllY; Hi ghmore do('s n' t push their comic featurl's at us, we are free t.o see thew for our· se lves , und feel spolltlllleoll sly disnrmed by them. They make Hoga rth' s cOlllie turns like A MidlliylLl M odern CQ III 'Cr s(liioll s{'e m nlll h{' lUorc slugy, becau se Hogil rlh pointedly urges us 10 lungh nl his t.ol)erS llnd smokers wit h superior cietllchmc nl (9. 2). BU l Higlllll orc's group, like his P(lIn e/a. alld C/ari.wJ ser ies lind Ho· garth's oe une, mainly underscores Ihe II CW scculur unt! i llll stra li\'l:~ 1.111"11 la ken b." pninling a ltoge th er, wh ich r{'presenlS II giant s tep a long th e route of c illcmatic rep resl'nt.atioll, Recoun t ing cOIl t.e lll porury lIlora i laleR outrigh t without any Biblica l or legendnr." guises has been II pri lli li ry movie Itlsk fro Ul th e fi larl, as it W/.lS the tfls k of fiction in t he ninNee nth century; but Rim hlls been espec ially good lit work in g in the o pposit.e di rection, c relt ting' tell

{l.

!L1

JOSK PII " IG IlM O KE , Mr. Old/Will /J 1j(J lI ilf f', ir/Hi s

/lOf/flrth, Grnae. Goya

!1.2

W

ILL I A lot II 0 0 A KTil , A .II id IIiyhl J/ ol/I'rll

CIJ1I 1''' r~wl i(J II

myths Oll t or IIl'W nHlterilil lind hi~l illg ('vide lice o r old 801ll'C('S, e\'('11 whi le nlllking use or t hei r II bid iu g power, pUll orsky COIIIU'Ct ('d I his implli se of cin, e lll il with lIIedi('\'u l sl.DI'i('s ill piCIIII'(,8; bill Ihe InH' cilll"llllltic \,islllll ,¥Iylc. 1I0ll hc lIW-whic h CIlII CO II\'(',\' lh(' direct 8 1'IISC' 01' PI'I'SOIUlI r('t~ lillg (01' persomll rtlntu sy) en'lI while it illu slraH's 1111 ('dir,\'in~ 1110erlilc lifl' , Th e (orcc'O f uri prl'\'Plits Ihe pic turc's hllrs h CO illent. f"OIlI rl'nchillg us dirf'cl iy, UlIl}I'ctenlious popular illus tm tin g'l"Ilphics w",'c nll'endy a med iulU perfected rOI' seculur thrills a ll On'I' "';uropl' by Ii ogart.h 's t ime, Along with the torture and ex('clItioll of h(' r('licJ; lind tll(' horl'ors of rf'i igious wur. brond shecls had illusl.ralNI the cxploits Illld pUl1i!$hlllt~ lJt s of th icves , kidllilPPCI'S , and IUli rcirre l'S liS s('nsnt iolllilly liS possib l(',lI nd hud recol'ded IIIIUlZ illg alld Itwful phc nolllc llll , Domest ic moral ity hnd al so IOllg bee n II th e!lll' for popula r print s, ulthougJr po plllllr pic ture s d('ult wilh 1II0rn il ife ill U lIl or(' nllegol'iC1l1 thlln pc rsonal way IIl1 ti l l h(' la ll' s(>\'(,lItC('nlh cen tury_ Beforl' tlmt , iu s teud of n 11I11' nbollt II I'NII young IIIUII , P" jll ts wou ld illust rllt.e t he rllte of lhe Prod igal on- in modern dress, I)("rhllps, Lat er 011, It lIlodcrn tale would hide t he Biblicil l 011(' IIlIdc r apl>enlillg CUrrell t de tail !Iud dnu llutic ci rClIlIl s tllltC(" By t he e ight ee nth cell tlll',\' , whell Hogllrth's gretll scell{'s were painted , ellgrllved, IIl1d publishNl , bot h til e Engli s h lind lh e ~uro l)(,1111 pub lic we re HCCIISI.OIlWd to sll'night "('flliijt ic melod ra mll II lId lII od erll a necdote. Il ppeoring ill the forlll of printed pi cttll'cs IIml he ing used flS lIIedin for gCllera l 1Il0rilitilellles Ilnd curr('nt ('\'CII1S, Da" id KUll zle has showl! how popular pictur,'-stori(,ij of tht· mid -eightee nth ce ntury bega n to cOllcentrul e 011 th e psycholog ical uuc kground of c rimes, und 11 0\ j u ~t 011 their s hoekiug d('lllils oncl gris ly pUlli s hmcnl.s, The persollul c hnract.e r of crimillHl s bl'ClIlIIl' in lt' rcst ing, lIud the rOllllllltic c rim inal cnme iu to existence-lh!' dli Shill g I>i rate ulld highwnytll lln , the jolly if larcenous WO Ill IlII of pl('usHre, nil precursors of the movie gUlislingcr, bounty hUllte r, and c rinw cznr, thl' sYlllplltil etic VIIlIIp nncl trlllllp , At the same lilll e, th e s tudy or physiognomy b('clllile 1111 ill1l)Ortllllt illflu enc(' on 'P01)ll lar picture-s tor ies. ullowing the lll to dwell on till' pI'rpetulIl eomecly of individuill looks, Ca ric.atu re d e\'(' lopcd quickly ill this lIew climut e, It was a lso ill t.he eight ee llth celllll" Y thllt empha s is in popular pic t.ul'es s hifted from a de light in horrors to Il horror of ubuses: they begall to express th e Sf'nse or c r ime /.IlId its s lIit/.lble Illllli s illuclil us It soc illl proble m, 1101 810 straight scnSlitionll l 1'Iltertainmellt, Hogarth se ized 011 a nd expoll lld('d all th esl' th ellles at once, and he lIlade money-but in th e most sophis!icnted IIrtis tic lIIed in of th e time, tho t. is, ""' rench-inspired pa int.ing ulld cllgrn"ing, H is pic turNI aI'(' not inl.l' rllaHy e ine lllotie, but he forelShadowed thnt. synthes is of high ond low uri only lat.e ly aCCOIllI}lishccl in fi lm, whe re re rere nces to lo rty I}rototypes und lowdown modes of curre nt eXI)ressioli are fused ill th e t.e lling or gripl)ing human st.ories aimed nt.ll ll c1 asses_ At the t ime, such u synth esis was newly

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MOVIN G

PI CT

RE S

poss ible in forn'srd- Iooking England. where classes were on the mo\'c, public opinion WlUi becoming II recogni zed forcc. und it become cleM that public leeling, urged by pictures, could give s uch opinion it s s hupe. With allihis, hi story pa inting wus dec lining, if not in s tatus, lit leas t ill importallce. Mode n. s ubjects became aPI)ropriat e for ser iOIiS puin tPrs. not just for I)Opnlar grllphie nrtists, in the sa llie period Illut novels were becom· ing ser ious lite rature and newspapers and journals COllllllon readill g, Indi"id unl pen;onn l fceling evolved int.o 11IIIlvowed tlu'me for serious IIl't. not a cove rt one. Grnphie ski ll s and t.ec hnilale through II porous ground of g ranulated res in. 'T he med ium was now fu r t her dcveloped to permit authent ically lonal printed pictures lind clIlmrc greatcr nat uralis lll for chiaroscu ro effects, especially when lI sed ill COlllbimnion with e tched linps, Goyu's g reat. C('JH'jchQ~', lIIudc at. t he c ud of the cc ntury . dCIilOllstrut ed the triumph of that. med ium as II mell llS of originul ex pressio n. but it Iliul CO III(> to be used in England to reproduce illus trat ive un d topognlphicnl wal('rcolors, to presen'e t hei r lltill osplic ric immediacy, The im'cntion of lit hography in 1798 by the BII\'ur illll COlll lllcrcinl lll't ist Aloys S('Ilt'felde r nlso offe red a new field for spon taneous expressio n in d irectly re produciblt' pictures. Workli with the transl>a rellcy of watercolor a nd the strong chia roscuro of ink and wash could be d irect ly cllptured und SOOIl seell by thousands . without being fi rslll{'tted in It web of lines. Orllphic a rt could be more " gruphic'" in t.he se ns(' of "tn/thflll, " less so in t he sense of "w ritt en ," News, CO IUIlI ClitilrY_ und lIurral.i\'e, both picto ria l und lit.e rary. round II ready public in England; but fo r the F rench pub lic. officiul Acudemy ex hi · bitions alld cons tllnl critical att cntion gave seriotls paintings n much greater prest ige allci Ilekllow led ged importnnce, Churdill 's paintings were sold as engrllvings only after they had been known in Acnde my ex hibitions, Ore uze (whom th(> French culled "The Jo' renc h Hogarth") owcd hi s fu niC lO Dide rot's e motion II I respo nse to his works, exp rcssed in lucid nrticics thut instructed the viewing public how to react. Th e !,"illts wel'C sold accord ingly. Hogn rth receil'ed no stich Cl'iLicnl c nlulIl ce llllmt in his OW II cou ntr),: he promoted hi s own pictu res. und his publi!sher sold them-or they sold themselves, c\'e n co mmented on th(,lIlsclves in th e comic and violent ma nner lacking in Greuze's works. B O T U GreU7.e aud Hogllrlh were populur nrtists who were essc ntil1 l1y ser ious hist.o ry-pn inters, Both cn me e\'Cll tunlly LO use their painter:s clnssi-

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lIogorlh, Gnllu. a oya

2 47

cal, art -histo rical knowledg(> and trll ining for IJml erilll Ihat hnd fo rmerly only bee n vulgarly portrayed , in works that plensed the genera l public muc h bette r t.han any s trictly popular artist s had done, It Wostur(' towul'd the m. as Gr('uzt' kept t.rying to do (9 .4 ), Greu ze was ulready in reac ti oll to the Rococo spirit. whic h in E ng land still ensured that eve n Hoga .·th's most horrible scenes mi ght keep a light louch. Bu t Gre uze d id take up the opt ion to II SC' thi' appl'lI l of CUI're llt fll sh · ion fo r injecti ng se r ious genre subjects with 1111 illllll('(l iatt· e ro tic ism. His (aney-portrait s of mod is hly dishev{'h-'d s in ful gil'ls, s woonillg with the pleasures of re mo rse. huve Il very fllmilillr look; they rl' ~(' lllble the mode rll icons of cOlllmerc ill1 art I.hll t. d c libc rll t e l~' s how 11 0 I>t'rsollill dlllra ctc l' bu t only llll ideul fUlltli SY qUlll ily-th e t.h ousands of ind is tillgui s lulble l!loistlipped and intensely gazing fa ces selling t he erot ic f'lem c nt in all forms of goods and se rvices. ns G,'euzc's denlOis('lIcs sold se ns un lity an d mo ral ity lit o nce. Both Hoga.rth und Greu ze were movi ng. with tileirce nt ury, towllrd dellions t ra.ting th e exc ru cinting pl easurcs of strong feeling. They wi s hed to make outrage or remorse, despai r or pan ic d{'lj c joll s l ~' noficwbl e a nd perhaps even d esirable co nditions or the soul. right along with se rell it .\' uncI ('x -

(

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tar I

248

MOV I NG

9.4

J . - It .

PICTURI:-iS

0 K It lJ Zit.

TIl t! CItU.tiK(1 SfJn

ullution. or extrelll(, pride, bnlull lust. ulld smug cOlllplael'lIey. All IhE"se hud firsl. of all to s!tow. far more thun uny plol had to be clcur-or thlln thc rcally ambiguous tcxture of feeling liS it is experit'lu!cd hud to be dcult wit h. Hogurth , l.lnd Dillcrot 011 Grcuzc's beilu lr, ulso ud\'ocilled dcliberllt c usymmetry in eo rn pos itioll. to COllvey thc sClise of {' lI lotioll UI d rumu, but ill thcir wor ks such nrrnngclllcllts secm to stnlld for clIlotioll rutilcr t luHI gene ral.ing or r('fle ·ting uny. In the elTort 1I0t to b(' decorlltiv(' 811d frivolous, lind to insist. On tilc morul melll1ing of Ihe lOl.ul SCl'lIe, both these artists nlso forced nil inunilliutc objects to sen'c the theme. This III('IIIIS thuL thc Ihillgs in the pictures hu\'(' nont' of thul pussiOllllLC indt'l)elldl'UI cilu rllCler thnt in· \'ests Chardin 's domcstic gear . They art' all ovcrdeLermined; und so they do not crt'ate the uuru of frt'c ps~' chic mO\'ement thnt gi\'eij ilUwilllllte things in lIlo\'ies their important. power. Michael Fried strt'sses the lIim in Greuze's uri, a8 Didero t snw it unci wunted it. of IIIllking the cilurueters ignore or ('\'en s lllli Ollt lilly possible beholder: lind yet thry do seem ready. absorbed as they lIIay be. to burst into

1/09ar1 Jr , GI"I"w'. GO!l(l

249

-,

rhymed soliloquy or II solilur~' medililtin' .. rill, The illle ll se ubsoqHioll o r t.hese churaCl.er s, like the \'cllalllims of I logllrth 's IH'Oph', need ed ill filct. to be palpab ly o\'erdone so as to ent rance an aud ience, in the ancie nt stag(> trudil ioll , T he viewer is no t e ncolllillissed und drawu ill as a possible lIc lOr. as ill Ve rmeer lind in I Ill' movies , hilt left Slill'illg IIl1d trulls fi xed out s ide al II given distance. He CII Il 'l escape; ilnd so t he moral CUIl ' t csclIpe him. Bo t h these artis ts li re s p('llb inciers lind mes meri ze rs. w('m' iug a lIet o f faces ClUe! gestures d emanding the ki nd of IItlelltioll the stagl' g('ls. en t rapping allllUdi ence ill the bewitching rites of live l>cdorlilulice. The eightecllth-ce n tur.\· ill us trator wh o mo r(' closely foll owed ulong Ihe pat h that lends betwee n RClIlbrulldt lind th e movi es was the Polish·C:erlllun Ilrtist Olill ie l Chodowieck i. born lllP yeur lifter Grcllzc. He was lIotlUu ch o f a pa int er; but he , too, d id g ruphie seque llces s howing the contra s ting e f· fects of vice and virtuI' in mode nl life, besides sn tiri z ing soc iu l liud est hetic pN'teu!;ionl> nllel illustnlling works of ficl ion. H is works llrc in tillY forlllllt. late ec hoes o( the pe rsona l mode t hnt hnd been in\'(:' lIt ed (01' t.he lIIedi eva l il · lu minations a nd so strikingly promo ted ill print by Holbe ill fo r his Dunce 01 Death. Two lind a half ceilluries Inter. C hodowiec ki did hi s minillture sc(~nes as ill ustrations for printed nllllaUlleS, fo r 1\ middle·cl ass audie nce this time directly cOll ce rrwd with ",calth, sex. llud lIIo rlllit y, ruth er thnn wit h th e mellnings 01' sacrl'fllegends to II f~'Hdal hif' rnrchy. or wit h th e Itc· naiss811ce vi ew of til l old d idu ct ic forlll , But Ihe IlIlIollnt o f drama Chodo· wiccki, lih H olbe in , could stir lip in 1I tWQ·by-Iwo·llIId·lI ·half· in c h SJlucc is nstound i ng. nl though Chod owicc k i II illlsc I f Will; cO llIsciousl,v bDl' rowi ng frolll Hogarth, He was e ncouraged ill this hy the G(' r nlllll c r it ic I,lic htenberg, ill whom HOg'tlrth's wor ks e\'cnhllll l,v 1'0 uI!d tl lei r UWI! lIIosl pcnet rlltiug COlllmentn· tor u ud enthus illS t. Bu t Chodowi eck i hud H far more subj ect ive app rouch 10 Ilnrrutive pictures t han Hogllrt h. eS I)('c ililly with regnrd Lo fucial ex pres· sion , Luvnter's huge iIIus t rlltcd theory o( physiognomy. publ ished bet wec il 1775 a nd 1778 und (Iuiekl,\' trnnsilltr d. ",us c ncou raging nUIll~' art is ts to consider fu ces with new ntt c utioll; but l..I icht enbe l·g und C hodowiecki both found Lavute r's basic cOllet'pt-t illll tilt, originll l iind God·givell silup(>s of heads aud fuces arc llbsolute illdicUlors of c hnra ctc r- lo be both sup('rsti · tious lind rid iculou ~. Licht.(>llbel' ~ urged C hodowieeki 10 drllIollstrntc th e oppos illg 1Il0de ril ideu tlUlt c huruClcr grnduu lly shllJ>(')i Ihr fn c(>. Olle of his seque nces s hows the progress of depru\' ity IIlId virtuc ill the fllc e ulone , with ve ry little ot her Ilnrrlltivl' mat erial ill cilch pic ture . They cOl/sequentl,v huve a ci nc mnt ic. close-up look, ill/lllediat e IIlId perso llal (!l ,5), On tllf' oth('r hund . H ogllrlh's faces , ullu tfected by theory, lire ill hnrlll on,\' with the well· developed Englis h t lwlltriclil s l~ nsib i l i t y. and th e llI'li s lic sources a rc

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250

M OVING

PICTU R ES

••

i,

,

"

lo"'rench Rococo ill a detached and refined tradition, Chodowi ecki 's fa ces follow a program to disprove Lavale ri but his emot ional and dramatic sou rces are in Rembrandt-t he aim is to render t he Ittl COII Sc iollS look of psychological statcs a nd inward chnnge, rnt her than the acutely commulli· cative look of conscious feelillg, Chodowieeki's faces are devoid of grimace; t he settings are simple but suggestive; the compositio n and li ghting ca rry the rea l dra ma . There is very little gratuitous riot among subsidiary cha racters and material trappings-the a rti st, like Greuze, was at work in t he Neoclassic a mbi ence of the century's second haJJ. Bu t he was also a Nort hern artist. The story of a rake's ruin or a d issol ute woman 's downfall is told in small moments aud encounters rather than scenic set-pieces, and variable ways of opening up the space in side t he little fram es g i,'e mob il ity nnd possibility to the understated ac ti on-a s treet leading back , with a ca rriage in s teep foreshorten·

/loyal'l', .

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OpjJOJ/it,. Ubul"r:

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C IiOD O W IECKI.lwopfl.gNlrrom

Tit,. ProIJrt"1I6 01 \"irtNI' llOOl'1':9.6

IHld

" irf'. 1778.

DANIIo:I.

CIiODOW 1K CK1,

Tltir.tlQr

/(Hol/'It dgc 01 tit , World, S4!rnf' from Tit , Lil" 01 11 Hu!'·,. 1714 . Higltl:9 .7 DANIEL C H ODO WIE CKI, {'SNI"

TIt ,. til" 01 aH lIIo('(/lIt"ulcd Oirl. 1780 H'/Ng',

Stf'IIt' rrolll

O"(lI U . GQ!Jl1

25 1

252

MOVINO

PI C T U R,.;S

ing, llll open door or window, and visi bl e light ill motion to give the sce ne a »syc hologiculunit y (9.6, 9.7). 'I'h(,8e printed narrative s('qu cuccs of thc eight een th cc utury wcrt' attem»ts at. rca listic storyt e lliug fraul(' by frl1l1lt', the c rea ti oll of romans I1wets. us the French culled lI ognrt h's works , to pllrulll'l the plays llnd nove ls of the sallH' l)C:riod. Graphic cX I>ressio li sui t ed 1.111' lIew st'cuhlr lIanat ive mode; it used old populn r trllditiOIl!; as 11 source for new artistic in sights and a base (or lIew artistic IIl11bit ioliS . 1'hc llles curri('d Ollt. in graphic (orm , 1I0t in paiut.ing, by a fir·st.-ra t." urli st with first-rale trHiliing, could be all the more Immllllly unive rsal withoul being religi ous. They could ulso b(' all the lIIorc lib('rutcd from th e solellln ities of officinl high art as well us frolll the perc('ived folli es nnd illlpersonlllllllloralit ies of offici,!1 d£'corati\'(' a rt.-that is. naked nymphs in thc Bouc h£'r mode. Ornphic IIrt offered n new way (or IUI8mbitious nr tist. to be seriOliS inn seculnr \'('in , uS genrc I1rt IIlId done for the DUlch ; lind Il sim iltlr wlly to be successful , in Ihe absc nce of plltroll8gc (rom nobles or an established Churc h. F'ihn art has done the sa me (or the gn"l)hic tnlcliis of t his c('nt.ury, IIHowing them to build II grcnt lIew sec ul ar mythology and Il ncw unive rse of ns rrntive vision 011 lin old populllr form , Hnd to be huge ly successfu l at it. I N MID - E IOU TEl-; N T II - C 1-; ST U R Y England . th e mos t cco1I0micnll.\' ndvunced nlltiOIl at. the tim(', slIch a eo mmerc illl turn (or art to hIke seems a suitllble sign of thosc umbitious times. In Frullce und Ger many, producing narrative material in pOJlular printed form IIIl1y rllliu'r be associated with fresh ideals of freedom, uncI o( artists as exponents o( r"ee exprcssion- personal or political-and as the only proper critics of socie ty_ [II Spain , 011 the ot her hllnd, one of the lII ost backward COUll tries in Eu rope by the end or the eighteenth cenlury , Goya neve rt.heless callie to use graph ic mcdill ill wllys that. were libe rated from reec nt formal artistic 11111guages. popular or loftY-8lthough IIOt. from pus t popular t.IJemcs . OOYlI'g graphic lIrt is emancipated but certllinly not divorced tromlrad itio nail)OplIlar subject matter; and yet ut the su me time GOYli wus a cou rt paint.er on the most t.raditional model. The re was very litt le "public" ill Spain of the sor t to which Hogll rth, G reuze, or Chodowieeki could appeal, alld Napoleon came to ecl ipse the cou r t Ooyu sen'ed . It was pcrhnps illc\'ituble thut he should g rlldualiy become a privately preoccupi ed ltrtist in the tradition of Rembrandt, with a coterie or adlllirrrs rath~r than a public. And, like Hembrandt, he eventually spoke to the whole world through the or iginality and l)Owe r of his graphic works. Fred Licht has called GO)'8 the tirst.llIodt'rn artist, s howing that his disturbing and unflattering visions of hi s royal s itters, for example, df'mon-

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Goy"

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!)trate lIot u curicutu red ve rsioll o r Ih('II1, which would imply 1111 ideul rrolll which they depart£'d , but u lIew ;'ul iellaINr ' "if'w that. the IIt,tist. silltl'es with his portrait subjects. Such /I "iew porI rays royal b('ings 110 longer sup· I>orl.ed by the structure of hUllllln raith ill God's will. which kt'eps thelllllnd the urti",t und thc bcholdl'r nlikt' COll\'iucl'd o f tlH'ir di vin cly ordui,\('d "'"I}£" rioril .\'. It illslC'ud "hows ('neh 011(' Lltnls l ulo ll,' ililo Ihe "oid, fucing o ll ly himsel f, Euch priHc(' 0[' duchess IIPIWlIrS 10 kllow th(' StUll£' cxist{,lltilll lolie' lil lcss tlla!.lIrtisls i,l "Ilriou s IIlI'diu hav(' since shO\\'I1 is the cOllllllonlol, UII(I thus the 1)1'01)('1' COIllIlIO!! cI{,lIomilllllor ill nll pOI't rllits-1Wlf·, royul , o r otherwise, Ooyuus art ist thus lllwurs prrSe lll1'l hi mself us felluw slIl!el'u. not ns in· teq)ret.c r j und hi s works, espccill ll~' Ihe graphic sNllle ll ees bolh enrl,\' nncl lute, bot It til(' Co In'ie/ws und lilt' /)'-,">(I .;;II' r 8 uf " '(1/' , nrc "er~' bnsic docu men Is of th e cillellmtic ideal : the nbsolule lSubj(>(:!i\'(' view. The viewer is engllged by the subject its('lf, 11('\'('r by "rl:s traditio nal vi('w o f it or by thl' artist's power over it, whic h stllnds in for God's I}ower o\'cr the ordC'ring IIlId lIIeliU ' inK of !tumlin life. It is bliSic, h('elluse Go)'n Cllnl(' more IIlId mol'(' t.o work only for hi mself a nd less for lIlI,\' co ntl'llIpo mry pUblic. so his uses of cu r · rency in visual nUlterinlltcCtlll1(! more nud more de"oted to the CU r l'('llc,\' of fantasy , ruth cr than of comlllO!! visliul fncts (!J.8). For the Cap""cJws he often used eO lUlllon fnnlilsy mnte rinl frOIll known tales a!!d plnys, bUI in p r i\'ule \'iSlIU li7.1I1ioll!;. tllld nol for the I-I ogllrth ilill killd of public COIIIIII('II' tary , which relics 011 quiek Itudiellce·recognit iOIl of "islIlIl CliP S. T h(' cues hc insl.end wnnts us 10 recognizc ll1i1,\' WE'll ht· th c wOl'lil asp('cts of the illller life , delivered in the salllC "gnt phic"-t1wt is. ullbellrilbly illl lllediutestyle of renlism in which hc record('(1 (i n nqlllll int) Ihe horro rs of the Penin· sul ar Call1paign. its inst igatioll lll ld its uftt·rmuth. or (i n puill!) the physical looks of the rOYli1 family lIud the int erior of a IIwdhotlse, Goyu was u hem ld of modernit y. liS Lich t l)ersllus il'C:, I,\' demonstratcs, bllt he docs re ly 011 ce rtain formlll precedent.s. chit-fly in Northerllllrt , that long before had staked out sOllie of the Sllml~ le rrnil! . GO,\'II wns on I,\' IlIOI'I' unre· servedly cOlllmitted tllIIlI some of hi!) contemporur ies t.o exploring furthe r thot grnphie universe of lhe IH.:"cllt~ whic h hnd nlreudy beeu occupied by Altdor fer lIud Scghers, Eis heilllc l' lind HI'mbruud l. lind tho!)e honorary Northerners , Tie polo Hud P iranesi, Si nce he WIIS 1I0t copying t he forms of po pulHr IIrt for hi s seri olls purposes, GO.VII could ket'p rele nll rssly to th e point, which WHS the p}O,Ychic illuminntiulls thnt IIrc possible to the artist who works ill light aucl shude. "In urt there is no need for color," he is ,'c('1 footng-c, li S t)I(' Capr-ic/tos are lik(' 111111 fn.llUc s. Thr /:Iar(' ill III('sl' works und til €' tHl(,IIS,\', nearly undec ipheruble surroundings gi\'{l th(' slrong SCIISC o f COlllillUOUS change and flicker , rather thlln of n burs t of l'cv('lalioll fixf'd forf'\'cr on th e retina. Reporlorial or funtastical, OO.\'II 'S fralll es, ('\'e ll those of th e portrnit s, keep us f1111 .,f dread alld the scnse of mOl'e to co me , just as much film foot · age does lUiel as the \'islU,1 l'xpl'ril' lICl' Ihut i8 undl'rgo lle in difficu lt mo· ment8 u8ually does, 100, A greul d('ul of whal cOlIIlJlollly pusses bdore our eyes is unreadable and virtuall~' IIH'un ingless, o nly laden with possible meallillg if we hnd time to SlOp IIl1d wnke it oul. Wlllit it curries ill its illur· ticulated mu.\I.\I i.\l an uppeal to our fa cu lt y of I)rojcclio n, whic h is shurllellNI unde r slight. strcss-itlld j usl such "t"fOSS , II .\Iort or dii'fus(' llgillltioll, is what pictures in the c inematic 8tyl(' ur(' IlPnt o n stirring lip, Goya follows the path of those ci nl'lIulliclilly iuc lined nrti s ts who "'»'lIt to convey thc lim ited charac t('r o f indi viduu l visioll. I-I l' is int er ested ill lit£' confusing and frugm ented wily t hllt seeing is nccomplished ill thc unce rta in lives of lIIen lind wome n, whe ll it is 110 1 being gu id ed by eXI)ectati olls made familiar in t raditiounlllrt. The 8ubj('c t, thc n bl'co uil's t ruly subj('ctive, and therefore partinl und contingcll t; 'he artist beco mes uUlloticenhle; the tw· holder therefore s('e8 aud pllrticiplltes s imply by sN'iug, Thi s llI£'titod of c reutiug tota l engage me nt sidesteps the (' Icment of co mlll e nlnr~' , which re· quires that thc artist first delllo nstrat e his {Ilm lifi cal io lls for comm(,lItillg by showi ng hi s rhe to rical skill. If, ill slead. he CIIU give a direc t se llse o f what it is like to be there 8UlOIIg th e fa ce less elle ruy. the nlllllelesfS f1~rillg monsters, th e c rushcd women IIl1d dismelllberrfl 111('11, t.o be oll(,fS(' lf n wrct ch aud a ghoullllld a punic·stricken brul e, then he also effective ly s hows t hllt tUly f11rlher comme nt would b(' mOll s trous (9,9, 9,10), These things hap· pe ned ; I WliS the re ; 80 nl'c you , So. Alld t ile no te is sImek e\'ell for the wild· est of grim fanta sies-thc COIOSSII S, tile S III.III'II . the ullconscio nubl e cr eatures in the Ca pric/LOs. The art of central Spain had had It stl'Ong' d ebt to Dutc h IIlId Flemis h art ever s ince the fifteenth ce ntury, when roynl patrolluge first fuvo red the style of Rogie r vall del' Weydl'lI ulld t he ~ln stf'r o f 1·' lc lIlallc, lind the si xteenth , whe n Ph ilip II imported Hit' rony mu s Bosc h. Oo.yu\; art contillu ed to reflecl the North bot.h direc tly und illdirectly. HembrllHdt wns hi s a c· knowl edged precursor; but so Wa S V('lIhqll(, 1. , whose OWII style of Spanish

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FRANCISCO OOYA , ·'Alilhillll.lld more." No. 22 (rom Lo. DI!I(utre. de f/J Owerm

oo v/!. , "One cII.lmol look at lhi8." No. 26 from IAJ. IJUlut rt!. de III Owerr/)

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mastery had all illternntiollal flcl\' Ctr Illorr North Euro peull than It aliall, especiully for COlll'1 I)ot'trll it llre , Th e t'llIpIIlHSi~ 011 Iliollochromy, tht' re t rent from linc. alld the illsistt.'lIcc -oJl>aerated light as th e s ign of psychic Illo\'emen t art~ ~ o rlh l'r n qUlll it ics COIllIIIOII to tht'st· nnd other S I}lI l1i s h II rt isl Sj but by Goya's timc t he legllcy of ~or Ll lt'rll n~ nlislll ill Spain Imd l'eacJH'd a eertai ll finalit.y , H e fOll ll d('(llIo schoolalld hnd 110 pupils, und his ill!31)il'cd lIew vers ioll s or old t hemes could be undcl'stood IIlId cU I'ri cd o n oll ly "f!.l'r II big gap in arti s tic Lime a nd SIJace, H is dirt'ct heir is ~ t IlIlN, who, ill th e 1860 's, t he first decllde of th(' installtaneous cu me l'n, took up the tiU' nws of frugllIentution, OI>l. iclll tlInbiguity, and lilt, busie clllo li ollUI nUlhOl'ity or "graphic" puinl ing-lInd who al so sought 1\('lp with th('sc fl'oll1 Du tc h modelw, Fnwhi on ill dress hnd II lnrg(' pi lice ('\' e ll ill OO,\'II'S IIlosl exl re ll H.' \'jwiolls. It stood for Ull IlSpcct of I)sychoiogicu l t l'lIth, just as il litt er d id ill Mnnel und hud dOIl(, curlie r in Chal'dill and Wnlll'lIu . Th e USf' of acntf'ly cu rrf'nt ras il ion in allY reali st ic mode of 81't COII\'eys the sellsc o f currency in the wcarer a nd appea ls 10 it in t he viewer, ('sl)('cially th e "CIISt' o f sexliul immediacy. and ttl(' Picns(' or Itl(' cOUl.tu li l "CCtl/i ll('ss or 1111 runtllsy. Both movi es and television have late ly gone vpry rltr with t his poin l, l!i il ow ill g how importa nLcurrent fashioll8 ble iden l s nre for i n t(' lI si fying the nppclli o r nlly st rong or violent d e l)ic ti on o r li fe, ;'Miu lil i Vic('" is o nly o lle ill Il long sCC. It WitS 11 ullturlil choice at a time whe n both secular \'isuuli zlltioll llnd psyc hologicn l cOllviction we re requirements for art. Watercolor turned ou l to be II perfect med ium (or add· ing a sense of tw lighte'm nent 1.0 these. What Canal ett o had suggested ill oils Bnd P irancsi in engruving was developed (lirth er in topogrul)ilicnl wille r color, especia lly by Engl is h urtists. during l he sUlli e I)c r iod that Goya wus ex panding IlqUlll i ut ill Spain , (or ulln logous reaso ns but wilh di ffere nt subject s. 1'opographical a rt was iu the greatest dellluud in Englund , si ncc the English we re thc celltu ry's greates t travele r!>; Slid t he Eng lis h were the most Hpprecia t.ive employers of Canalello and ad mirers of Piranesi. It WIi S likewi se in England that t he atmospheric nnd c reative Dutch topography of Vermeer, De Witte, and Berckh cydc wus most irnagilltlt ive ly developed a nd trallsmogrified . chie fl y in watercolor . England is fa mous for its eighteenth-century Gothic revival and its love ror extrem e picturesqu enes s. both kindled by English perceptions or F re nch a nd (tnl ian art ; but it wa S sti ll the beauty or red brick with pu lc Ul old iu gs thut I"Cma ined cOllstant. in th e EngliSh contribu tion to archit.ec ture, th e Wre n vision from the previous century that. owed as mu ch to Dut ch s imp licity as to Classic prototypes . Du tc h es the tic Kc hemcs wer e simi larly illhcrcnt in Engl is h portraiture, in marine a nd IUlidscllpe pai nting. and in much English popular illustration , even whi le I taliKII tast e WllS olSt.clltatiously go\'crn ing th e s tyle of

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grand ceiling rrescoes. The Dutch sense or phenomena was as co ngenial to hard -headed Englund as the ..... rench alld Ita lian s tyl es of emotional expression were attractive. Imported Dutch, Oermlln, and Flemi s h arti sts, from Holbein to Van Dyck, from Ohee raerts to Zoffany, had vir tually created Englis h personal imagery, which ",us only thereafter confirmed by native talents. England 's debt to Northern Ellrop~ for finding ways to picture the ordinary world was equlll in size to its conscious ndm irati on ror Italy and ..... rance. which contributed 80 mu ch to the more deliberate flights of Engli s h imagination. Despite English reSI)ect for Cnnaletl.o lind Piralles i, English topography was a direct legacy (rom Holland , consonant with an empirical spirit and a secular tns te. Willi am II I, after all, had bee n a Dutch English king. During the eighteen th ce ntury Engli sh tra\'eiers in Europe had crystal lized the idea oC the picturesque ill order to IIhlke alien lands int elligible and pleasing-at least to the eye. The touris t could countenance t.he rorbidding te rra in iC he S8W it co nform ing to not ions oC how picture s look, especially t hose or Salv8tor Rosll and ot her continental BIlr. til e I'('product in' lIIedia ilil'"e !'cad ily le nt t il e ltl selv('s to sclling the right \"iew of 1I111urt' lind s howing how to gi' t it. Rf'ltde l"s of lIul.gilzillc$ alld watchc rs of h'l('v isioJ] nrc still l"cspo ll ding to pi cturesqu e id('als or iginnlly r('ulizcd by t1u' ('lIl ighlellt'd Engl is h p l e ll s l.ll"t~ s('(' k(' rs of thc eighteenth ce ntury" The I>icturesquf' iell'al is esscntially static, howeve r; it aillls to freeze and contltill . C laudc's b('ll litifully com posed scenes had be{,11 pa rt 01" the gre».1. clussic s('arch ror I)Crrec tion ill t(' rllls of vis ua l \)('ulIt y" Hf' furth cr llllnou ll ccd this uim by e mbedding It'gf'uda ry the mcs ill his cll n.!fully arranged visions of IlIltlt!"C , so liS t o associate hilS wuy of re nde r ing' it with t h(' COlliI>re h('nsi\"c myth -mak ing t hat see ks to f'1.fol d hlllilall experic nce into u coslIIological wllol('" BUl the pic turesqu e Englis h IitlldscH p('-lIIaking of the eightee nth century that. dcriwci from Ihi", iluJrusl pr('cNte nt aimed chi efly to pl(,1I8e, and so ull iulIltely to nllI.l CI' " It show('d how the lIew cons umer of Nature might triumph OVC I" thc ha ."d clwllengcs s he oll'e rs and so possess he r wholly" He could be nefi t, first. f!"om the pl ('us ltruble ('xercis(' of fOl'ci ng a gin'" vi ew into s ubmiss ion, uud tlwu fro III knowi ll g hilll sc ir to be app!"cciat iw, a lover of benuty lind th e l"l;~ fore worthy of its s urr('lIder to him " Thc sflti sfuctions of beinlr 11 sClisitiw pf' rson we rt~ hl('lIdcd with those or be ing muste,"" It thcn s('cmed 1I0t jusl pleusanl bUL prais('\\"orthy and th('re fol'e good for Ih(' se lf"es teclIl t.o tru\'('l lI llIong roc ks ami wut e rfn ll s lind ma ke aeceptnble s ke tcheiS of thc m; thc procl-'SS is now bf'ing I"I-' p etll (,( \ ('\"eryw hf're wit h the ca mero" Pict uresque landscape, old alld new, llI1.1 kes ~ature loo k attainable, alld an attlt inuble al'l look s lik(' the best 1001 for clt l)l.uring it. The uppeul is usuully to the desire to think well of ol1eself, illld 1I0t to the d esi re fo r testing Illld clutnging oneself, wh ic h tends to demand SO llie doubt und puin " 1"01' t he treatmeuL or luudscil l){' in Engli sh a rt , t he pictUl'('sqlle ideal waS

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eventuully superseded by the Homan lic notion of the subli me; and the sublime hn s been t he uppropritlte mode for cine lli utic lundscupe c\'cr since. Thc philosophical und literury idea of the sub lime acquired IIlI esthe tic existence in Englund through Burke's 1756 eS8ay 011 it; und for art it WI\8 wcll suited to ht.te-eighteelith-cclItury uspirlltiolls towHrd 8 new form of expression that wou ld de monstrate a sense of ima ginuti vc freedom . The ex pun d· ing SOli I now needed expanding vistus detached from lhe old dispensations of urt and religion , both of which Inld purveyed certainty. No cOlll fortnble fixity of subject or style could properly carry lhe burden of new emotiona l nspirations, now becoming rcvolutio nury in various senses of th e term. The idea of beill g ccuselessly d ruwn by the a lways IIl1atluinable and the forever incompre hensible is what th e sublime mode in art tri ed to COII\'ey. It is 8 cinemlltic ideul , beclluse moveme nt is implici t in it-a pcq)e tualllloveme nt outwnrd und onward towurd J;ome thiug thnt will always be beyond present bOlllldurics of vision or undcrstnnd ing. In t he landscal)e pai uting that. nims to eX I>ress this idea, fruming IIlld slaffage sen'c quite dilTerent I'unctions from the ones they fulfill in picturesqu e art; the look of incom plete ness and the sense of Il personul ntte ntion ulUlccountnbly 'i n mof io ll nre morc important than balan ce aud COlltUiIlIllC Il t. A detac hed idenl of beauty no longe r governs th e IlHrmonious arrangement of foreground , middle ground , and distance . Th e aim is no lo nger to show a "prospect," with a tree or two 8S repoussoi r and II ((Ow typicul inhnbita nts farther 01T, being vi ewed at leisllre by someonc vis ibly reposing uCllrby, who stn nd s in for the vi('wer of the picturc, S uc h n figurc con telll l)lut es the scene as a whol e lind alwuys includes himself as t he key to it : perhnps he is eomposillg It. poem on it , or sketch ing it, consc iously fitting it into hi8 prior awnrcness, in some way finishing it otT so as to bc filllilly ill c harge, and thereby making us so. These nrc t he compone nt s of pictures(l'lc lundscllpe, necording to which the viewer feeds on the cooked scene, ami it becomes part of his unchanged substance. The sublime landscape, rather, lIlay see m utterly remot e from Illly humHIl consciousness, even uny artist's. By "re mole " is not. meant neees· sari ly exotic or difficult of 8cces8; t.he vj{,w Illay be of 811 ordinary shudy pool , just 8S in DOrer's watercolors. Th e remoteness lies in th e scene's visi ble retreat from allY claim to e ntire compre hension, by anyone's eye and mind , of even 8 s mall fragmcnt of the phe nomenal world . E,'en a speci fi c and illlmedillte scene is forever partial, forever escll»ing nnd spreading out beyond understanding, beyond all artist's abili ty to box it in with his skill, wilh t he force of his conte mplations, or wilh lite rary associati ons . It mily at best be only one rrarne in all open-ended, unpredictAble sequence. Painters who try fo r this effect do not seem to be eating Ilature, but showing how !la·

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ture eats them. Th ey do not. speak about the roeksi the rocks speak, like Marabar caves. and eve ryone is somehow moved alld changed forever. When the picturesque ideal governs the landscape in tlIo\·ies. us it (reqllcnLly doe~, the refiul " is ofte n jarringly unti -cinelJlatic, although pleufiiug in itsel f. Lush landscape in movies is ofte n nOIl·d ramatie, so metimes bootlegged ill as a cotn'ellicnt su bstitute for rea l drum8 , instead of inforruing the theme it~clf with a lurgcr meaning by \'isib ly enlarg ing ill;: ClllotiOllSI scope beyond pleasu re-perhaps beyond bearing. Picturesqueness remains all enemy of serious film drama; but sublime landscape call be its best sen 'ant. Th e flexible watercolor medium, which could bc thickened lind shaded and made richly rh etorical (or picturesque effects, could even better cOII\'f'y a transparency that suggests the blank infinity behind phenomena. The laudscapefi of J. R. Cozenfi and later of ThotllllS Girtin and J . S. Cotmall, (or exa mple, show how rendering the si mplest forms in the \'ery thillnest layers of unshaded paint cO llvcys the SC II SC of 811 endless light that stretches beyond all seeing. but that lit the same time precisely illum inntcs everythillg near and fami liar. Cot man , in tme Northern sty le, lIsed an arbi· trary-seeming, casua l method of framing lind choice of subject mutter, the better to gi\re the sense o( motion Ilmong endless possibilities. While the s ky shines blindingly through the taut, veil of paint that creates shmbbery or 1118sonry above, th e stollY foreg round is sweeping toward tiS across the bottom edge. But we are not waiting. We flont, forwllrd ill mid-air, advancing swiftly to merge first with the rocks und the wllter, th en with the tree, and finally the unending sky. The ncar pond r('fleets th(> high clouds. opening another gate to boundlessness right under our fee t (10.1). Cotman' s greatest pictures, like Goyo's, lit1\'(' been sef'n ns forerunners ot lIIodeM} painting, partly because of their strain toward ubstraction, to· ward 11 detachment of the forms from their subjec ts . But just as with Turner, that particu lar leap is never lIlade. Cotmlll1 has greater affinities with the romlilitie subj ecti\·ity of !Uodem film, which Clln so intensify the way things look that they also seem to strain at their self-contained exist ence, to leap at us out of their COil text lind into ours. Cotrnull sha res with film -makers al1llrtistic ideal that demands perpetual movement. !Icier this law of a rt , resolution is always artificial. "'rames call be arbitrarily frozen or the scene can be made to fude Oll t; but, t he realtnJth is continuous mo\'e· ment on .....ard into the conti nllous unknown . Girtin 's, and Cozens' watercolor subjec ts were modest by co mparison ..... ith the scope of Turner's; and Turne r in fact s('ems 1.0 have extended the domai n o( wuLereolor to SWllllow "l) that of oil painting, alld

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10. 1 J O liN S F.LI. CO TMA.N .

Sltady Pool

also vice versa , 8S if refu sing to d is tingui s h between them. But th e work of allihese artis t s hlts thut engulfing effect a lso real ized 0 11 the movie sc ree n, where we are drawlI in to partieipate withou t preparation, not urged to sla nd back and gaze in a state of school ed unders tand ing. The thin air surrounds liS, conveyed in screens of paillt. that seem 1.0 float by themselves . We can feel no guiding hand ordering the direction of our eyc; wc must

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move in to the picture to seek co mplf'tio n of th e "if'\\', it s mean ing, and its next re\'elatioll$. Co tman's pictures sugges t sere lle possi bi lit ies beyond their prese nt. s urface; 1'urll r r's s hggrsl renches fu ll of d rend . Fear WII S 1111 important element in ex periell ci ng t he s ublim e. It wns the sort. of fear that is like bo LiI awe and allxiety. and that osci ll ates between the t.wo. Th e subli me requ ired II large rath er than Ii slIlali fear, ne"er merely II sca re, wherens the picturesqu e often d enlt in the pl£'a surcs of fr ight. Greater aClllnl safety i ll late·e ight ecll t h-ce lltury travcl mude it possi ble to begin enjoying both-to fee l a pleasurabl e shudde r at th e prec ipice, but also a nameless, almos t sl>iritu al danger in a ll lIature- uncI to welcome works of nrt that deliberll l.t' ly e"ok ed t he effec t. AIIlOlIg 1lI0dt' rli movies. L 'Avve 'llI~r(' is an exce llent. exam pl r of th e met hod . Th ere t he look of barren hills and houses. illustrnting n personul douht-ridd{'n search for retrie"tl l, continuitY.llnd co mprehensio n, mnnlJges 10 pinel' the viewerut t he mercy of th e hero's anxiety, to fill th e wat Ching consciou s ness with th e Sll ine driven, uncomprehending, and hopeless hope . To be scared in this way without bei ng I>hys icnlly Ihrelltened fee ls li ke a challenge, a chance to sirellgthc li spiritnul muscles, to pit t he Li ny se lf aguins t "8St forc es, and so to f(>t' l its t ininess respond. beg in to refin e, to harden nnd sh iue with rcflecti\'c power; t hi s is one of the s trongeH! hUlll nn pleasures. It Cilli furth er leud to th e sense of being fill ('d with tnle virtue, if yOll beli('\'c thilt t he fear you arc f('(' ling is n proper ilwa relless of God 's immensity-or I1I11.ure'8. Rut her than fl attering I.lIr behold er' s "tlnity. by urg· ing him to lu ke perso nal sntis fl.l ct io ll ill cli co mplIss ing nature with the power of hi s OWII ga ze, th e art ist of t he s ublime offers him th e plellsu res of feeli ng undone and overwhelmed , rapNI ill t he high eloil Cllllse. and so per· hap!! changed or chan ging into fi lwr stuff. Th e s trongly erotic thrill of reur is included in th c best s trr nglhc ning mf' dicillc fo r t he soul , with hllldscape for the bindi ng el ixir. Turner's Illaturc works IUl\'e t he "eli se of danger in th em. They also ha\'e just as milch of the spec ific 1\S Co t.lUlln ·s, des pit f' the blur. Wh en there nrc persolls in Turner, t hey nrc not d etllched onlookers or decorations devoid of consciousness; lhey are drlllllat ica lly engugNI. even if we cun hard ly see them. We are lIIade to consider t he combined ext ernal nnd inte rna l ci rcum· stances lhaL SW8mp t.hem at u cri ticnl mome nt. Turner' s characters may be ord inary fishermen or alltiqu (> h('ro{,8. or til('), lIluy 11 01 eve n be peo plethey may be build ings, trains , or s hips apparently endowed wit h human se nsibi lity. like The Fighting Temerfl i re. But as in lll ovit,S, t hat. llIa kes 110 d ifference to t he wily ou r eye is rnlldc to con frO llt whllt is pe rpellllllly esenping, the natu ral whi rl und lurch of thc loonl phcnomeull that surround th e subjective consciousness at int ense moments.

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This same opt ica l blur, reflecting the vibration oC psychic uneuse, upholds the se nse of actuality in auy Turner pictu re, whether it shows a modern fishing boat tryi ng to operllte in a storm or Ulysses t.au nting Polyphemu s whil e escaping with his crew. Sim ilarly in cinema, real rain or fog, or perhaps only the illdistinC!lness of swiftly offered opt.ical illll>ressiolls, is made to have the sa llle effect in hist.orical mov ies as it is in fi lms of con tem· porary li fe. In movies the subjective \'iewpoin t is a lways s upported by the Turner-like universality of emotional eyesight trying to grasp th e world. Rus kin was right to say that Turner showed natu re most tnlly, if t he lIclluti (Javor of ex peri ence is the chosen theme . When t herc a re no dra mat. ic charact.ers, we are invited to be one, to scali t he el1l l){Y ocean or t.he looming fog , to let th ings take us as they flow past. Like Rembrandt, Tunler produced an uneven surface, evcn for hi s watercolors, thick and thin or rough and smoot h on different pa rts of thc S8111C pictu re. He apparen tly worked fa st , blottin g and sc rapi ng and scratchi ng at t he surface with his fingcrna il, refu sin g, also like Rembrand t, to be gov· erned by the material. Such a Ouctunt.i ng pilUle imparts an uneven motion to th e image, along with a motility to the shapes inside it. The color, too , is "im material," neve r loea l, always of the Hir, or of the light, or of the inner eye itse lf. The p r ismatic effect is 1101. directly re levant t.o these hill s or that wate r in I)articulnr. The Hecne reflect!; t he way thing!; go in und out. or focus and the eye cons ta ntly adjusts and rendjusts 8S it strugglcs for its life . Turner's form of indis tin ctness desc ribed the tnlth dwelt on by the proponents of th e sublime-the human inabil ity to fix an d wholly un dersta nd the ene rgy in th c unive rsc. Cinema is devoted to the same idea; t he psycho· logical condition that underlies the right perception of film is 1tllcertaillty, openncss to ope ning views. awareness of the incomplete. The emotional sut· isfactions mo\'ies offer are provisional-pCrhal)S that is what makes them modern . a basic necessity for twcn tieth·century romantic is m. Michael Wood has pointed Oll t that movies raise questions they don't try t.o answer, and that that is a reaSOn for liking them . We arc s tirred up; that is our pleasure; and we feel that t hat. is necessary and even enough for authentic Ilarrati\'e in th is med ium . Any path the story foll ows through a movi e bypasses the countless possib le oth ers: What huppens to the other car t hat drives off' The oth er man walking by' The rest of th e clouds' Movie scencs of resolution and denouemen t must close in, and so must close off th ose suggestions made, elsewhere in t he film, of all we were permitted to glimpse and feel but not possess-the unresolved rcsidua that hnve moved us frolll the start to keep watching, eager for reveill.tiolls and mcanings s mall or large . The fillu l fad e s hu ts them all down , also provisionally. Th ere may-must-be a sC(lIlel.

( "lpYriOh

te'" I

:!6!J

1'urucr's lIrbun SCP1H'S und much rllrrr illll'rior5; SilUi l llrl~' pcho III{' SCIIIIning gn1.e und recepl i\'c consciolls ness ulld rClidy CIllOlioll required of the llIode rn rOllllllll.ic IUOVil"goc r (10.2). P('opl(' glilllps('d in Ihe funlasy drllw, ing·rooms of Prtworlh or on the Oxford High S treel set'lll d:rmtlllic . rendy for unkn own emotional shifts and discharges. ullforeseenble regroupings. T lIlo Wom en lIlill! It I..eller iK 1111 eXlrllordinurily c inl'uUllic \·isioll. II gCllrc scene unlikE' almost ully except ill IIIO\' ie8. yt't with Ih(' fhl\'or of H T('rborch (10,3), We se(' Dill' \\'01111111 ru ci ng' liS. he r bod.v ulmost hiddE'1l by (la' ll{'aI'cr olle. bchilld whom we nrc stllndin~. lind who hns thl' 1l'1I(,I' bl'hind her bllck. We lire very clos('; Wt' ours,'ln~ s mlly ('\'en hllVl' just seen'lly given it to II t' l' , The woman she fa Ct'S sueldenly looks pas I her s houlder llild straight III liS, witll parted lips und II I'ac(' full of possibi lity- a ll inlen' sti llg I'ace. nol preLly. No t hillg is ('xpillilled , 110 (,lIIoliolllll or SOC in I circulUstances IIrl' de· sc r ibed . We nrc being forced Lo participalC'. I>erhaps improvise ill a pressillg mo men t- the SCI'IH' will shift in a s('co nd . SOIllPOIU" will speak or laugh or so me lhing e ls(' will hapl)(,Il , H ere 'furller, who is sllid to ha\'(' b('ell no good lit figures, dOl'S sho\\' his unmistakab l(, 1I11C1('rSltlnding of fa s hion. th(' 1111(.' si~1I o f s('xual IIl1der· stnnding. The \\'01111111 with her buck 10 us shows us her e lllpll a ticlllly bur('d

II 2;0

M O VIN G

J>I C T U RI-;S

I I

I

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T U R NER,

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lIeck IIlId s hou lder blades under u high lOpknot trim med with II comb and flowers. lI e r neckli ne IIlId lS lN'ves sit to pe r rection. S he ilS 1I. s le('k exam ple of fa s hionable lasH' for 1835, 'l lei'l th(' rea r "j(,w or 111(' f(,lII ul(' Heck , pr ef('rably plump nbo\'c sloping shou lderlS. Wli S 1111 ill1porillllt focus of s(>xlIu l churm . Cu rls df'scf'lldt'd r ighl lind If'fl o\'c r liL(' t'ars lind 1t~lUpl('s, produc· iu g a frame for th(' fll ce ill frOll l (T n rll(' r 's olh rl' figure s hows Ihis) aud for the lIu kcd neck ill buc k. Ero ticn and fushi on pili tes of t lH' dlll(' insist 0 11 these effect!;, 1ilrllcr's '3 C(,lIe, like 1\ fillll s hot., cll ha nce'3 it!; dranHl with Ihl' extrll. sex uul freight Cll rri ed by lIIodishllrss. Th e ntmosph e ric chllrge ill thi s sCf' l1 e,lIh.o intr ll sifit'd hy plllcing thr Iwo figures OIlC behind t he otiH'r to give n Pllrticipunt's viewpoi nt , s hows t hllt. Turncr (li ke K lIlodel'll film dil'ectol', or li ke a Dutch urtist) IIl1tlerl;tood the expreslSiw power of 1II0dern dr('ssed bodies cngagi ng ill slUu ll g('s lures , bu t he was 1I0t mu ch iute l'rst ('(1 in exe rcisi ng t il(' art -hi s tor ical terminology of t he figure, Iludf' or drupt'd, as It IIUlin lura liS or ex pressio n. Gi\'e n the sexmll e nergy ill his oeuvre, and the porn ography 11f' is known to IHl\'e dOIl(' , it IlIay be thut his feeli ngs ubou t bod ies were 100 s trong 1.0 permit it. Critics have r elUu rked on the sti ffn ess of Turne r' s figll l'CS , whcn t hey lire prese nt.-II sli ffncslS wh ic h has an affin ity with thr snlllr s li ght. awkwnrd ness in both Wa Ueull 's a nd Goya 's r(, lId(' rings of bodies, 01' indeed of Rem· brandt's. TUrn(' 1' rC\'r ll ls Il disposition aga in I'clllt ed to titf' North ern tradition. C\'(,II furthl' r suggesl ill g t he s lillllllld sl igh tly tiltt'd peoplc ill Dr H ooch's works. Suc h II style of corporeal bei ng for people in pictu res see ms desiglled del iherntely to keep the fl avor of unguarded fe el iug 81 ronger t hull thnt of pleasure iu uormal physica l grace. A figure style thut dwell s on bodily coord ination makes any picln rc easy to look a t and identify wit.h in eo mfort , e\'en if the t heme is rnpe or ma ssac re; the effect of physical imbalancr make it ree l uneasy, cven if th e t hl'llle is courtly pleasurc, or hnppy lo\'e in a peuccfu l setti ng , The link bet.we('n Turner Hnd Dut c h art is conseque ntly cmotional. apart from the usual influence of Dutch sea-a nd · land scape painting on } if till',\' we r(' direc tiolls ill fl scree llphlY (I 0 .5). In nil this Turrwr, lik(> Goyn. ci llt'llIal,iclllly push('s 11t(> limits of iIl14 .~/r(l ­ lioll by showing' one poigllllnl physiclil si luation in UII inlells(' psyc hic matrix, "hurpcni ng 111(' iUlIlIICI or Ih(' 1II0lllelll , lind wide ning the SCOI)(' of its resollance. 'I'hese nrtists oft(,1l do this by IIsiug sOIll('whnt lIIubigu ous te rllls (or the surrounding IlIlll e rilil. which cun then 1Il01,{, ellsily stulld for the vllgue forces thllt.are drivillf! the hU1Il 1i1l c irculIIslunces illlo conflict (or acco rd), lind by b('ing ubsolutely specific ubollt olle or two imliledilite fu ets. Oue figure, tower, rnee. o r ~h ip . o r u group of two or Ihret' will be emp husized in lill(> unci rorm . nnd th('11 l inlNI lighl lWei sllllde will co njul'(> the lurge r world . where wllr lind wt'lIt\\('r lire liS 1I1111CCOIHllllbic tiS d esi re. or the

mi st of feur lIlar isohHI-' Iwur vision .

2 i-l

MOVINO

I' I C TURt:S

The Turner painting or II rOYIII banquel in Jo:d inburgh (10.6) could cas ily be by Goya, wilh its s tiffish , bright -eyed figures, its odd angle or prese ntation and large areas of both bright. and unclear in terior space; the 00y8 I)ainti ug called The Fire, showing part. of 1I pan ic ked crowd surgiug aW8)' from 811 undefin ed conflllgrlltion, could be olle of 1'urner's scenes from legendary or modern history-an Escape Iron. Hu rtling 1'roy or a London disaster (10.7). The ci rcumstances are inelistinct and terrifying, but what we can see of th e people is very specific, t he bodies p rovisiona l aud Ilwkwurd in a graphic scrllmble LOwll rd us across th e foreground . It has 00YU'8 warti me-newsreel look. which Turner al so sought for eve nts in peaceful England or in anli{luity. IIIu st rat.ion in thi s vein is not anecdotal but ilhiluinllli\'c, llnd 11 0 1 of II s tory but of 1I situatioil-lind thaL in cludes th e way th e lan dsclipe is affecting 8 beholder or influencing human evc nt s. It is th e sa me mode used in the old Flemish manu sc ripts, where the pictures light lip th e flow of the st.ory at inte rvals instead of telling it. Th e story is made to llppcnl in th e fo rm o f recognizable personal ex perience; and so I)syc hologieal moment s rather than obj ec tively described events are c h os~ 1l for the pict ures. In this mode there need not eve n be u s tory, only encou n ters nnd di scoveries forming' nil

•

10.6

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T U RNER ,

George IVa//lt e Prol'os/'. Ha "qu#!I

2;5

10. 7

t' KA SC I SCO OO YA , Tlt t! F in:

emotional sequence in wh ich we fee l ourse lves (' ngllgcd- th(' kin d of s tory we feel almost able to co mplete out of otlr OWII iltlllgiu llt iv(' s.vlll pnthy, supplyin g bnekground lind various poss iul e outcomes. Wh en there is also II known actual s tory (stich ns the co nception und bi rth of Chris t), it is told 8S if ta ngentia lly, th e wa." '1\lrner shows "I anni bal 's trip or Regulus' puni s hment: thi s is al so the way mov ies ill us trll te th e slories on which th ey a re based. In fil ms, sweepin g views of t il e battle. the ball , t he Ilatural disas ter, th e prison brea k, are int ercut wit h views of sllla ll groups aga ins t an ambi guous background , like Ooya 's Hnd Rembrand t's, or with close-ups of tete-8- tete encount ers. li ke 1\lrIu:~ r ' s two women with the letter . Incid ent. is app roached subject ively; there is 110 roolll for det.ac hed pictorial narration cas t in a uniform dec htraliv(' s ty le, s howi ng eve rythin g

.-. -,

M OVING

PICT U RES

(rom the sa me fix ed distan ce, ep isode by clea r ep isode, onc tablesu after another, with the chief chllracters promincnliit. all times . Rathe r. th e pro· gressive dinl ectie of ncar and far, of inner 8uel outer, of pri\'8lc response to external circulllstance is whal mnkes the slori es in Illo\·ies do their emotiollal work. Turllcr and Goyu, like others rollowiug' the impulse truced here, struggled to make the single picture do wllal film has done since. Th e story. whatever it is, is 1I0t. "told ill pictures," like the little scenes OIl8 1)re · della or in Hogllrlh 's sequenli lll renderi ngs; it is " brought 1.0 life" 8S if it

were happening, lind not bei ng lold at nil. Turner, like many ol hcr1i, was IIlso an actual illUSlrlll.Or. ill thal he nlllde pictures express ly to be reproduced in books lind express ly to go with ce rtain poems and travel writings . He wus olle of muny to illust.rate Jumes Thomson 's SeaS()II8 , u fa\'orite with love rs of the picturesque. and later he il lustrated Scott and Byron. a lways wit.h pertinent lalldscape, instead of large figures grouped in n s ubordinlltc setling. The human beings in Turner 's illuslrlltions must of len be infe rred, us so often in his oem're, und for that very reason the hurnun situlltion is Illude morc acute because we rush to project OUrSelves int.o it. His uvulallche puinting, for example (l0.8), shows Ii cOltage being c nlsiled under un immense boulder-no

10.8

J .

M.

W.

TURSEIt , Al'oiallcltl i'l lilt Grisolls

\ \'1/ I rr-('ol 0 r:

Ti,,' 1I1' r.

.1//l rl j /I

27 7

scr ea ming or gesticulating bY8tanders, no visib le human s instruct us in how to react, us they do in De !....out h(> rbourg's vcrs ion of t he same subj ect; only 8 hapless little cat cli nging to the roo f tells us th e house is in habited, And we feel oursch'cs c r enting our OW II close·ups of the despairing fn ees inl! idt> , Th e Ctlt cJlI W S direct ly lit our hcurts IIcr088 t he dislllllce, IJike III/lily film shot.s. Ihis pictul'(' is a vivid i1l1l811'alioll of a human dramn with no I)eo· pIe in it at. the moment. In the period just b(' fore TUI'ner 's Cll rC'{'r begull . IlI lIdscU I)e renderings we re not illu s l rllli \'e ;11 al l. Th ey had become more and mOre Iransformed int o a co mmod ity in En gi1l1ld, where IUlld owllcrs liked to remi nd Ihelll' selves of t hei r own prope rl y lin d of Englund's regiollul glories, ns well as of thei r own esti lll ilble Irave ls. Th ere was l\ df'IlUlnd for picturesque topo· grapli icul views bound a8 se ts into books , uud gmce flll pictlll'es of we ll · known si tes were re l)roci uced nnd sold individutl lly as pleusi ng possessiolls for those who n('ve r lefl 1I0nll' . 1\ Il'I il'r's own illtrodllctioll to Ilrt had bee n through seei ng und copying suc h prin ts. lind beco mi ng expe r l in cu r rent techniqu es of bo th topograph icnl render iug und grltpilic J'(·produ ction . An arti st could easily make II living provid in g sll ch I)ic tures, with 110 preten. sions to imaginat.ive g rentness or e\'ocutiolls of hu mnn encoun ters with t he sub lime. Turne r cO lll ill ued 10 sen 'c thi s market for l!ilrniglil lopogruphy t hroughout hi s li fe, eve n while the te rms of hllldscape puiutillg c hunged entire ly . During 'I'll m e r's Ii feti lIle (l 77 5- 185 1), lopogrllpb ielll rellderi ng wus vir· tually transformed into art in its most st'riOlls form. ~('W not ioll s or Nature, chie fl y exp ressed in poetry , created nn enhu'ged lIl ora l and esth etic d imc n· sio n for what held bee n It lII undll ll(> and very limit.ed act ivity. It was I.he one area ill painting (a nd its co ncomitant graphic works) where the ill1agilllltioll had new territ.ory to s ubdue, wher e feding II l1d seeing' we re perpetunlly combining 1.0 new avail. The field wus being c1enred whe reon the latcr dralllus of modern puinliug would b(' e llilcted: but at t he su me ti llle th{' screcn wus bei ng set. HI) where lIlod{'rn cinematic topogruphy would Inter be projected, The existence of such un art.istic frontier ~nabled Tunl('r to cast a ll t he grea t old t hc lIlcg of hi lJlory pu inti lll;' inlo the ~lIbjec th'c mood, lii mply by invoking the new l)Ower of la ndscape 10 embody ind i,fidual pnss ioll nnd moral signiticll nce, III The Baltic of Fori Nock. Val d 'Aol/s!l', PiedmQr.t. J 796, Turue r r{'· creut.es un Alpine buttl(', UII ('p isode rrom :\nl)oleo n's invnsioll of Itnly (10.9). BUI Ihe fight iu g is c rammed Ilgllinst the left. edge of Ihe pictu re. where t he tiny oppos ill g a rm iN' ski rmis h on (l nu r row pllih and bridge. Th e call1era is Ictw illg t hem to it. mo\· illj:C huck and 1.0 Iht' r igh t so I hat. th(' screl'1l is grad ually filling with the imngc of the bi g c hnsm il1lo which nil these lit·

(

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M O VI NG

1'l CTU It ES

I

1lU I J .

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f{ . TIt( lJl,l/Ir "/ "'orl U()(,J... " 1' / d'A Qwll r. /" ('(/111011 / . J"/!J6

tie sold ie rs are in dange r of fall ing, whut ever the ir loynlt ies. Wood ed c rags ri se a ll e ithe r s ide of the gulf-we CRn ' t set" the bo t.LOm- and the rest. of the mo untn ills s tretc h back foreve r . But Olle wretch hns already fall e n onto a narrow ledge nellr us, escaping t.h e prec ipice by inch es; he is being awk· wardly suppor ted by a woman who holds a buby o n her shou lder . A camp follower ' A localmutroll from all isolntcd cottage' A gypsy' He is our mo· mcnt.ury unknown hero, so me ordinnry man thm st. int.o extre mity by wa r i alld IIOW history is moving o n without hi m, out of the picture , Hnd he is at th e d oubtful mercy of this chan ce wo man nncl th is huge landscape , bo th so st rHnge and r1.111 or threat-What nexU Turner 's dislillcti\'c style of sublimity eould eventually find its way in boo k form into peop le's inward se llse of Inndseupe, notjllst illlO thei r pub· lie awareness of its powe r in narrative painting, He helped to change eve ry' o ne's pri\'Btc idea of how views look, und how it fe e ls to look at the m, and of what Lhcy can mean, and so to prepare th e way for th e l:tCrsonnlly illuminat· ing fun ction of modern film ·hmdscape . Besides illustrating th e Romantic

-,

''- 9

poets, he publish ed sc\'cral sets of ordinnry English ,-jews-Harbours,

Rivers,

C8stle~.

pictorial accoll llls of journeys-which a lso show t he magi·

cal WHy !Straight lopographicall'epbrtagc was bei ng trnnsformf'd into il lu strat ive art, ill an unprecedented kind of elllol.iolll!1 colla boration between the artist unci his public. Turner's great contemporary and fellow English 111IldsclIl}('·paint.er J ohn Constable , 011 the other hand. WIIS the other sort of artist. He wt!ii elltirely nOIl·c inematic, and helped to cha nge tOI)ogruphical IIrt into transcendent pain tin g. He Illude 110 aU empt to crcatt' Ull emotiOllul ullin~rs e ill topographical terms; he was interested in t.he uni"crse of paint itself, using his beloved nlral scenery as an enabling syste m fo r testing painterly boundari es, not illustrHtivc themes. Hi s works ure tremendously exhiluruting. but never hHllllting. He did not. "delight to go buck to the first ehllos of the world, " as HIl :d illsuid of Turner, or e\'er try to s uggest. th e inwllrd side of visuall>e rc:e pti on. Constubl e's brilliant. v(>n'c rCllluins dCluchcd, Hnd keeps him ill the company of Hubens and 1'itiall , llS his great admirer Deilicroix could se('-himsel f all artist. of a simiisl' s tnmp, Ceza lllle went. on from there, Turner's J./iber Stu(/ iorultl, made in din"ct. imitati on of Clau de's se ri es and published between 1807 and 18 19 in several VOIUIlll"S, was nol a book of illust rat iOlls (or allyt hillg; it was s im ply in tended to demons t rl.1l e ill el ching 8nd mezzotint how comprehensi\'e his grasp of landscape was. Her(' Turner was muking landscape us a broad iden , nllher than ilS a small pleasure , available to people in illtense black·and-whit e imugc ry made for private viewing. The uiber nlso showed tlmt monochromy was I}erfectly congenial to Turner, since light. WillS his tnle subject. Wit h hiN superior psychological understalld ing color, Turner was \'c ry su btle in hi s use of it. After visit.ing t.h,e I~o uvre, he is alleged to 1111\'(' said , "Rubells throws his tint s aroulld like a bun ch of fl owt"rs. ,. Turner's fam ous and fe rocious indisti nctness in fact had s pecial importance in colorless works. We have seen that. th e color he u sed in painting was nc\ter ver,Y locnl---o ften not the color of pnrticulH r things but rather of the light around thelll , fragm ented into primary ye llows, I'eds, und blues. When scenes were ellgrsved or rendered in mezzotint, it was the del icat e tonaliti es, the sensitive nnd floating chia roscuro, thnt curried th e mood of the place. The psychological freight. ca rried by topogrnphicnl imHgery in monochrome was thus sh ifted from the interplay of black s hadows and light patches set. up by Pirau es i and T iepolo to the moving emanations of cloud conjured by Turner, This shift. was inclu sive: black shadows retuined their forc e. 1'urner experimented wit.h them , too , in his Inte r set of dramatic mezzotints referred to as the L·illle Ln.'ber (10.10) .

or

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tel

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280

M OV IN O

10. 10

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TURSJo!H, Pat. hl.m , Mezzotillt rrolll the /Allie U/)l)r

T he mezzotint, us a med ium (or lrll llsh&ting wate rcolor into re peatab le llnd publishable black·a.lld·white images, 1I0 W pe rmitted the move me nt of light to echo the movemen t of feeli ng wilh muc h g rcaler sophistication in pictures for gene ral consumptio n. Mezzotint is a n cngra\·ing medium . Th e plate is roughened all ove r by a 81)cci81 tool to c rcate the dark areas, then sc raped and polished in varying degrees in th e arcils whe re light is required , Slid then inked and wiped wilh several rags be fore bei ng printed . A print by this method evolves (rom general darkness to illu milUllion, und may have soft , subtle, and r ich gradatio ns of lone. Mezzotint hel ped to expand the poetry of buildin gs, for eXllmple , to in clude a larger emotional ei r cumumbi cnce refl ected in the vuriable atmosphe re cloa king c rugs o r valleys where th ey might s it. the harbors or c ross roads over which th ey might preside, singly or in urban clm;ters. They could engage the viewer no t just ill i\ genera li zed s tat.e of expectancy and fanta sy. but ill a deeper condition that e mbraces nostalgia and longing. Boulders a nd build ings see med to develop strongcr pe rsonaliti cs and larger ind ivid ual soul s. to be enriched by s haring each o ther's presence in colorless overcas t. moonlight. in g ray daybrea k or rainclouds . In thi s century th e black-and-white s till camera has certainly developed these the mes. But t he movi e came ra has had t he mean s to extend the m indefinite ly , usi ng s hifting gradation s of tone for circullIstnntial e motional

Watercolor; '/'lIrllu, Martill

28 1

effect ill outdoor se ltings. The lIIist in stalldllrd thrillers. whether the 10· calc is urbalJ or mOllntainous. the glowing smoke of battlc scenes and heavy-indu stry scellCS, the glowing dust of d ese rt scelles are all part of Turner 's legacy. They cOlltillue tlu' dramatic uses to which he put the ordinary blurring of ordina ry phenome na, Mov ies now s how, as Turner did first, how real s moke and real unxiety mny produce an equally real aud illdistinguishllble kind of blur, tHai at th e sa mc moment. Turner 's effects can right ly bt, compared to those or t he camera (in which he predictably showed much in te rest ut t he elld or his life) becau se he wu s I>recise us to space und scnle. '('h e vortex of light nnd the delOnllt ion of atmosphere never d islodge the co nvincing rocks and water. carriages and shipping. people and anima ls, cnstif'S and huts. The riggi ng is accurate. the bu ildings stund up . No libert ies are taken wit h their stnble actual ity, und so t he lum inous riot around th em gllin s cred ibi lity, ']'urner remai ns topographical, only f11rth er recordi ng the h elp l ('s~ s hudder of deNire and apprch c n ~io u at what might be gllth£' ring' s hllpe at the turn of t he road or ncross the sunny water, im pUlse uppeured tun ong ot her Engli sh artists of the samc period ill d ifferent. wuys, but. s t ill fou nded 0 11 the d csire to make pictu res conform to the ex treme cmoti ollnl I)Ossibiiiti es in ordinary visual eXI)erie llce: light and s hude had sti ll to predolllinnte, Size could add its force to t h c~c in J oh n Ward's Gore/a le SC(lr, for example, and create dread 0 11 its own. The vast chaslll , viewl'd from its floor by ti S und Olle iso· lilted bull , is oft'e r('d in s ubdu ed colons 0 11 a scult· intended to ove rwi1 l' lm liS directly with naturullllyste ry (I 0.11), Thl' painter is not s miting us with his esthetic posi tion 0 11 Nuturt'; he simply lets ttl(' dllrk rocks loom up while the black cleft draws us ill and the sky threntells. Thi s would be a haunting image ill s mall forlUlll.. blltut elen' lI by fOll rtcell feel , i11)roduces the desi re 1.0 turll IlIId Mill . Large panoramas became popuinr in Ihe Inst third of the eighteenth century. followed by di ora mas in t he ea rly ninetee nth . so tlllli painting could find yet ot lier ways of trying to cscn pe its cOllfill ing frllllle and de"our the beholder. When t he sl>ectntor looked lit II pnnorll mn painted 011 t he inside of a. cylindrical s urfacl', he created the effec t of mo\"£'ment. himsel f itS he kept turning, III 1782 De Loutherbollrg'" £'idoph,/t siliQI/ wenL furth er, offrring a continu ous picture that. nctuu lly 1lI0\'cd across 1\ prosce nium to mu sica l accompaniment, attended by s hi fting stage light s lind mudc to t ransform under the viewer's gll ze by the cleve r tl se of lighted sc ri ms. The depicted scenes included vjews of Lond on nnd s torm s at sen, wi l h appropriate sounds; but the effect seems to i!llVe rernni ned pictu resque ruther thlln su bTHE

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10 . 11

PI CTU RE S

J O liN WARD ,

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lime, theatricu.1 rather than cine matic, and it aroused wonder mostly "tthe technical feal. A diorama involved lighting a transparency [rom behind and showing it in a darkened room, varying the light effects rather thnn moving the picture, which would again usually be a landscape , n seascape, or a cityscape. All of these were entertainments, intended to be momentarily exciting and not deeply important. They ncverthe less s howed a Ilomunlic desire to move beyond the cOllventional theater, with its suitably adorned perform ances of texts , into u. d omain wbere the sub lime eiTects nlready u.ttained by landscape painters could be recast as show business. They aimed to let an audience feel directly involved in t he basic dramas of the physica l world, even if only in the form of tawdry illusions, in stead of watching rehearsed and dressed-up actors pretending to be so in Ihc6tricai llctioll, diction. and surroundi ngs.

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The ele ment of s how business in r('ndering th(' sublimr- was hea"ill' emphasized by the history-painter John :\lartin, who special ized in scenes of Biblical catastrophe, in cluding the Deluge and Judgment Day. and signifi. cant debac les of legendary antiquity. Mllrtin 's puintings und grnphic works became extremely successful in the earl y nineteenth century, 1I0t only ill England but in Europe und America, nnd h(' hnd II grent deul of effe ct on the public and on paint ers much bett er thl1l1 h(' wus . He is 1111 eXll lllple of the sort of artist almost en t irely confined to film ill thi s century-an in s pired special-effects 1111111 , a hr-roic produ ctioll·dr-signcr. 1-1(' was an origina l genius who affect ed the ima g in lltivc lives of thollsllllds ill his own genera· tion and long after his time; but his productions exert ed their influence in It sensational mode that was tlJ('1l regarded as artistically unaerious and was

10.12

JOHN MAItTIN ,

Bl'bltazzor', Feasl

284

M OVINO

PI C T U Rfo:S

prollluigat.cd in popu lar mcdia. 1'he mezzotints nlld ellgnwillgs Martin Illade of his works had t.h e dist.inet ion of being instantly illl itnted, forged , and pirated; hil!! painting of Belshazzar's ~·ea .d WitS ill icit ly (and ineptly, to Martin 's fury) copied for a diorama-so immediately did he satisfy t he pUblic's lu st for t.he exact kind of ex treme imagery he invented (10. 12). Most serious art.-cr itics and acad(>mie painters at th e lillie found it. indigest· ible, irreleva nt to th e development of painting; and even his defenders in the world of a r t had t.roubl e with his t.('chnica l weaknesses. The stnlldard history of art has omitted him entirely until lntcly. 'r he cul tivated men who unrese rved ly loved Martin 's works in his OWII day were poets, novelistl!! , and litera ry critics , many of them French-th e same sorts of people wh o ill ou r time firs t desc ribed the artistic va lence of modern commerc ial movies and made th em known IlS more thnll min or cn· tertai nments. ~Iartin sat.isfi ed not just. the generu\ but the poetic thirs t, too, for an illu strative style to match the Romant.ic sense o f res tlessness, of a pull towll rd whllt is im possibl e or toward some catllclysmic rf'lease. Victor Hugo and Gaut irr admired hi m greatly; th e Brout~ s all copied his • engrav in gs. He cleverly worked on th e English passion fo r topogrnphy, then being translIluted by greater English artists, aud ex tended th e lIew emotional view or real buil dings to in clude all emotional st.yle for rantasy architecture - the same device Piranes i used fi rst, und lhe mov ies lise to seize us now. Cha rl es Lamb said of Ma rtin 's '· t.owered st.nlct.u rcs," " Th ey satisfy our most stretched and cravi llg conce ptions of the glories of t he anti of tlH' stage: but it. wu s certainly poss ible ill pictures, if the urlist WIiS IlI'e pllrcd to forget abollt C laud e [~ rrn ill. One way ),Iartin (ostered the sl'IIS{, of hilllSl·1f as II wi zllrd WIIS hy printing thick booklets to go with his I}uintings, sO\l\'euir programs describing all th e archeologica l resell rch he hiad donc on Bilbylon (or TYl'e, or Ninf've h), citing exact dimensions lind proportio ns und giving II sllUl Il outl ine drawing of the picture. with eueh building precisely labell!d , It was as if to say that his own artistic ta le nt, had no th ing to do with his results: IH' had siruply taken great pnin s to filld Ollt the (IICIS and Ihrll co njured lip the city just 8S it had stood. Th en, usu8l1 y, h£' wo ul d wU\'e hi s wllnd nnd show it in the th roes of total destnlction, the grand lind hea\'y mnsonr)' IShi\'c ring illto fragm ents o r washing aW8y in a fl ood, righl be forl' your \'c r~' eyes ( 10. 17, 10. 18). In fu ct he made the c it ies up, jus t as Ill' did ) Iilton 's "Plllld(,lIloniulII." from verbal d esc riptions that left a mple scope for the elll o t ional i; tylr of \ ' jsllal invention, (or dramatic relldl' rillgs or fit'rcc light. \'a s t s pH ce. a nd g ren1 size. Muny o( the pil inti ng's we re co nce ived ill hurs h reds und blacks pierced with white lightning, lind Huskin was righl to cnll th em bo mbast ic, The real e iTectiwllCIlS o f )tarti n 's puintings s howed ill t he mezzoti llt s he made (rom th em. These wt're llIo noch rOlllUt ic \'c rsions muc h larger t llnn ordinaf')' e ngravings, ou whic h h€' wo rked ill \'al'iOll8 iu ks. IIsiug combined

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288

M OV ING

10.16

JO li N MAKTI N.

10 . 17

(>I C T U Ri-;S

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290

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I> I C T U Rfo;S

t(>chniqu es with grent cure ilnd ill grcllI l e n ~th . nottnlslillg s uch work to nrlisans as IIII1Ily Illl int(>rs did . The plli ntings themselves wellt on tour like s hows, liS Illrg(> hi s tory paint· ings often did , someti mes exh ibited as pr ivute cOlllllw rcinl enterprises with tickets sold (i n his cnse along with th e explunlltory booklets) rather t han under inSlil1ltionul nu s pices, und sometimes fo r roynlty. Murtill 's lurid puinti ugs were immed inte s uccesses, but it wns his Inte r, grnphic versions thut r ightly sprend his real influence. They are mu ch bett er und more haunting: eve n when tint ed , IlS they sometimes were, the black·a nd ·white mediulll tempers the bombnst ulld reveili s t he genius . It. almost seems as if he ",us awnre Ihnt th e grnphic modt' was his t.nle elemen t , t he medium th llt would presen'e him in eclipse, und t hrough which he might move 1.0 reach lhe imagillntion of the future (10 .19). T he great past mnst ers of pni ntiug he could 1I0t hope to ril'al; but. he Counts among those who pu s hcd the grllpilic arts ahead 1.0 IIH'ir cinelnlltic destiny. At this pl~ r i od, just illS duriug t he previolls ce ntury und more. it wus cust.omury for paiut(>1"S to "publish" th eir works in grnphic form , all cl the trill'clin g exhibition of any givf'1I painting incl uded ra ising subscriptions for the promised engraving mudf' fro m it. Th e lega l und tiunnciul a s pt~ c ts of thi s reJlltion betwee n IIllllrtist uud his public vllried; but it WllS a customary lind C\'Ctl nccessary purl. or u puiutcr'lS cureel' that he Inuke money rronl reproductions or his works , as well as (rom I he sale of the originalptl intings. I( he had a serious graphic imaginatioll, like Rembrandt or 1\lrller or illdeed lik e Mn rti n, he would do the reproducing himself, if it. was nt nil possi· ble , und lIppellr bc fore t he public dircc t ly 8S 1I grnphic artist eve ll of his pa i l//illgs. His origina l graphic wOl'ks-book illustration or single sheetsmight then be nil the more percept ible llS great in t hemse lves. Other pnint.ers, with 8 purely pa inte rly gifl , may well have cared nothing Ilbout the fllw or of th e engrnvings lIlade from the ir works, and fe lt detach ed Crom th eir possib le graphic futu re in the public consciousness. Such puinters, on the other haud, oft en had n supreme tal ent for the other kind of graphic art- for drawing, which represents th e unique moment of creati on lind st resses its privacy, rllther than it s public life. Art is ts of t his kind d oubtless fe lt. the mselves artistically betrayed rather than confi rmed by reproduction , except possibly in the form of rcverellt painted copies. Such an attitude in turn helped to shape the modern vi ew of t he exclusivelIess of pa inting, aud 10 divide it. effectively from its form er audience-the ones who paid Lo see t he Marti ns. There is no rule fo r t his; but muny of the painters I have called cinematic -t.hose fl ou rishing since the Sl)read of priutcd pictures-have made no dist.inetion of va lue between painterly and graphic expression , and also

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huve bE-r' lI d(>(>ply (:O Il(:(>I'IiNI with Ihe wny Ih(>ir OWII paiutiuJ,!'s IwculII(> grnphic. They hnn' kepI n 8(>118(> of Ih(' 8{,llIllle8Sl1eSS o f I h(> piclorilli wodd, even a sense of I II(' porOIl SIH'SS of visua l IIWIII'{,lIess il se l f- t he way I h(' emo, tiollal t'ITeet of pictur(>s 1ll1I)' bl' inrlist ingllisllllhlt· f"ollL lllllt of ull otht'I' kinds of visua I ('xpt·riell c('. 1hr ki lid ill dl1yd "PIlIl1S, d ,'('II iriS, nnd dui Iy visua l life all at OIlC{,. :,\'1uny s u ch pll int('r8 s t'e lllNI to des ir't' a lUo\'illg, fl(>xibl{' fu · lure life for {iwir works bused 011 Ihlll hll'ge l' uwur('Uesl;, 1I0t just on the ('nduring virtue of the o riginal paint insidl' its ol'igi lll.ll f rnrHc ,

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•

ELEVEN

Friedrich, Schwind; Menzel and His In uence

P A I N TIN 0 he culled Peace: B urial. (II Sell, 'furne r showed while sails loo king black agll inst u glowing sky, us if they had crys· lalli7.cd out of th e black smoke from n Cilllll OIl sal utE" (11 . 1). At the time, certain of hi s c ritics obj ected ; the effect see med I)c rverse Ilnd s hoc king. The mOLif loo ks naluntl by this lime beclluse we have 8ee n so muny photo· graphic e xampl es . especially i ll til(' PCNilIiISi\'c kind of advert isi ng art Ihut. inhe r its Turner 's general ailll 1.0 evoke raw responses. Hi s puintiug was II mourning tribute to a frie nd and pat rOil, bu t. it upproach cs that subjec t so obliquely that th e chiuroscuro "ocabul ary of I)ure reel in g drowns outmos t of the dC!:Ic ripti\'c language in the pi ct ure. Th e buria l is not. d iscerniblf'we Heed t.he capt.ion to know abouL it-but th e fi('ry douds and the black sai ls above the burnis hed sea create II .litrong elegy without anecdotes. Turne r 's picture dat.es from 1842, only three years ufte r the ollicinl birth of the came rn, i\lId two yeurs dlcr the d eal h of Ilspar David Frie· drieh. But thirty·five years ctlrlie r. in hi s Cross i ll th.e .tJOIl II/(l ill S of 180 7, F'riedric h was a lreudy investiguting the pictoria l met hod Turner late r ur· rived a t. for his personal requiem, and trying to c reate a new forlll of strictly psychological rel igious imagery. He was looking for some thing that would uppeal to specifically C hri stillll s piritua l longin gs, without flllling buck on represen ting tHly trad itional C hrislinll myths or doclrill(,s. Fri edric h 's painting was 8 devo tionsl ilUnge, not jusl a re ligious pict.ure; it wa s buil t into all nltnrl>i ecc intended to inspir'€' wors hip. Bu t. he II sed the su me t('rms "lIrnc r used and movies now use t.o ('vo ke rel igious feelin g whell it is reo qu ired (or general purposeli , nol just. for el>il>hall ic e pisod es ill Bible e pics -the rad iHllt sky. with some thing significant in s harp contra st ugll ills t i l. THE

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H e re il is Ihe c ross llIl(llhl~ pi m' s, cOllflllLing IIIltll r(' IlIId n~ lil! ioli wi l h JJer'· fCCI ('u~(' ( I I.:::!), As ill S(,\'(, I'a l of F'l'iNl r ich's pai l1li llg's, Ilu' c rOSs is ollly II 10cIll. m ode I'll cnlc ifix, SOI II('t h ilig Olll' lIIi gh t Ilc tu ally 10('(' ill n1rlllllrcaS,llIu.ll lw trees nre »('rrec l ly fllllli litll', So i ~ I Ill' sky, wilh its clouds cu I by s Ullb('tilll ~, The' U\\'l' is inspired ~i lllp ly throuj!h Iht' psychic 1II0\'elll(' 1I1 ('\'oked by t he arrulIJ.!t'· 111('11 1. Tilt, soul rp('ls 1I10s1 druwlI by Iht' ordillUry 1I11l(h' transc(' nd rll l : Illill sillcl' Iht' h i j:n~t' s l /llid hi glli'si ordilllll'y obj('c t hi' I'(' is /I c m cifix, III(' soul's imlll(>(liul (' I'('SPO IISl' b('col11(' S IIssociatl'd wil h til e worship of liI(' C hri s ti llll God, ~(' i tlli'r I lit' exposit ion or dO~1I111 no r I lip IIIll'ratiOIi or myt h olo~y is II CC' CSHill'.\'; II I(' d ('li lll'lIlion or ~O lll (' PUI'(' symhol. ~ lI c h a ~ II d irl'c t .. r lld l' r i n~ o r 1\ S1Ipel'II11 tUI'II1 CI'OSS, would bt' IHt'I(' s~ by cOItlI)urisoll ,

294

M OV ING

1 1.2

C.

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PI C TURES

~· RIEDItI C Ii .

Th ~CrUlllli ,.IIl~ MoN ll la i ll '

Th is shortcut to religiolls devotio n by 1111 eUlotional route ulso Icu,'cs o ut the Ilrtist 88 the inspired expliclltor of Ood's mysteries to men's eyes . It is allother cuse of the "hlludl es!oi eye," Ihe conju r ing of the vision , not its e re· ntioH. Here it is the conj uring, rather, of It situa tioll: the mysteries rClnain mysterious, and the whole relatioll between Ood lind hu mun beings (including artists) lituys uncertain und therefore exe rt s II formidllble pull. Such 1I picture s uggests t hat divine revelalion lurks in vjews of common things , especia lly in nutunti phcliomcnu-bu L it. is the reve lution of u constant process, not 811 answer or UII explicutio n. The Ilrtisl is only another seeker and partia l viewer like ourse lves. olle who puts a fra me llround some mome nts of the search alld ol>eus j) wind ow briefly. li ke Il film-maker _ Beyond th e fram e is on ly sky and landscKI)e f pe rhaps so me animals or shippi ng: it is our response, so often urged und focused by 1\ su li en t foreground icon against the distnllt light, that makes it the Beyond , the realm of the spiritually unknown.

F rin/ri("/I, 'dlll'ill(/: .l/r' lIu l fllld /J ill / lIjlll f! IICI'

295

• The cnlCifix in The Cross ;11 IIle MOIt,II/t.ills i!) made ('\'(-' n more ciuema tic by being s howlI s lightly on'·celilc r lind li t Ull lin gle, like the IIrchitectural fantasies o f the Bibien8s, As wilh those h{-'Iwy pien; unci po rtn l~, Ihi" d (> li· cate vision seem s to be turnillg in 11 great arc, It makes li S wish to c ircle to mee t it. to put ourselves nt its ce nl e r . to climb s lowly upwllrd IIround the rocks, to fu ce the ri sing bea ms d i rec lly . or nutybc to face lire sc uill tlired Christ at lust, to be finall y illulII inllted wilh it ami by it. TIl(' firlll stones. the e nduring pines . the ell'n ul l c ross I1 N' 1I(',,(' rllw lcss ulIslllble, cilught in tlu~ 11l0tioll of th e earth, it H s un . IIlId Ollr lII ovi n~ Cllllle rn ('ye, b("lIcon of til(' aspiring SOli I. Relig ion in til(' lU ovit's is also II maW'r o f lIuur ipullIting the light. whatever e lse il> ill till' piclUrp- lUllurn l wonell' r!), o r tilt' inlt'ri or of a cathedral , or the d ralllutiZlltioll of 1.1 cll llonical mi rnclc (11 .3. 11 A ). F'or se\'eru l yenrs after 180 6 th e fo regrou nd objects in Fried rich 'Is works wer(' o ft("11 hU1II1l1I bei n gs see n frOIll lhp buck. und oft(-'II "I ready cr nt prrd to fa ce the mome nt truth in the sunrise. th e lIIo11lltuin rtl ngt' . or the OP)>O' site r iverbank . The ir ce ntral placement works as 11 (oclIs iug Ilgenl, not just fixing the gaze Ilud the nttention but filte rin g them und cOllde ll sing t hem into s ))i rituul e n gines . The bnckgrollud hmd scupc rnay be Ilpprehcndcd o lily s lrllighttitrough the soul o f t he HUIII or \\'0 111 1111. We IIIOVC in lik(-' u cum · e ra 011 th€' back of t he head, and o nly t he n beyond it to the sellin g, wire rl'

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Il.a Still from JI'$IUI fllns/ SNpuslllr. 19i:t

296

M O VINO

11.4

PI CTU RE S

C . D . F RIEDRI C H ,

Tilt Cro&1 bll"u Ha/llr

the lighlllud the mist and the hill s may th cn never be viewed neutrally. The person's pr ivate " iew gelS hugely and perm8ncIltiy ill our way (11.5). Meanwh ile he docs not kn ow we look at. nil. He himse lf is not precise ly looking; often there is nothi ng LO see. But hi l!i expcri cllce-whntcvcr it is, aud it lIIust be illllc r-colors ours without his knowledge or in t.e ntion. The figure ill n picturesque la nd s(81)e, on t he olher hand , usunlly st/luds aside 8S if purpose ly appea ling' to our ga ze lind guid ing our unde rs tand ing, allowing us u s hare in hi l!l spprcciativc \'e rsioll of the view. Friedrich's figu re is lost in it, und fundam entally not inte rested in whut it looks like. ouly in what iii happe ning to him . Thi s is tUl extre me exalllple of the cinemat ic approach to laudscape. Instead of lutrsh rocks and cascades standing for hunuHl strife Ilncl risk, or brilliantly colored mead ows (or joy a nd peace, there is oftcn 8 lum inous ,'oid or a misty prospect in which a n unremarkabl e sca or field or mountain (orms a rather unfinished -looking setting. The hills and watcr and trees th emselves may form unbeaut ifu l, even awkward composi t ions. But th e

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. ) 11 on'(' rillg it liS 1111 immediat.e im· press ioll . The re is u very thin pllin!. film in fri ed rich's wo rks. co m billed with UII occuHionlllullcertnillty (llbo ut feet or ('lIrs or groups of Il' II\'sc rClIt.u res rei nforce Ih l' SClIse of mobile re sponsf'. both hi s ulld Ollrs. ins l('ilcl o f demanding IIny re\'erell ce for his visiblp cn'orts. And IIgllill tratl.'iIXlrf' "ry is 1111 ess(,lIli,, 1 part of Ih(' ('f· fe e l.. l he look of u whol e ull iw'rs(' he ld ill cxisten c l~ o nly by the tnut lind tinted screen,

298

M OV IN O

)'I C T U Ki-:S

F'ri cdrich insists on the co nccnlrntion of psyc hic utLention , 110 oth er kind. When he ehooses something objectivt"l:v spectacula r, like a chalk cliff or an ice field , its dramatic loo ks arc not emphasized by enthus ias t.ic bru s hstrokes alld II thentricnl presentation desi gned for ilnpnct; it s looks may in fact be so mewhat sobered. But he places and lights the phenomclloll for s low cOllt emplulion , often ce ntrally, so that the craggy s tone and t.he jugged ice mill' 1I0t si mply s it there and show off, but mu s t deve lop the kiml of humming, magnetic importance II(' al so givcs to naked brunches, n ruined a rch, Oat wat er, a mean s hed , or a fi shing boat. Fried r ich's basic Ils8umpti oll s wCl'e religi ous und specificall,Y Protes tant Christian, but his sense of the human pillee in th e un iverse seems larger than that. T he crosses Oil seashores and mOllutailitops , t hc loo ming bits of chu rch and abbey seem importll nt but also incidental. It. is alS if he thought Christianity was only a slUall device for organizing the huge spi ritual desi res that surge through human life, seek ing some righ t channel by ear· nes t ly co ntemplating t he often meager s um of what t here iii to sec. Friedrich is interested in the large dimens ions acquired by t he visible world when in th e presence of a large psychological eagerness. Man 's passage through his own individual li fe was an obvi ous theme for someone with su ch a questing dilSpositioll , and the sense of dea th as a fu r ther jou rney, even a desi rable one. Friedrich's works are full of such pro, gressions, or t he sugges tion of them; and th ey are rendered liS if the viewer, painter, lind subj ect were together eugaged in that same forward movement toward infillity. This is lome evc n if t he subject is not human. Th e great central tree or ship he often shows is a character, undertaking or lIudergoing some ordeal , and seemingly i'II m.otio", twisting, d r ifting, alwayg seeking; the very hillside floats up hope fully , 811 eager pilgrim following its t ide of visilant clouds. The lighting of t he A,bbey i ll lite Oal.: Wood or the Solitary Tree, IlS in many other Fri edrich landscapes, shows a foreground in shadow contrasted to a luminous d istance, no matter what else is in the pic ture-a p rocession of monks or a (amily, a s ingl e s hepherd or 8 single sail , some horses or some trees. The effect is oClight rising off the ea r t.h and drawing everything after it, whute\'er t.he t ime of night. or day (11 .6, 11.7). Friedrich represent.s th e t.ranscendental view oC the s ublime that was later to find suc h effec tive exponents in Amer ica. H e is all early example or a specific st rain in the development of Romanticism that insisted 011 the liberation of th e spiritual life from old forms of religious constriction, to can, cent rate on what Robert Rosenblum calls "the searc h Cor the sacr ed in the secu lar modern world." Rosenblum find s Friedrich '8 descendants among certain transcendental modern painters, such as Rothko. But the path Rosenblum traces leads away from the realism , even the mater ialism. that was

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M OV IN O

PI C TURES

css('ntial to Friedrich 's sty le of search. AC:luuiities recorded by t he mov ie camera, a ll th e other Imlld , cun offer n suilab le vehicl e for it. Friedric h' s s ketch es show Unit he pored on~ r the eXlle l look of a straw liulluonnet stuck 011 the end of a rai ling. or o f a wonuUl's empty houseslipper-lIot, 8S Van Gogh la ter did wilh hi s own s h(){'s, 1.0 COIIIIIH'II t. upon them in ex press ive paint. or to comment III 1l1I . but s imply to stare IlIId sta re, lUi at th e $ca or the sky. The Clllllcril, rat her than a ny Inte r school of paint ing. has s pecialized ill that spccinl kind of st.ure, which seems to can· sti t ut e a drich 's mllch more re· strained program for Ililturc, In clllssic pOI)u lnr n'lO"i es , bare branc hes and twilight s kies nnd 8 pebbly bench with n few bro ke n boards on it u rc made to look.t.he wily they rcnlly d o look; but the intens ity of th e human si tuatio n at thc mome nt, wh cther it 's on(' pe rson ' s inlier st.ut.e or a dramlilimong gel" eral people. gives t hem a I)rcgllulil charact e r, th e look of be ing heavy with meanings proj ected int.o them by hUIIIUII fallln gics and perplexit ies, This look is direc tly convcyed flrst by their vcry ex iste nce as produc ts of m oving light (that is, as movie·comera I)hc no rue nu) bu t also by their sligh tly stiff look. which reads IIhnost as self·consciollsness, Thi s pointedly sta rk tree echoes what we fec i; but it cnll IIctuaHy d o nothing except. keep rath er awk· wardly stand ing t here with it s bran chNi slicki ng Oll t. And that' s e nough . some how-just what we wlini. This is a quality vcry different from t hnt cOIl\'cyed by an expressive ex· aggeration or form , o r by excessivc HpCClncular effects , It is al so vcry d ir·

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M O VIN O

PI C T U R ES

11.8 S till (rom t: t'O ttgt/ i ttt', 1929

11.9 Still (rom TO/It SiJM:y t ,., 1938

Frir drir ll, SrhllJilld: :tl ell zl'I

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ferent from the look, common in pllill l inb~, of IltrilllSlllutN! impulsc toward visua l abstraction. of the art ist showi ng what great creati ng Art can do 1.0 • 'aturc, The followc rs o f J--' riedrich trucked by Hoscnb lum into the twen· tieth cen tu ry have obcyed that impu lse; but othe r fo ll owers. doubt lcss un· conscious ones, have bel'li t il{' makers IIlId photograph(' rs of lIatu ral movie·scencry in the c1uss ic Hollywood dllY~ , l.like BnICgel, Fried rich begHn his cU l'ec r ns all nrtis t in monochrome. H is firs t successes were smu ll scpia brush drawings, lind for -"CIlI'S he stated his disti nctive tilclll{'s ill tllll! limitt'd IlwdiulU , as wclllls in chalk, ink, and pencil , before moving on to oils. Later on, ill the paintings, he con· tinued and vnri cd th c austcrity he Imd nchien'd ill his curly, colorless views, often of no thing but empty sky und slIIooth SCll with II hazy sun or moon rising, and pcrhaps one or two IUIll I)ish offshore rocks, or of UIIC\'Cllt· I'ul fields and groups of dend trees. These lIluted grul)hic works havc a flilly cx peetunt look, the air of being settings for dlltrllct ers' responses, even when t here is nobody about. und the sc('ne is very dull. Th e lighti ng is doi ng most of the work. gi\'ing these Out phenolUe liu the power to sugges t Il long ing fo r d cliverlillce in riLe same wny that clllssic movie·seenery-pertincnt settings for cinematic drama, not beautiful 10· cales photog raphed fo r t heir own sa ke-suggests a longing for resolution. 1I0t resolution ilself. The sunset into which t he 100'ers ridc, the rond down which ChHplill Bnd Goddll rd wlllk nrc poignant because t hey s how, even at the \'ery cnd. t he sa llic I)u ll towa rd the still·unknown, toward something more, that t,he Illo\' ie itseir hus bee ll exerting. F"'iedrich could do it wit h 1111 uni ntcrestillg low Willi conillining Il half·opened gatc, or with til(' bluck en· trance into a wood just. aheud on the sunny path; Hnd like Chltplill, he could do it a ll ill black and wh ite (11. 10, 11. 11 ), Hi s settings are prepnred [O r the presence of pl ain churllct.ers. persons or a person, not for that of a puinler 01' u poet-I'or us, in facl, IlS direct par· t icipan ts in an emo ti onal sequcllce (llot as possi bl e nrt ists' models . or sym· pathe tic fellow painte rs). He oftclI l)U1S him seir illto t he picture, but not as a paint.er or an art is tically detached obsen'cr; and t he ol her figures, small 88 in Turner's works, lire also dH,vdrenrning und brooding Ilnd waiting, somet imes in pairs, but newr adm iring the spcc ifie belluty of the "if'w it· self. Th ere is IIlso no p rivllte Il rtislic sl nlggling ill pub lic, s uch liS Cezan ne underta kes. F ried rich pretends 1I0t to bp a crpa tive a r tist lit II I1- not. a ma ker and changer, nol {'\'en II sharp obsen'pr, ollly a cont emplator. The painter's hard work hilS becn ullob Ln lsivcly gOIl(, through. the tec hnical mastery is swallowed li p by thf' Iltmosphere; that is the Il!'t director's de· s ired effect. Fried rich is anoth er. like Rembra ndt ilnd GOYll, for whom there WIlS no

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b(>1 W('('II sIII8 11 graphic works lIud III rg(' pu illt i ngs . Il l'. too. shows

Ihlll for liIl' subj('cliw \' isiolillry. Ii~hl is so I)ri lllllry Ihut Iht' lII('diulII is UIWllYS "grllphic:' wlwlher it is black Illid whit€' or pnill1. ('0101' is 1'1II1)lo."NI liS

n 1!l('rVulll. 1101 IIc knowledgt·d liS a 111111011' 1', und 8ubjl'Chi IIr(' !lut rIInk('d 10

fit Ull idi'll of ils stllwriority. To show that

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wily its chiluginlllllllll{' of radiallc(' 1inls I Ill' soul. ,lIlei 1101 for !hl' !lloriolls t inls it I('nds ti1f' sk.\', II lillY ))(,lIc il drnwillii will s ullicl.". )loollliJ,!il t is II (n-

\'orile subjeci pllrtly b('1.:1I118(' it \(,lIds to bl('ue h 111(' color Ollt of flllllilillr Ihll1gS j lind ils ,'Xln'lI\(> {'lIlotiOIlIlI t'lT"cts, too, III lly iw COII\'('YNI 0 1111 ;';11111 11 sClli!' lind in Ilw lI1 os 1 ltLod!'st grllpilic IIwd l11, On till' ol h{'1' hUlld, tht, hrij!ht · g rC(,1I IIwlldow s it·t' piug ill Ihe uft(> rlloon light IIltty Iw brilliull liy puillied ill alit' \'{'I'SiO Il , ulld liS hrilliallll.\' draWl! ill st'p ill ill 111101111'1'; tit!' glittt,!, 01' t ht' SII II , II 1)I't'ciolis Ilnclll'llllSil'llt bl{'ssing', is thl' Sl.U U!' ill hoth , 1'111' doubl" \'il'w of F ri(,dricll's Iwo studio windows is /I cl'uciul ci ll('lIIl1lic work, /I pri \'lIl(' (,lIrly COllllnilllwllt 10 Ih (' porlru.\'ul or ium'r PI'O CI'S:O;, Th is puir or Sl'pill druwillg's. IWo rrulll(,s rrolll Oil£' film shot. WIlS dOli!' in 1805 but 1101 tWill ror ,'x ilihiliollunlil 18 1Z ; it was as if fo'r i{'drich wl'r(' Il/lUl,dlll! 011 to Ih{,1I1 ror his OWII COIII(>lIIphltioli. Th£'.\' uri' muolljl hi s 1II0si slnrlliu!! works, ull til£' lIIort' ror b£'ing so spllrl~, Ilicking tlrci\{'s or cross!'S. 1110011 ' lighl or SUUbl'lIllIS, lIIist. rocks. or Pl'OI)h', or UII.\' hinl or OCI'III1 ulld old tr{'l's (11.12.11.1:1). Whlll w(' hll\',' illsl!'ud is H 101lg' ga?!' 0111 Ilw wiudow durill!? working'

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hOlini . Il is II record nOljus Lof the simpl e rive r "iew uud its lHlre d omes t ic fram e, but of what the ga zer. pausing al hi s labors to s tare out , had on his mind . Oncc morc th ere is no demons tration of what glories a paint er can muke out of II mere glull ce II l lhe Freuci l d oo rs , such us Mutisse repellt ed ly gives. Nor is it u lour de fo rce of illusionism, su ch us certuill Dut ch painters lIl 11de. Th i.s is, rather, un establis hing s hot for a scene of IlI'ivnte meditat ion on 11 comm on enough th e lll e-I.h ~ pnssttgc or lime, lllld Ih(' re lation it, ha s to the hurnull sense of inwurd chungc, the signifi eullt pllssuge of un inner lire umid the neutrlll flow of e"ents. How ClllI II vi cw out th e window s how all thisT It is it film-milk er's question. To it modern movie-goer, ..'"' ri edrich·s pair of fram es s ugges ts that after we look for a whil(' ul til('se t.wo uninteres ting windows, 1\ perSall , whose head w(' s hull see from the back, will enter the rrume lin d begin to pace bet.ween th em in the dim room, stnriug firs t Ollt or one and then the other at the ligh t., unci allow li S to help him walch the cli151anl boats crossing the lirnited putch or Howing water, the rar clouds. the nearby mas t of t.he

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boat thal brushes so close. And us we wlltch him wut ching Ihem, we will gradually lind semi-co lisciously st'(' tltt! single kl'Y 01111 hook in tilt' Willi, the scissors 011 the other hook, lind th e cra mped refl ection of the top of the door and the top or hi s head in the d im litt1(' mirror fll cin g li S. Then we will gel it lind rcel ii- t he large nnd skyli l Olli eI' slren Ul , the small and dim inner t r ickle, th(' desire t.o unl ock and lII('rge, lh(' r(,llr or stasis and the hope in motio n, tlw certainty of dt'ath . All cucs about such understa nding arc bu r ied in ordilltlrilll'SS und lu cidi ty, percep tible only if the moving ca mera keeps insis tin g 011 this SLC11d,v d ouble view. The pres· ellce of the implied man or woman is not c \' ell necessa ry, Fri edrich is yelallother of those url ists who li se modis h cloth in g to link the fleeting visual world with n conditio n of inlier longillg in th e ci nematic way. Almos t all his clmracters wear slUl rply co nl empora ry midd le-class tOWI1 dress, except for the odd monk or hunter, or thE' men in all egedly Old Germ an costume who huve caused so mu ch CO lUment. Their e8ps and cloaks, always seen from the back, are more lik e refer(,ll ccs to the general

308

MOVINO

PI CTUR ..;S

Romantic habit of tUlley-dress, which was U11 uspecL of (tlshion III the lillle, thall direct statements of alliance with "olden-cluys" sentiment. The garme nts a re in fa ct more li ke cOllvcnliollu l student gll. rb (crossE'd with a suggestion of a r tists' truppin g's) thnn they lire like the rcal Old Germull costumes the archaizill g NIIZllrenes took up. Fri ed r ic h sometimes wOI'e t1 cup und cape himself, just us Rembrandt d id , and p('riUtpS evell because

Rembrandt did, in sympat hy with the idea of t he solitary artist as the stand·i n for th e single consc iousness-th e respond in g MUll , IIC\'c r the shaping and mediating' God. Th e figures wearing them ill hi s paintings stand for himself and a fri end or disciple, s hown in u moment of pri vat.e receptivitYi and euc h seems much more n humbl e stud ent than Illllngisterilli artis t. Most Friedrich personnel wcar modcrn fashionable clothes, just like movie actors, so thut wc Call be sure to ide ntify with their feelings. The women es pec ially (also just us in lIIovies) wear thei r fnshionnble shapes of s ki rt and hair and ornament as imicparablc indicnt ions of the ir e motiona l selves, the signs of present desire and illstant psychologicnl reudiness. They look absurd 011 1II01ll1tnil1l0pS; but somehow right. lE D RI C Ii was fSJuoliS aud influ cntilll in his timc and lind II loug career, Ilssociuted primllrily with the city of Dresde n and its AClldcmy. In generlll he re presellts Ii Germnn way of b('illg an nrlist during the Romantic pe ri od . scn ting a midd le-cluss und iutellccllinl publ ic und leading u middleeluss towllli fe. H is trllvcls werc modest journeys to und froUl hi s c hildh ood and family homes or to !;cenic part s of GerlllnllY . He never weJlt.l.o Italy or France, or eve n 'witze rlalld , and nrt istienlly Il nd personally remu incd a loeal phenomellon. He made no artist ic pilgrilllilges to famolls ce nl ('rs of ant iqu e glory or advllllced modern "Clivily. aud c rellted all hi s innovations in the abse nce of UII artistic avall t-garde. Fri edrich was 1I0t aiming the message of his urt ut lik('-m indcd nrtists and connoisseu rs, eithc r of his t ime or in the possible flltllrl~ . oV(' r the heHds or ordinary and pre.sumab ly un cuit ivut.f'd people. li e Willi COli sc ioli sly and conscientiously se n 'ing a present pub lic, eve n whil e e mbedding privilt c fan tasies in his pn inti llgs. The public ill t ile s Jllil llllUtouomous c it ies and tow ns of not yet unifi ed Romantic Ge rmuny in fact took it s('lf se riou.sly und fostered an interest in the kind of picture t hllt did more t hltn cntertui n, Besides the acndemies of urt lind lellrn iu g in th e Jllrger c it ies, smltll civic art·socie ties collect ively commissioned works tlnd set up competitions. Th e a rts were not. t he exclusive prope rty e ither of princes in courts or of art istic eote r ic.s in a large cllpit.al; and a r t patroulIgc wns ull connected with either kin d of exclusive prestige. Art ists from elsewhere and ('\'('n various 1I 0b ie patrons cventulllly visited F R

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Fried rich , li nd li te l'u ry W'oplC' and t hi nkers from Be rlin , We illlar, und J ellu wrol e llbollt. him: bllt his pict II r{'s, I ike t hosc of 0 1 hf'r G (' 1"1111111 pai III ers, were s lraigilt fOl'WllJ'd cO lillnodi t..it's provided for cllrre nt. CIiSt Otn(','S, sO lllew hllt in the o ld Nort h Eu ropentl c rllft trad il ion wh ich hnd slipport.('d Dut c h pu intf'r8 in the SC\'f'ntee llt h cen tury-who of COllrsf' in fl uc nced these Gc r ' nUll! Ro mantics , CO ll sequ cnt ly, t iL(,LI' s t yl(' lind s ubjf'c i IIlntl.('r re mained for the IlI Os t purl II ttUIiN ll O /I g{' lwnli hourg('ois tnst{' , HlIfll C'l1(ll'd II0t 10 he ('solerie , exclusive , or fouuded 011 II classicul id eal: lind illi hul WilY, 100, mllch ROnla lltie G{,I'mnn a l't pr{'figurNl l he Cill(' lll l\. But it is the ncl u al "isllul q ual ity Llmt is si llli ln r, 1101 th (' ci rcmn slllllces. Aft e r the IIl1s terp s pit'jlllill visio ns or F'ri('(h 'ic h 1111(1 h is fri('lIds Cunls IlIId Dahl, und the mor{' ll\'OWNlly Du t.eh-i lls p il·(>(1 illtf' ri Ol'8 o f Kers t in g, clime th e 1I10re iliu sl 1'8ti\'i' wOl'ks of Schwi nd siglli:' rs . PU ill l illgs ill fllct gu\'c th em th e CIUIII C(, to c rl'lI\(' 1I10\'il' 5 1~ t S, us it weI'(> , to li se tite charged ut lll os phe re IIIl.1t1t> possi bh' by cllIoli omti lighl ing 10 bell ('I' e ffec t than the s tnge would u llow , 10 1I1l1ke 111 01'(' (,lIguifing dl'lll/lit oul or StO IlC WlIlls, s nOW- llldl"ll pill('ii, or Gothic traCt'l'y ou tl ill('d Il ~llin S I It setli llg sun tlum could npl)eu r in llily th{'ull'r of IiiI' liJllf" (S('(' I .f;). Mea nwh ile Sc hwind's The Morl/illY lIour, (01' ('''lIlI1p lf', o fTl'rs tI s lUu ll persollil l sce lle with a mu ch 1II0 l'j' inc idl'lIllIllI lld i'lI inlly comic flit vor t l1l.l11 "~ ri ed r ich's buck \';ews , e\'CII ",hilt.' il r('l ies 011 h is 1Uf' lhods (1 1.14), The se t

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3 10

M OV I NO

11 . 1-1

M OR ITZ

PI C T U RE S

VOS 8C IIWI S I).

TIt f' M O,.lI i ll g IlQIC,.

dressi ng in this little scene is ugnin reuler thun reu l, LOO good LO be lnle; but. it is ulso wushcd wilh lIIoving lIirllnd light und frUined as if scunned by cinenultog ruphy, not. fixed by u s ti ll shot or pa inted to s how on' u ski ll at charmi ug deta il. The efTec t is very satisfyi ng. Everything we WHllt in such a young girl's bedroom at such II momeu l is exuetly right, lind yet it see ms perfectly casual sud in a sCII~e throwli Ilway-the ca mcrn is 1II0ving' in OU her, there wi ll be a cut lO her fa ce. the sc(' ne will beg ill to develop. BUI we have absorbed her lill ie slippers and the s hoved-back covers, th e si mple sewi ng tabl e; we feel her li ttle lJare feel 011 the wooden floor, sco rning the slippers in eugeruess to Ict. in the light that s t ill pushes IIgainsl the left.hand blind. She ignores the mirror for t he window-a si mple girl, hundy with her needle, fu ll of en thusiasm , de\'oid of \'unity-we get it a lm ost without see ing il. In s t,ead we wlllch her lind feel like smi ling, lIlId applying t he adj ecti \'e "little" to e\'c ryt hing about her. Th e buck lighting in this sUlall domestic Jl1l intin g does the sllmc work it d oes in the trllnscendent ou tdoo r scenes of lII' sand Sehwilld' s WIly of eou\"pyilll; hlllllor and SCI/ l imen\, in llIod{'rn dOIll{'Slic dralll8 is IIOt witll a glossy alTay of stagy gcstures or brolld cnricllt urillg, but only by putt ing u buckgrouud co nditio n of delicious popular (!lutusy into 1\ vc ry sl'riou s ~orlllerll rcndering of IIlltural app('arances, the kind thut IIl1tk cs tht' pnil1ler se(' m to disappear, 'I'll(' faint blurring o f edges lu'r(' ngu ilt indica ll'S II\(' nutllrnl movelll('nt of brcath, the fli cke r of I.lctualey('s. The girl's l)c rfcCI figure. pel'fect IlIIir, und pt'rfccl lredroom ill the Schwi nd a re ('choed ill SC~II('S from movies like JAIII'l" for eXMlllple , where Gene 'I'ierllcy's perfect huil', figul'(" lind bedl'oom are phologrnphcd in li\'c motion, so wc eMil sec t he.'" nre IIctuol, ('\"CI\ while we kilO\\" Ihey urf' drt'lI lII ' fa ctory products, 1111 nrt di rector's e!lreful work. We know it. but w(' d on' t see il; what. we see is Laura s peaking ilnd moving; her pel'fectiolls, Il rrnnged and lighted to bc SC('II by Ihal 1Il0\'illg cillllern, make her bOlh alive and II dream , Schwi nd sets up his IIlliid eli ill the slime Wily. In the first half of the Ilinel l'enth cenl ul')' t he Germans wel'e lrt:'st at thi8 kind of thing in pa int ing, beclluse they hlld the mosl dil'ect IIccess to the old Nort hel'n tradition. HOIlUlJllicislll eould OPC I'lIt(' ill gelll'e tCI'IIlS, notjusl 1"01" the forlllu iliti on of hcroic or exutic new visio ns such liS Dc lllcroix ""liS crellting ill }o""rI.lnce, 1'he GCI'UlIlli ROIIIIUlt ic emphllsis on fo lk t.ll ies liS II fOll ndation for se rious IIrt gave lIlo\'ielike scope to s imple stories, Ilud I's)>ecia lly to fragm e nts of possible stories not fully told. Genre themes wer(' giv(,11 II lightly fairy-tllic c haracter, that flllltliSY fllI\"or which lJIu kes lIIo\' ies so compell ing, For subj ect lUitll er, a whole world of nillicled or frustraled lo\'crs, highwllyme n, ghostly appcarIlIlC('S, poor s illdelit s. wicked ILlIlLtslllen , lionest woodclltters , mysterious monks , lind she lt ered princesscs could be set

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ll QV I NG

"I CTU R ES

fortll,nrl'll llged, Hlld rClirranged in Illltu ril listic t.eI'lIlS , without I'efe re nce to s pec ific lil('rllrY SO llrce~, Tlles(' ;'dr('tl Ill S o f II p eopl e," 8S Novn li l; (:11 11(' d thc m, Wcre,llS th(~ movics IIIH'e bN?1I fo r u s, the condui ts of th e irrill iollu l, o f uncon sciolls wi sh, T o fll1l Clio ll liS slIch, they did not hnve to mllke lise of Dllnte or S hllkcsp cnre or Kellt s Or ')'(,IIUYSO II, liS so lIH1 ch Englis h ROlll lllltic ilrt. did , III O errnull Ro· II1l1lltic pil intilil-t, fa llhlsY' lI nllinl1ce, es pccinlly illiheir ell' gruved lind l>llb lished version". F a mous sccnes rrolll t helltricnllite rntllre w('re dC I)icted by pain ters , nud t he paintings w('r(' subs('quc lltly eugra\,('d; bUI in ndd ition, rOllllllltic situalioll s ill modern lire we re in \'(,lI led especia lly ror t h(,llt ric.u l rendering in pai l'll. liS ir t hey were sce lles rrom Shllk('s l)(>lI rc. Abruhllm Solomon's Wait· j!lf} for tlu: V",.dicl. ror eXlIlllpl .. , 1\ lIurl'uliw picture bllsed 0 11 11 0 knowll st.OI'Y, had more thull olle pIny writt('11 ('sp('cill11y 10 go with it (12.1). In s u ch

c

326

M O VIN G

12 . 1

I' I C T U R ES

A8 H AIIAM 80 L O )l ON,

I\'ai/ ilfy/or lhr

I'c r el ir!

plays . pr('violl s SC£'IH!S led 1I1) 10 the drallltttic grouping arranged by the arl · ist IIl1d IIlItdr fll1l10llS by the e ngraved vcrs ion of the painling; and so the picture tnnw 10 lIew life on th e sluge. BUI its initinluppcul was 88 tl s t ill illlllge, not liS II frllglll (,lIt of drll1ll81ic Ilclion ill process. S hlikeS I)CarCnn mome nt s del)icted in popuinr l)lIint illgs were likewi sl' rendered as still tablellux whe n they we rl' referred to ill pro· ducti on, with the IIClioli Illome ntnrily frozen so Ihut e"eryone could recog· nize the source and e njoy th e s kill in it s rea lizlltio ll ; it was tl mome nt for apphw se. Engrllvillgs might. also b(' publ ished s howing moments from s tage produ ct io lls Ihat hnd 11 0 pi painterly antecedents-in Tin· toreLlo and Veronese, or Haphaeiaud Gu ido Rcui-to s uppo rt the uuthen· ticity of the arti s t's wlcnt and the high le\'e! of hi s training. Thes(' would register with th e picture·vi ewing public alld furt her ce rt iry the scene in t he picture us worthy or portrnyul. As "mod('rn li rc" illcrellsi ngly beclllllc It prope r subject (or Engii!o;h pllintings, not j us I for graphic reportuge and magaz ine illustruti on, Victorian pllinters had to kce p t heir etl'orts distinct rroUl cruder pictoriul associations, es pcc iully when d('ul ing se riously with such flaming subjec t-s as aduit.(,[,y und prost itution Or gros!; satinl inju stice. If a I)ainting s lllllckcd 1.00 much of sc nSlllionnl jOllrnllli~1Il or ciJ('up por· nography in its very forlll , th(> subj!'ct, could see m debused, not illuminated . A t.awdry modern seduction painted with Titianc!;qllc ricilllcss. the sorry modern poor made to rescmble Murill o's beggars , or th!' lUoderll rakc and gambler rendered in the HognrthiulIlIllillner Illude Ihe painter see m rree of prurience 8S he present ed such topics dressed in their art.istic best for public gaze, Before about 1880, the t'(!SIlIt wus a S('(III('nce of unredecmably "arti s tic" paintings of ordinury lire, d eliberat ely made more relUllrkable and at the same time more emotionally Ili'utru l by th eir allusions 10 th e lllost august t.raditions of art. Black·and-whit.l' ('- Itgravings made from Ihem naturally had a somew hat cincmut ic character, with a larger ca pacity to in· sist only 0 11 the subject lmd engage directly with the \'iewer's reelings, rather than arousing his Ildmiration. Undoubtedly some of tlw t heatrical renditions or thCIll did , too, In the t.heater there wer(' ortell tcch nicn ll y arrnllgcd ocea n WII\'eS, lightning fla s hes, or riscs Ilild coll apses of structurcs ill th e J oh n .:'IIartin s ty le to enlivcn Ktagc pageant ry. and cutoutK of horses Ihal cou ld be mllde to race in the distance. or of t ra ins. ca r ril1ges, und s hi ps thnt could move 011 and off the stage, just ali they aPJl('srcd to do ill thl' pilint ings (rom which the set. had derived. Such arrangcmcnts ga\'c ullimutiolilO pictorial stage seltings, but they also helped to gi\'(' the illu sion of life thaI was lucking iu the puilltings themseh'es, It is ill part thllt very luck t hnt Iny behiud the need to write plays " lead ing up" to the pictures; the public liked thc pain tings better after they IUld been given the rough immediucy lllld ps,\'choiogicli l und('rpinnings of a stage \'e rsion, howc"er optically awkwnrd or slightly inaccu·

c

,

330

lt O VING

PI C T U R ..;S

rate it 1118), have been-perhaps even because of th e IIwkwurdncss, which is more like rcul life. The Pre- RHphaclites, lUi their ntun e s ha wd, were tryin g to get away from the lighted -stage-wit h-w8,xwork·figures school of history painting, or its equivale nt in the pa inting of mode rn lifc . They favored some recognition in painting of the actual s tream of experie nce, rathe r thull th(' image of II t er rific moment, fix ed for n spectator's pleasure. And they mude great, strides toward 8 liberated and cincHilltic rcucier ing of bodi es und fucitli expres· sions. because they were working not just in imitation of very early Renai ssance models in preference to High Renaissance staginess, but in repudiation of th e curren t theatrien lized taste ill urI. Millais was the mos t cinematic painter among the Pre-Raphae lites, partly because his renlis lIl has so me of the contingent flavor of the enrly Flemish pa intings. His methods contra st with the Wtly IWsseu i, Holmun Hunt , and Sume-J ones tended to imitate t he harmoni ous lincur beml ly and theatrical compositions of Ital ian art. Millais was conce rned with the power of color, like all th e Prc- Raphaelites, but it is the li ght ill Autumn Lea ves or in his late r version of Kents' Eve of SI. Agnes, for exampl e. th at makes the picture haunting. Millais also used individulil llIodels without reducing them to one type, lind so his best puintings s till breat he and move, while Rossetti's and BurIlP-J oncs' look embulmed in th eir idi om. Arthur Hugh es made si milarly mobile and 1Il0\'in g picturc8 in fused with light and feeling- both he and Millli is had all exeellellt grip 0 11 how to rende r the progress of personal drama cOllv illci ngly. rat her than how to freeze symbolic acti on (12 .4). The problem with lIIost Pre- Ruphael itc pain t.ing was in the esthetic us well as practical moral imperative beh ind it a ll. Ideology ruins these works in so me way, as it also makes them fas cinating to present-day eyes. Be cause Pre- Raphaelite artists wis hed to avoid the cheap impact sought. by the labl enu -mongers of th e date, they unFortulUlt ely nl so sac rificed certllin basic pic torial virtues. 'rhe mHin good thipg 1.0 go was bcli c\'llble lighting, which was considered suspect, Illnnipulative. and s tab~' _ As n result, PreRaphaelite paintings llsuully ha\'e 11 uniform colored surface, with delicate mode ling 8nd no c hiaroscuro, th e look of many fn lits presen 'cd in aspic, or of a nlg or mosaic, This quality lIIay proudly refer 1.0 honest medieval practice before t he late- Re na issunce inst.i tut ion of coercive dralllatic devices , and it certnilily keeps the pic tures well away from the look of tableaux viva.lli s and populur stage effec ts; but it also keeps them from looking c red ible. Again, it keeps th em very obvious ly ar/istic. In many pHintings by Mi llais and Hol man HUllt and }"'ord ~lad o x Brown, lhe bodi es and faces the m-

( "lpYriOh

Ie'" I

12...1

AHTII U ft II U(l II

t:s.

rh l' f;'·l'oIS/ .fl yll r~

selw's do have II r("freshingly gaugly and lI11tllmllook. eS IH'cially when t hf' faces arc intf'nded to cxpr('ss n stal f' of cOlltilluing cllUnge rlltliel' Ihan o ne straight reaction . 811d the limbs nre gi\,f'lIthe slightly j umbl ed qUlllit,\' thnt no rmally info rms mHch inwn I'd IIWllreIlC!jS o f Ihe physiclli s(' If III cnICinl mo·

ments. Th e Pre · Raphllelite painters studied tht' FI(>lIIish pninl(>rs of Ihe fif· teenth ccn lury as wcHus tllf' i talilllls, Il lld Ilpp r('citllNlllw f'XI)l'('ssi\'c \'llhu' of bodily disequilibrium ill pictul'es. But th e despcrllte nced for Ihl' pninler 10 ilppl'ar as n lurg(' aclor ill ('vcry

painting is fntailo their effect. We g'e1.1I0 dirl'cl access 10 the (,Wilt. sHeh liS Vermee r lets us han'; thl' Ilrlis l insisls 011 exp laining IIle poilll of the pic· ture while we look III it. lind so w(' Cllllllot tnkP possession of wlull is Imp· pening ourscl\'CJi. Like us 1I 0t. Ihe thill~ hus ('''ell been enciosl'd ill II didactic, morlll·looking fram e with It SIIIWl'scription. II d('\'ic(' r('semb ling t he enlrullce to

II

privlltf' insli tlil ioll with I'('iigiolls nfli liut iolls, where we

ca liliot visil without n guide. P l!.intings such as 1,"ork. fo r ('xlH llpl('. or Tlt e I,(, .~I of Ellglul/d. o r Th e /l ire·

litlg S hepherd, or Th e Siladoll) of Dwlh nr(' nppnl'l'ntly 1101 r('rSOIl, ('ilh£'r ill till' IlSSIIIII('d ull l iqu(' 1'01(' IlIuOlIg III€' IIInrl)l(' s lnh.s 01' in th(' IIIo d('rll 0 11(' 011 th(' st ud io 1>('(II'slnl; ilud so W(' CltIlIIOI ClIl'r milch /lb01l1 t ll('111 ('i l hl'l', und find IIII'm flll1o;(' ulld s illy, Bu t All1l1l·Taclt' lILa lIad III1UIg'lIific('lIt pow('r of\'islIlll izlltioll qllit{' free of s1nJ!{' Iwhits; III1fI his arrall(!rllLC'Hts for rrllllliug his :lucienl scr ll{,S IUl\'(' r{,111 1Il0\'j(' ·calll('ril fr~l'llolll, which is wdl (,1I1111T1C('d by his 8kill in Ihr rrlHi(,l'ing of slIl'fIlC('s-ful', wrl 1I1 0Sllic. sunlit W/I\('I', Ulle! mil('s of IIIl1l'bl(', 11 (' Pili 1o;ucll CI1\'irollllll'lItS illto 1II0tion, ('\'(,11 if ht' had 11 0 8(,IIS(' o f how to lIlobili?l' a hUIlIHn si t uation, And II(' WIIS II d('\'ot('d l.lntiqllllriu ll bt·sidt·s. so IIUlt tl1 (' "('Il'rcls" h r produc('(1 Wf'I'(> th~' I'Nml 1 1101 or scramhlNI hisl.OI',\' wOl'king 011 the beho l d~r's fu 7. zy pictol'iul 1IIf'IlI01'y but or 1'l'111Iighl , ui r , and ulIg\('s of vision IlIIilllllt iug' pt'l'f('ct 1'('conSll'lIctiollS, I n ' jng (, lIlpio,\'NI him, bil l Oftf'1I ignored him, TIl(> IIItllt'rili l in his pa intings, with all its op licil l uuthcnlicit,\', now look1o; wond€'I'ful ill Ih(' 1II0\'if'8 , wherr il is tempting to think II(' nwunt il 10 go , It was largely ulilisabl(' 011 th(' SIUgl' und has 1101 tasted in art; but ill films, l'n\'ironm f' lIts such as Il(' crf'UINI CUll b(' brollj!'ht (0 wondrolls life by C harlt 01l 11('stoll /llid AIlIl(' Bllxtel' instead or b('ing inhllbilNI by borNI and bo r i1lg'IHnnteurs,

336

M OV I NG

f'I CTU RE S

Mcauwhile staged and painterly I)ainl ings or legend suc h a8 those of Lord Leighton were giving way to the undramatic alld unspecific dr8ped visions or Albert Moore and to the tn81lllered lind s trallb"'C concoc tioll s of the later Burne-Joncs; and rull ·8cale realistically concei\'cd legendary \'i· sion in Engli sh art c\'entliaHy ceased altogether, leaving the field to the kind of treatment given it by Redoll and other Fren ch and Belgitlll Symbol· ists, English straight. drtulla abandoned spectacular kinds or detailed and elaborate his lOricalsctting in ravor or simplicity and suggest ion, the better to emphasize the l)Ower or the word . Bu t. the opera, in Englund and c\'er)'wh ere else, conti nued and continues Lo usc them to this day a8 a filLing lICcornpauimentLo the most ext reme projects or music's em l}ire. Victorian illustrators. on the other hand , had all along been making so me effort to visualize realistic fi ction in the cine mntic lind not the puinterly or stugclikc style, Illust rators had to show a story in progress ill such a way that the plot WllS never givellaway in advance by too much visual inrormation , but al!;o see to il that lhe characters, along wilh their interaction and ilS surroundings, were given looks ill kec ping with t he nuthor's style and plan , even when he had not specified them. The matter or molioll, im· possib le to the thenter-the important sense IIOt only or the scene's action but of the viewe r 's particil)atory approaches and retreats and shirts or atte ntion and IlSsoeiation-wllS well COllsideN'd by Browne tind his laler colleagues. jusla8 it was gradually becoming a more potent element in fiction itsc lr-the effect or montage. Instead or the arbitrary rnune thal cine matic painters knew how to apply but thal theatrical pa inters avoided, the greut British illustratorti, like Menzel, often went further and used no rrllme at nIl-a device lhat keeps the action rrom rreezillg. Thei r scenes Ooat on the printed page in a void, ill which the viewer also f1 0IltS, eit he r close at hand or nt a fly,oll·the·wnl! point or vantage that. literar); fi ction itsclr was now Illuking possib le, ""or the S he r lock Hol mes s tories, ror eXlIrn ple, Sid ney Paget.'i:! t.urn-or-t.hece ntury illustratiolls s how their debt 10 Browne alld Mi lh,is (12. 7). The pic· tures a re dralllntica))y lighted and rl l11 or enough nctioll to c reate suspense rath er lh811 reveal solution!;. Paget provides ee rtain details specified by the author and invents olhe rs to ha rmonize wilh th em, und cach picture is given a8 olle rrame rrolll a conti nuou s nurruti\,c viewed rrom different angles and disL8l1ces, The rralUe is someli mes absent or more orten I)arliul, leaving olle side or th(' bottom edge OI)Cn to suggest fluid mo\'elnent ill and out or the del)icted moment. In this illustrati\'e tradition eve n the most. SUllIlltuouS setlings are or· fered in lermli or 8uggelitioll. a mailer or utmoSI}here, a8 in Turner aud Goya, except (or what is immediately pertinent, Menzel waS the first to use

1 ~" 7

8 I D S !.!Y I'A OV.T , " I(t' ully , li ir , t h ili ili li ' "t'r)'

t'x tnto rd ill8 ry tlU Nll io ll ."' Ill u s t r ll t ioll fo r ('0111111

l)oyh' lI Tit ,. IIQfwd /.If lit ,. 1I(l81;,. r l' ''''''II, 1!)O:!

this pic tor ial d e\" ice ro r s t rll ight biogra l)hy. 10 illu s lrll lP U Il(' ro's his tory di rectly , as if it werc 1\ SN o f ('\'('lI ls pC' rsollully I)(' rce pt ihl(' to unyOIl(' in te rms of ordi mu"y expe ri ellce, Ilnd rrep I'rOIll rt' rPI'('nc(' to old he roic d e pic tio ns , even t he re fe rc nce illl pl it-d Ity e llc los in g ('nch pie tu rp ill fo ur s ides , S ueh freed om. liS Ih(' lIIo\' ie cUllle ra hns Iw e ll s howi ll J! all th is l illie si nce, is alwllYs u mutter of esellpt' frolll th l' fix ed frulliing IIlid s tnge li g h tin g Ihnt mos t 1)a.il1te rs Ulld lIe lOn. lIsN I to ugr{'(' lool\('d ri ght. Bul it is lli so n IIHIU (' r of eSC8pc fro m eo nvcnlio nn l u rl is lic pl'e,~/i!J('. l iI p II IICil' IIt Ileed to refer to Ve ronesc and company. Hefel'l'lIces in s tea d ilre Obliqu e ly lIlad e 10 the mu ch less color flll No r thern puillt r rly IIlId grup hic tra di t io ns. lhose or Hem .. b randt and co mpn uy, whic h had d cnlt ill SlIbj CC l i\' ity li nd ha d g i\fen up public heroim, in ravor o f s howillg how t hin gs mu st have scemed to illd ividual s a t t he t ime. S Ollie Brit ish pa illlers took up tiL is ditTere nt c hnll ellJ!c ill the late nine tecll th ce ntury. c hie fl y for d ea ling with lIIod(' rli lir(' rnlll ('r thlln s luged history or legend , The Grapll i c, fou nded ill 1869, Wtl S II IIUl gU 7. illl' s pr c inli7. in g ill c urr('111 aIT8irs co mple te with ilccompllllyi llj:C pic tures, IIlId 100111(' o r til r bluck .. a lld .. white u rt is ts working for il Intl'r Illude pa int ings buspd 011 Itw ir III llgu zi ne illu s tratio ns , S uch fI proc('ss. t hl' r('w rslil o f t h(' uSllul urrllllgclIIPlI 1 t hul

338

MOVING

PICTURES

caused original paintings to be rep roduced in black and while, is signifi caul. "Rell.lism'· wus 8 new goul for paiuting, alrcudy in full pursuit by French painte rs like Com-bet, and generally del}Cndcllt on the old associa· tion of harsh subject Illaller with the SUPI)ressioli of color. B('fore Tlte Graphic, the re had been a grcaL dea l of topicili English journalism illustrated with grim or comic black-nod-white pictures: unci engravings wc rc generally bel ieved to convey prob lematic subject!; with grellter ease than paintings. But even morc significantly, the cumern was in existe nce by thi s lime, making its inexorable aud colorless point about light and optical reality. Photography, unredeemably "graphic" in its bas ic character as recorder and reproducer of ph enomella, could not hell) contributing to all pa inters' sense of truth-tell ing, even if they ignored it s d irect, influence . It also r{'\'ital ized the sense of possibility in graphic and "graphic" art, to remind artists of the colorless chiaroscuro ellll>loyed ill the inler{'st of realism by some of thei r greatest painterly forerunners. And so the gr immer th e nSI)ects or "modern life" that British I>ai llters were willing to t.ackle dS the CClltliry ndvanced, the mOre they depended on monoc hrome graphic rather than colorful paillterly convent.ions ror muking them effective, kcel>ing thcm from bei ng beautiful and insis ting on their truth . Meise l lidS eompdred Waiting lor lite Vuclict, pnillted in 185i, with anothe r prison picture Newgale: Committed lor Trial of 1878, paillted by Frank Holi. who was one or th e illustrators for 7'he Graphic (12.8) . 'r his later image of u povert.y-ridden family split apart by the law and thc police has none of the high-minded SInged pathos of the first. lind likewise nonc of its allusions to Poussin . Twen ty yeans ha\'c chnnged the forllllli r('fe rence to t.hat of a photo-graphic und grllpliic lIIode of presenting hursh fll Ct8, with refe re nces to Goyu and the possible future of the camera instead of to Ihe classic tragedians of painting. Not just the lighting and uneasy framing but t.he umbiguity of the content, the IIl1 ce rtain fac es lind pos tures an d relationships or th e l>el"8ollnel, show th e artist's aim to find a new right s tyle for rendering a specific but t.liNicult s ituation. someth in g messy and full of unclear co nflict at 8 moment of IUux immn difficulty. It has a news-phot.o look . with nothillg harmoni zed accord ing to ciassicili priHci pl es. cven thc hUlllali relations. The painting ulso looks buck to ?..tfmzel's proph etic illtHiors or the mid1840's, despite t.h e great diffe rence ill the pictured milieu. Wh eth er the scene is middle-class and co mforutblc or working-c lass Ilnd mise rable, the imagery of tellse I;ubjecti\'e attention hilS the 8nme fla\'or. T Ill' Holl l>ai l1 t· ing a lso resembles J."'rallk Bramley's A Hopeless DawlI, with its mueh lIIore explicit and intimate drama (12.9); Caillebol.le's Floor 'crapers with its

, " d

1 2.8

,.· R .... NK II O I. L .

,\'(,It'gate: COII/"" tI('d for Tril"

se ns it.i" e refere nce to mode rn labor without uny olhe r tnle to tell (1 2. 10): and Lovis Cor inth 's Salome (12 .11 ), it s hockingly graphic GcrnUilllllls wcr to the elegant English sc hool of mythic rend iti on. Whe ther the theme is modern genre, the l)redic8l11cllts of the urbllllllnd nlrul poor, 01' an cif'lIt leg· elld , the cinematic eye regurds it. willi Iltlellti oll to the lII o,'elUeli t of ('motin' poss ibility, the s hifting as pec t of things thut co nj u res associntions ttlld II s hifl o( (ec ling, th e strange s ha~s reali ty Lukes under the light. P ictures in th is vein ill th c la te lIille teenth ce ntury s hure a n eru ot io llul cas t , IHI appeil ito e mpttlhy, UII elllotioliul proj ecti on conjured lIIuin ly by th e sovereignt y o( light ove r design lind th e (,0 1l8C(llIelll pull 011 th e feelings. The momentary g lillll)SC o( UII eve nt, lrivilll Or 1I0t, that hil S unkllowllunt e· cede nts alld unknownble results is Ull old t heme in ur i: bu t Ihe the me becomes purl o( n mo\'i elike effec t in s lic h 11 pietur{' , tJeeuuse it seems to contain nol just events we cannot know ubout. bUI l)re"ioliS or rutur{' e motional slates we eUliliol kn ow about eithe r, ll cont inuum not just of {'xt erna l action but or living that seellls to includl' lUi.

340

M OVINO

12 .9

12 . 10

,,' RASK

PI C T U RES

8RAMLEY, A 1/0pt.fUS IJIItOIl

GUSTAV ": C AI I. I. EH O TT":,

Tlt l' f "/oor-Sl'r"II/HrS

12 . 11

I.OVI8 C ORISTII, Sa lom"

All sor ts or s mull yisllul de tu il bt'colIIl' CIUII'gNI with I}()lt'ntill l meaning, 8S they UIWllYS d o ill utten tive fIIom ents. so thc rc is 110 need to give rxtrn noticenbility Lo Ilnythillg burdelled wilh obv ious signi ficllllce. On the CO il ' Irllry. the irreie\'lInt object takes it on. Cai ll ebott(, 's fl oor sc rnpers 1111\'(' no anecdotal c1uims to onr sympathy, unlike l'loll' s ca st of chllrllcl.ers; but t he paint ing, with it s light ed patch of em pty floor lind it s unselfcO Il!lciolis stnaggling figures , hus tltl' ~m lU c Ilb ilit y to ,vi(' ld pillhos withou t set'mi nK to try; and part of the pnlh os conll'S from t he s hllrp t ra ce ry of th e ironwork in th e window, which IU\f; nothing to do with IIl1y th ilig excep t our eyes, lind with our present ilUl\giliutioll ubou t life lin d wor k und Ih(' beuuly of fl oors and rai lings. The associntioll s urc oursj th e pllinlcr docs 1I0t point to them. The emotionul churge of ordi ll il ry phcnom clHl hnd b('cn a conce rn or Turner 's in the first I)Ur\. of the century, Ilnci Ilit er En gli s h pllinters "gain took up th e theme ill terms of Inndscnpe itself. Th e lIew grll l)h ic rC'u lis lII of feeli ng demunded more ntt ellt ioll ill art Lhall just what could be given to

I

342

M OV I NG

I' I C T U R ES

modern hu mun situa tions, wret ched or privileged. Th e sInge of life hns many kinels of peop le Oil it; but the sc reen of life has much mOre tilan peo· pie. BOlh 1\lrner and F riedrich hnd long before es tablished 8 \Oocabulary of light und motion ill pa in t to deul with the woy e"erythi ng e lse all the sc reen besides hUlnul11i CUll seem to fill with hU lIIll n s ig nificallce, even i f it Iuts nOne itsel f. Th e lIew C811lCrn gave urtis ts 1I1 0rc scope lind 8 new vocnbul a ry fo r t he same kind of in vestigat ion illto wllys of c renting drUlllu without a necdote, declamation, or pnnlomirne. To do t hi s it WIIS IIccessury at the time, howeVcr, to be a paiul er ruth er tlum a photographer; unless. llS history has revealed, one could have been a cinematographer. Atkinson Grims haw 's noctul'llul urban \'iews s how no fe\'erish desire to render hig h life or low life in any particular light, on ly the life of streets at night glis tening with po· te ntial event. The potentiality, rhe look of things happen ing even when nothing is happening, was st ill impossible to photogl'aphy, but easy (or painters with a long pictorial tradil.ion to draw on for doing jus t that, even if it was photography lhat. was currently inspiring them. Grimshaw's View o/ IA'verpoo/ Quay by t1/oo1l/;ighl of 1887 shows a n om·

12 . 12

ATKINSON GR I M S HAW ,

Vitw 01 'Jit,t rpool Qway by Mooll/igitl

E II(j/i.~1r

Ad

(/ 11 (/

lilli S/i'll / ion; WJr isller

nibu s coach with a gree n rear light. pausing on the damp cobbles to pick up 3 woman , lind sevenll illd ist illctly idelltifi ed pnssers by 0 11 the sidew81ks lighted by shopwindows (1 2. 12). The moonlight of til(' titl(> is ollly II remo te glow filtered through smoke und fog, but the s tree tlights ure like jewels, the jewels in the shops are like flames, and the words 011 the billboards lind shop signs glow with all the thrilling nOIl -significllllee that fills the urbnll night. We arc looking 8t a prosnic corllcr of 8 pro\·ill ci81 city, but tilt' sce ne is laden with a beaut y thllt sceUls, li kf. so much i ll ciu(' ms_ t.o be IMlly in the eye of the beholde r- t he moving eye of t he ClllHcru that invest IS so much in so little. The 1}ie/llre il\ not. so bellutifl d; it. is th e crum my s trcct itself that is made to twinkle and gl imm er with ollr expec tations. In a monwnt u pale gentlcmall played by Stewn rt G rtlllger will emerge from the jewele r's s hop, look both wayts, and stride nonchalantly across the wet st reet, bent on si n· is ter busi ness among the low life on the docks. Grimshaw did UlallY pll intings of s uch city st rce ts lind wat erfronts. lIlost of them not in Londou, noue of them cOlllmenting 011 th e s pec ific evils of the metropolis. dwelling i1usteud without COllllllcnt on the way light int er· acts with towns so t hot reflec t ing surfn ces mock ench othe r and themselves, and th e streellaml> co mmcntts unwittingly 011 the moon. City livin g looks hot or cold depending oil ly 011 which wny you foce urld how fust ,vou move; windows glare like ice or g low lik(' conls in wnrt' hous(>H and s hacks and brick mansions; wet pavemen t IIlId ri\'er wllt er lire grim or golden depend ing on which light is s trikillg lit the time. It is II lIew view, a way to be dra· matic and s ubj ecti \'ely poetic siml}ly by being kinet ic and opt iclI\. • Wh istler was 8 rri end and nd llli rer or Grimshaw, liS he was of many ot her paint.ers 0 11 both sides of the Chllllllcl and th e At illutic. Grimshaw even gll\'c him some help with perSI)cet ivcj but in ot her respec ts Whistler rclt himself to be n Illu ch Inrger figure with fnr lorti er nrtist ic ambitions. Whi stler's s hower of rockets, however, could be bursting ove r a Grims how ci ty, and his views of til(' Thames by night have a si milnr suggestiveness, the quality of being setti ngs viewed as if in 1lI0tion towa rd something more (12. 13). Whi stler fOllnd it necessu ry to rel h!lll so rur from Il necd ote that he insisted on using mus ical termi llology for hi s titles; but th at hobit also reveals t he kinet ic impu lse behind them, and withdraws not at all into an objective att itude towa rd the sce ne itself--quite t he re\'erse. Whistler ere· ated many pictures that. have both abstract.-sounding titl es alld very strong emotional prese nce. In 1:1.11 effor t to elevat e art and himself along with it , to asse rt his own independence and the sovereignt y of the artist, he preached loudly about. how pictures should be recogni zed to cOlisist only of colors and shapes and tonali ti es, lIot the "claptrap" of charncte rs and props; and

c

,

344

MOVING

l:!. l:l

J.

A.

)t e N .

PI C TURE~

WIIISTLEIt . '\'fX'tIU'"

j"

Bluck IIIHI Gold: TIl FlllliHg Hockd

yet his White Girl aud the l)Ortrnit of his mother IUl\'e been loved for generatiolls bec~l.\lI;e of the WOIiWIl in thenl lind th eir necessories, 1I0t. for the beauty of their co mposition. Whist ler must lut\'c illtended it so. III elllpluu.i zi llg (in hi s flall1boyant speech 811d writings) the el clIIl'lItn ry cOlllponcllts of u painting, especially its tonlll componf'111 S, he wns in fnet degcribing the sources of mood and atmosphere in nny picture Ihnt hus a recoglli1.uble subject; Illid to co nsider the power of atmosphere means to acknowledge the cOlltributiol1 of the beholder's fund of personal fUlIlnsy to the picture's etTect, in ruet to depelld upon it. The "Mlory" or the "drama" is just ns gripping 118 in the anecdotal mode: but it is something tualf created by the viewer out or the expectations the painter rais('s and the I)sychic wcather he whips up. And so, while defining out loud his artistic aims 8S detllched from any catering to ordinary sentiment, Whistler wus nc\'ertheJess also defining wlutl largely creates that \'cry sentiment: tlnd he Illade good use or it in his art, which remained

•

li e s .

WIiI S T L~: K .

SllI l/Y;/I n l'sh 1'0111'11 II ml /JIll r £': ['orlm i l of 1'h rO(/Qrl' lhtrrl

12 . 14

J .

A.

346

MOVINO

PI C TURES

committed to realistic subjt"cts laden with 8uggcstion lUld potential mcan· ing-real bridges 8nd real people-rather than t.o neutral props such 8S Moore 's girls from never·never land. And so he cou ld have it both ways. When Whistler painted his portrait oC Theodore Durct in 1883, he called it Stltd.y i" Flesh TOil es U11d Black, as if to nlb it in that a piet.nre is on ly an arrangement (12.14). But thc subject (created, oC course, by the arrangement but by no mcans identical with it) is what makcs the I)icture vital. dramatic, heavy with potentia' "story," a shot. from II film. The IIllln in black evcn ing dress emb races his wife's clinging, rosy cloak as if it were her body and gril)8 her red fan ill his gloved lumd a8 if it were a dagger. J-I is feet are braced, his face is purpling, llnd the frown is beginning on his s hiny brow , The moment is both poised and turbulent: we are waiting. And nlthough they are flot the whole sto ry. the volatil e purpl e, pink , and red alld the stiff, dim black are largely responsible for how we understand what is happening. Wi t h his title, more than clai ming the picture as nothing but tl group of cont rasting tones, Whi stler was distillguishing what has since been recognized to create feeling and meaning through pictures by our mo\'ie-going age, and what once did so in the Romalltic age of Turner. But he wHllted to kpep it (or perilal)S, for the first time, make it) exc lu sive, 8 property of High Art, an esthetic I)rincipie at. odds with \'Ulgar apprecia· tion . And 80 the title ulso wants to kccp ou r empathy lit. bay, rcsist our lu st tor anecdote, and maintain the picture str~c tl y in th e artist's keeping, not ours. He did the same with the Black alld Gray mother. Whis tler has beell fsmous as a herald of modernity in painting, 8n apos· ti c of F renc h artistic gospcl to the benighted Victorians; and yet it iii clear that he was also another apostle of the cinematic method before movies ex· isted. He was known to have learlled abstraction from the Japanese and ad· vanced modes or artistic Realism from the F rench, already allegedly free Crom illustration and stagi ness; but he was also a truc Romantic, although he did not wish to appear 1i0. That is perhaps because he was 8n AItlt"riCIJ Il on foreign soil, aud his Ilativo.aptitucle to r serioll s romanticis m wa s all cm· barrassment. t.o him. He had to keep talking t.o disguise it; and thus he for· mulatcd a number of modernist principles, almost. out. of whal seems like pri"8te defiance rather than principled conviction. negas once said to him. "You behave as if you ha\'e no talent." Among the other signs of Whistler's cinematic sensibility was his great graphic talent, which he again exe rcised with as much flair and delicacy a8 he used ror paint, with similar tonal concerns and emotional results. Hi t;: 1860 etch ing enti tled Rolherhithe and his pllin t ing called U'appillg 011 Thames have the sa me sort of cinematic d isposition, Each shows a free· fl oating view of a scene with some people, rather like De Witte's flsh-

HllfJ/ish .-1,.1

(lilt!

IIfII Slm/ioll; lrhi,d ll'r

HJ

monger see ne rrolll Iwo hundred y('ars ea rlie r, hl'N' wilh the bOllts lind wllter Illid the shnded fu ces making an ambiguous lIIt'etilig out of an ordilIary if unstnble nrrnngl'mcnt (12. 15. 12. 16). Sincr the p(lopJe are s itting. it is clearly the eye that is moving. scanning both the riv('r and the gathering for some rlllUrE' comprehension of its OWI1_ Whislh'r WIIS IIOt 1111 1!1I1)ressionisl "1Ie1 "Iso IIOt n Symbulisl: his affillities in F'ntnee were cliieOy with Degas. who also lutd nn illteN'st in the dralIIlIl ic l)Ossibilities generated by overall tonality. mobility. nnd ambiguity. and 110 desire 10 abllndoll the actual. Bul in England Whi stler was a snob and 11 detl'nniu{'d est lll'te. Ilnd did C\'enillan" Ilblllldoll till' work or consid• ering how COlll nl on lire looks IIl1d fl'cls. He refused to bc ('\'CIIIIS lIluch of lUI illustrator as hi s Ilaturnl girts usuall,\' made hilll . Bt' did not rno\'(' in III{' direction of Ilbstrnetion, which WIIS 1I 0t yN quit(' u\'uilnble to him , or or Ihe Call1('rll . which II(' wOli ld have scorned to use. but towa rd ever 11101'(' t{,l1uously suggest ive \'is lns and glimpses, For 1111 th ei r \'Ilpor. lhes(' IlIck thc

12 . 15

J .

A.

M es .

WIiI STLER.

Etching, 1860

Hotlttrltitltt,

)IOVINO

12 . 16 .J .

A.

)lcS .

PI C T U H~:S

W!lISTI. Y. R .

WClJiJill'lUOH 7'hum rlf

COllvillced , questl ik(' I h nl st of I'll rller 's IIlI e works ; Wh iSller WlIJoi in ret relit, not. seurching fu rther, Aft.er his dealh , " pictorin!" ' photography in the fir8t. decade of this eenlury seems to hllve been trying 1.0 s how Wh istler what he might. have do lie with lhe call1ert!, II10ug til(" snllle VapOl'01l8 pnth . But. the movie cnmern , which he might. well hll\'e ndopted with e"e n better results , WllS not. lIvllilnble eit her. Ami he would huve $corned thll t, too. He IIlwllYS rcfll!wd , sOIlll'how, 10 bt" the AllIericnll nrti s t. he IIclually WIIS .

•

THIRTEEN

America

rornanticism is always rcnlis t ic. Amcr icn n Homan· tic ntt hus ble nded poetic nspirutioll with grelll r ('s pect for the specific. II co ntinuous hard ·headcdncss wedded to 11 lIot a lways cohere ll t s piritual desire. Thi s is IJIl esthetic clulrl.tct(' r IIlItl stull ei:' Ihnt c lln cllsi ly see m ridiculous. cspccilllly when it is exp ressed in works of uri Ihllt urc less t hnn excellcul. or ill works of cOllllllercial und populnr art. SL'llt imcll tulity and bombnst li(' ill wait to take o\'(' r the s ty listic government, howcycr Cll rllest the basic ai ms. ir th ose , tl \.'

•

J

13. 14 "She Ilimeci h"r

13.15 " WI'''I')'

r"Cf'

10 Ihe wiudow," Tit ,. Galluy, 1868

"II~I d ilj;t~"lillfll'd

wilh Tilt GaluIY. 1869

('\"{· rYlhiu~."

!

MOV I NO

366

13. 16

P I C T U RES

WIN SLO W II OM ER . H6Yf .It

II

Pal lun

nut(!e or the 8111001h re"tures , or th(',Y carry the suggestive bttggtlge of a "108t profile:' like the ones in the works of Georges de la Tour (13 . J 6). Hotner docs this by pure "graphic" mealls. using light and durk to illumi· lIut(' the WHy lifc movcs, but with specit&l IIttentioll neither to its delliched visllal pleasures liar to its gripping incidents , but to the latent emotional eurN'lIt in it. which can nudgr dralllll into all)1h ing if it is put in 8 certain light. Wllell he paint ed The I~ile Line ill 1884 and U"d erlolU ill 1886, Homer used the same sea h(' later painted for itsclf; here these reseues of half· d rowned wO lllen float across the churning water like se{luences in 1I la rge r movie we can never see all or. o.lId t he ocean t hunders eve rywhere. lurge r s til l. There is a li har p erotic flavor in t hese sceneS of he iplesii female bodies be in g wrested out of t he su rge by impersono. l· looking men, skirtli shoved lip o.nd breulltll molded by weI. clothes , beautiful faces sti ll and lita rk; but not h· ing is mude of it. The illustrnt i\'e function hus to work by itse lf wi thout a pri or na r rative. We are forced to make t he story up. There nrc no extras in the pictu re to suggest more of the plot; we are faced only with a cold set of moments thnt will soon be O\'er, Jea\'illg the wo.ter empty once moN' nud the sense of dread spreading (13. I i, J 3. 18). The graphic skillthallllilde Homer 11 living' for yearli kec))s his shots full of similo.r intensity. e\'CIl if the ocean is tile only character. and makes vital scenes instead of decorative clusters out of I!lIl1all groups of people seen frolll a distance. I II tht Moulltai"s can in no way be seen as a neutral, de· tac hed vi ew of climbing women, mere ly all interesting patte rn of light and line; it is an iIlustratioll with plen lYof Ilarrati,'c suggestion. ulmost. like one

II lIu' rir(l

1:1.17

13. 18

..... I NS I. O W II O M E K . U,,(lrrlow

..... I N81.0 ..... II OMER . T" ~ U/~ Ullt

:167

36 8

MOVINO

I~I C T U R~~S

of several in a magazine story; but it hus been trtlllsfigured on a big screen and left hungillg ill mid ·uir with 110 text. The s harp black shadows do it , they are what proj ect each W01l1llll 'S introspec t ive cnpacity and keep the picture fostering our senl;e tlU&t somet hing is happening to them, inward ly us well I&S outwardly: the lack of pict uresqueness does this, too, the topo· graphical si mplicity of th eir sloping path: lIeither we nor they are simply admiring th e view . A simi lar sce ne rendered ill t he frncL lIred light of 1m· pressionism would keep liS happy to s tay at a distance from the women and instead to cnter the privileged universe of pa inting iUicl f, where thei r fa te has no mea ning and we have 110 res ponsibilities. Homer seems to ha" e created a new seriousness for genre a rt, as movies were later to do again. He did it lI sin g old cOllvent ions of commerc ial ill ust ration (as cincmu al so did), not pus hing th e boundaries of painterly discovery (as t he Impressionists did). Th e l l11pre!;siolli s ts were able to redeem genre art from sent illleutal ity by recHsting' it in ltlliluthori tlitivc ncw lIrti s· tic language that fll!ied uature, hUlllans, Huel Hrt ifHets together into one hur· mon ious syn tax . Horner did C(luivalent redelll l>ti"e work on genre subjects in the opposing cinellllltic wny-deepening th eir gra l}hic potential and th ei r openness 1.0 dissonance. Therr is 110 peace created by I)aint ill Homer's groups of girls on grass or boys in fields. Conflict and disharmony arc invoked by Ihnt rmlll e block gliu(>r wI' hove co me to kllOw und love in movies, a d rama that leaps Oll t of t.he sc reell from Ihe perpetual collision of brilliance and pitch black, whatevcr th e color of thc elothes, trees, or teaeup$, and that keeps things moving, suggesting what we haven't yet seen. Homer was all early glorifier of the American G irl. that same Girl who was so prominent ill Jumes novels as tl foil to guropeall sexual assumpt.ions and who later was the hero ine of so many movies proceeding rrom the new American sexual assumptions that. Jumes helped defin e. Her own conseiolilmess is the focal point or th e story, not her effeet on male sensibility; her moral bein g is the bat tlegrollnd , her sense or her own poss ible changes, her su ccesses and fni lures; and we lire wntch ing. Luter she becamc the characters played by Katharine Hepburn , Ginger Rogers, and Dori s Day in t.he virtuous mode, by J oan Crnwrord und Barbarn Sta nwyck in the wicked one, by Bette Davis in hoth , sti ll later by Nutalie Wood and Angi e DickinSOli- ali Americilll girls t rying to keep t hei r persona l hOllor wlultever the sexual Iitakcli , half·consciously struggling with th e probl ematic meanillb"8 att.ached to the beautiful clothes their OWII beau ty has demanded fro m the production desi gller, illsisting 011 independence or s pirit even while ma intaining pcrrect grooming, active and pass ive at ouce, rcallllld unrenl. w!l lk· ing cout radictions. There are many such girls ill Horner's art., gi rls eX(lui sitely and conti-

c

,

Amc";(,(1

:169

den til' dressed btl t broodi Ui;' or btl rst i II i;' wi t h i mperf('C I I hought llnd fe c i iug at odds wit.h th ei r se lec t filler.\". Wh en HOllier s hows such 11 girl I1l0ne, 11 story seellls to r ise uroulld her; she rCrlIS('S to be purt or Ihe pleus in g lund· scape, as s he is in pa in tiugs by Will ililtl Merritt Clw se , for extlltlple . 'iUli· lurly, th ese girls nrc emplw licuHy lIssions . ~1rs . Eak in s ill pllrtic ular looks like someone exercising huge pnticlice. burcicn('d with llllderslHndiug (13 .23), Th e listening t ilt of these heads is to Illal il1lil'r mll sic, which it is n bl esl!ling not. everyone CUll henr , Eakins' ungain ly naked ,Yolll hs ill wa ter and sun light lire clot hed in swirls of complex feeling-partly theirs , purtly ours, and partly the puintc r 's, everyone's unfixed und ull s imple , caught in a sequt'nce ruther th an n cOlllposi ti oll, The thick emoli ollul text ure o f Th.e Swiltl III jllg lIol e WIIS built up by Eak ins through v3 riolls kinds of s tudy fo r it , which included photogruphs, mode ls in WIIX , IIlId oil skl'lc hes , n whol e IIl'ra)' of pos s ible ap· p roac hes to t hese boys he tinnily swims townrd . ou t of the brown cornc r into wh ic h he has pninled hi mself (13 .24 ). Thf' rf'strll. ill(·d deli cHc~' of feci· iu g with which he approac hed femal e nudity IIlso hus a .Jamesiun rcs pf'ct for WOlllell in it , n cn uti oll s, umbi\'ll ient , and \'(' ry Ame ricun mindfuilless of II femu le strength or mind und pl'rc(' pt ion thut is POWl'I'cd rather 1111111 opposed by thf' force of sex. Ea kins' hUldscal}CS shnre with Homer's lh e fltwo r of being setti ngs. They have the sllbj(~C li ve look of personal almosphere. wlwlh er people lire neulItlly present in t hem or not. When they II rc present , 1II0rf'O\'l'r, th ey ure often seen from a ce rtllin distllnce with tlwir fll ccs ill s hadow. as th c,\' ure in Homer, inviting our e mpathy. dl'awing us by the unfocHi:wd . sel f-nbsorbed pos tures of their bod ies. Starlill g Out Afrel' Hail ilud Sai/illg are two frames from the sUllie s hot; and bot h cou ld llimost bc by Homer , using the cncompassing sea to cradle th e actionl ess scenc in lotnl motion (13.25. 13.26). In the second ve rs ion, SailillY, t he horizoll iul formll! is Ul ore cine mllticn lly su ceessfu l and permits the bronde nillg of t he wllt er , Ihe raising o f the horiZOIl, and t he cropping or t he ~ail. devices thaI sugges t we a rl' floating to-

C pyr

te

)10VINO

13 .2 4

PI C T U RE S

T II OXAS t: AKINS .

ThSlCillllll ing l/ol l!

wurc! the Ulcn in the boatns they movc slowly out of rellch , while the seu t hat floods both sides of thc frume su rrounds liS along with them on their quiet ,'enture. It has that .."' ri edrich look of investigation, of a search with lIll outward excuse und an unformed illw/lrd goal. So do ullth e Homcrs. Th e third in t hi s grou p of Jtllucsiun. pro to-cinclJl ulic American painters is Sa rgent. I-It·, too, was It solitllry inward stn lgg l~ r. a charlltle r like th e ~ponymous hero of JUllles' ·'The Pupil" with exputriatcd lI ollladic parcnts, OIlC who lellmed cu rly, for rensoru. quite difTerent fro m those of Homer und Eakins. to fortify himself inside a citadel even whi le Il al)pily movi ng llUlong rich and soci ull)Coplc. You CU ll see it in his self'portmit , t he lifted chin and distan ci ng guze that correspond to Eukin s' stiff ti lt in hi s (13.2 7, 13.28). Both thes£' pninters leurned portra iturc from the Dutch aud paniards, evc n though bot h studied art in France; and the lesson of com bining in wardness with a strict rendering of phenomena was well absorbed by each

A ",rrir(l

-

1 ~L:~5

•

13 .26

T II O )lA S EAKIN S, SUi/llfY

•

TfiOKAS EAKINS, Slarii"fJ ONIAllu Hail

a77

:J7 8

13. 27

MOVING

TIIOa.AS KAKINS.

SlI/' PQrtra it

PI C T U Rt-;S

13 .28

JO li N SINOKR SARO KST . '~I/. Porlralt

-the way to show a face as ir it were the scene or pri\'ate activity intuitively l>ercei\'cd. 1I0t a stage 011 which private feelings are skillfully lirranbr-ed ill a bouquet prepared for our detached appreciation . Sargent's affinity with Eakins and Homer shows up in his works thaL dcal with children , notably in the great Dal«yhters of Edward Boil and in such public-seeming portraits as Mrs. Davis aud lIer 011 Liv;t.gstOt. lind Mrs. Carl Meyer alld IJer Children (see 13.32). James lurks ill these works, too, a!! he doc!! in the Eakins scenes with one or two or t.hree I)eopl e, whether Or not. th ey are fSlllily portraits (13.29, 13.30). Th ere is a s trong resonance in Eakins' IJome Scene, showing t.wo sisters. one an adult Imd one a child. that resembles that in Sargent's Bait lind Meyer paintings, done morc thlin t.wenty yea rs later but following a similar track, a track lhal sta rts in the se\'enteenth century (13.3 1). The looks of children, presented as a reminder of free and unlim ited responses to life aud consequently a8 a foil to the compromised feelings and limiting pretensions of adults, is a strong theme in art. IL seems 10 have begun with Veltilquez. The great Dutch painters. especially De Hooch, separately de\'eloped the theme a generation later, incorporating it. into a gen eral view or the ir urban. Protestant milieu. where family intimacy W88

..Imt ,.ira

3 79

prized in 8 way now fsmilillr 10 miclclh· ·clnss vjf'wf'rs IICclistollled to beli('v. ing in the feelings of childrcll. Childrcll in HCliaissunce arl have the look of

half·formed adulls, l;olllelimcl; of mnlform{'d oll(,lJ.ll ud tlll'\'• rarel"• seem in· dependently conscious. BUI by the 16:30's Velazquez \\'IlS ab le to present the royal children of 8n llusLcre, Catholic, lind almost feudlll courl in tile same psychologically telling lIsl>ect nrri\'{'d lit only hiler in the celltur.v by De Hooch in vislial art, and oll ly in the nill('(ccnth c{, lltury by writers of fiction . Vchi7.quez, espccially in t he irresistiblt· ,..os .lIn/il/os, rendered the roynl offspring as true centers of sensibili ty. both their OWII. which radiat{'s from them, nnd the se nsi bil ity so immens('ly projected onto thelll by IItt('nti\'(~ adults. H e thus provided II p('rfec l mode l for II painter like Sargent. who scr'\'cd both real and pseudo aristocrats. und who could find in Vrhil:que1. It key La making his cli,'l\ls lllid thl' ir childrell look bot h imposing lind Ulllu·

13.29

JOIIS 8 1S0ER 8AROES T,

Th e lJaug'"er. of Erilt'/'rri80il

MOVINO

3 80

13. 30

PICTURES

JOliN S IN OE R SAROENT,

M"... Daui6 Ud

1I~ ,.So"

iAVi"Y6/0"

.4ml! riel/

13.31

TII O MA S EAK I NS,

a8 1

/l om £ $ Cf! IIf!

ral , refi ned and d irect. possessed flot only of ric hes nnd stntns but or imll.gi· Ilntiol1 and personal fee ling, like the cha racters in James' fiction. C('rta in ly in James, fic tion caught up with Veloignllnt suggestion; Ilnd det!l il s are s harpellcd into mClluing by its effcets, uot by !lUY specia l pleading they do on their OWII. Sargent instead uses the cxample of Velazquez. 10 create the individual glitter s httrply worked up agll inst !l dim inte rior Ihat lIlade th e Spanish painter's grandees sce m to shi nc with my rilld fleeting psychic refl ec tions , 1I 0t just silver braid und cos metics. Vehizquez' serious child ren espeeially

Ame'·;c(I

asa

I(' nd t hemselves 10 Sa rgent's emulation (13.33). Th e s tiffly clad royal infant s with their ~ t('ad y gazes and well- bnlshed li LLie scalps resurface in the Boit fron t hall , the Meyer drawing room, and the Sears parlor, where tli(' samt' ambiguou s murk threat('lIs to swa ll ow them up . Th e)" too , hold gal · lnntly s t ill, fighting back with their own concentrated light all th e complex forces of parf'lItal pride. Homer, Eakins. and Sargent s lulJ"e 1I cOllfrontlltional ern olionul style, lIll illustrati\·(' mode that is very AmericlIn, deS I)it e lhe differences lItllOllg tlH'ir lives, their subject s, a nd thei r sources, a s tyl(' linked 10 the mov ies of the future even more t hnll to the puintings of the past. It is vc ry in sis tent in the :\·Ieyer portra it, fo r example, composed us if the lady wcre being loomcd OY('r by a viewer, a !>aillter, a movie camera (13 .32). As we come nea r and look d own at her, we see her (Iu iekly enfold her son's fingers in her own , so thnt the book drops. and he cannot get aWIl,Yi we see how hi s sist.er hold s him, too, 8S she peers from behind . Her (uee is full of acce ptance and so me ruthless ness, his of doubt and some (ear. :\Iother's (ace is tense and cordial at oll ce; s he looks as if s he were in tllf' middle o( s pea king-sh e would like the children to come aroulld and put in 11 proper appcnrllllce next to her (or the picture, but o( course without loll ing and cnls hing her perfect s kirt. All three exude eonsciolls b eallt~' in thc ir sum ptuous clothes aud brunette looks; but we are mov in g ill on t his fa mily group bcfore it is quitt' ready for senltiny. It is a sce lle-as Las Mell il/us is and as J ames said the Boit paint· ing is; but it is an evc n morc lUo\'ielik e alld less painterl)' sce ne than either o( thosc, since th e action seems to be thl! process or preparation (or acti on, In a lII oment, tilt' book will b(' put a\\'8Y, t he kids suitably settled , and Mother si lting buck with her (acc. ski rt , and fan composed ; and th en the paint er will be nll owed to back up und begill. VelAzquez could II Ot approach his li able si tt ers (rom above like t his, or appea r to l1Io\'e toward them as th('~' Ilrranged t he lli selvcs. Bllkins al so takes great libert ies, so that we ('veil see th e baby on the flagston es as if \\'e had crawled on our s tomachs 1.0 get a "iew o( her, and we seem ncurer to his (emale subj ects than they ought to let us corne, a8 if we were 1\ movie calll' era spying on their stat e o( mind . Homer keeps it phys ica l dista nce, but he also vi ews his charactt' rs (rom unexpected points of vantage, showing t hem in the middle o( somet hing without waiting for their permission to s ta r t. In twent ie th-century American pain ting these cinematic ways or using old t hemes were conlinu Nt in t he wor k of artists like Edward Hopper, who werc unquest ionably influenced by eillema itsel (, Hoppe r is the heir o( Homer and Eakins, and more ind irectly of Sargent, whose wat ercolors resemble both Homer's and Hopper's: thc same white light, sha rp tona lity. and odd viewpoint s are there, and in works with vi sible characters, the

( "lpYriO h

:18 ..

.\I OVIN {l

13.33

PI C T U RE S

DIEOO \' ELAzQ U RZ,

uuiVt " i " tu

sum£, movi{'l ik{' S{,II S{' of psyc holog icul IIctioll, Hut ill Hop per tlrl' also t he mod{' rll c lot h{'s ami roo n.s /Iud corul'rs of bu ild i ngs onc(' urI Jt'ss ly appnn'lll ill film s of thr 1930's alld 1940\11 , Ihl' offices and hOlrl rooms Illlcllu lICh coun ters Ihat formed th e sNti llgs of lIluch Ullprt' trlltiolls fi lm . Only ill the lasl d('clld,' luu,; Ihis kind of rlUtl{'rili l ill 1I 0ppe r bl'ell re' trieved und rl' procl'sscd ill Cllrt'l' lI l fil ms. liS if 10 ('1('\'ul(' Ilwllll hroHj.!h MiSOciU tiOIl wilh Fine Ar t. like refen'llcl's to Hogarth lind Brurgel. In I'act Hopper m lld{' tire ref{'!'eIlC{'S himse lf ill the first pi llce . delibe rllt ely disp lllYiug hi s sym pathy for l ile (,lIIotional pOlcn tinl of t hl' ordinury film-set (1:1,3-1 ), I-Il' did it en.'11 1110rt' ill his IHlIgli Zillt' illustr'utiolls, IlIlhe pnintings Ilnd illus lrnl iolls, Iht' Hollywood ·s ty le Imir, s ho('s, IIlId mnkt'up rl' iuforc(' tht' impressioll lh nt we li re wUlchillg SOIll{' iucolIS{'(llIl'litilll fra lll{,s b{'IWl~ 1'1I IIction sho ls illull old GCOI'gl' Ru ftllJo\'ie, th ose PIII'IS of tlli' S('tlll l'II C(' whic h forge 1111 e nduring "isuul fUlltllS), ubout urbllll locult'slIpll rl from UIIY tllllgl{' ill l\rl' pl ot, nnd which linger ill t ire IIWIlIO!,y after thl' s tory is forgott en , At tilt' 8UIII(' t illlt' lilcs{' works looks like r('f{' r('UCl'S 10 1-1 0111('1', wi th Iri s silllilllr se ns(' of lhl' nelltrlll bUI c hnrged sctti ng in its rUI'Ill fOl'III, SO li I(' of

13,a4 ED ..... ARD n OP PER , Room ill Nrlfl l'ork

386

MOVINO

PI C T U RE S

Hoppe r 's nre also in country surrollndings: the two wome n 011 th e upstuirs porch of u white hOllse , seen frorn 11 distunce, are like Homer's milkma ids, schoolteachers, or hikers, visibly partaking in some private course of life as we stare al th em (rom way over here (13.35). Their inwardness regi sters all the be tter across distance and with min imal facial dewi l. Th e graphic works of Hopper are espec iully Ame rica n despite a ll Hopper's f 8POlltUIICOliS oil sketch, and a corresponding decline in t.he pres tige of highly finish ed academic works nncl of acnd(>lIlic truining. A significant c hnnge was 1I iso occurring in the medium us{'d for Heademic life-drawing itself: fillt~ pt'llcil wus bein g repluced by 80ft. c1utrcoul , the better to eruphu!$i1.c brond 10l1nl ntiucs rnther than sha.rp outlillcs shuded with pn ins lliking cross-Iwt.ehillg. Amu r. ingly in formal , '; Impressio lli st" wOl'ks s lI'''"i\'e by 1IU1I1Y ncudem ic pain te rs who would 1I0t. hu\'{' considered th elll fit to show" despit(, Ihe I'ye , vern' " nnd invention they displny" Atthr Slllll(, I iIIit'. c ritics und lilt' public wel'e admir" illg independen t puint t'rs" works , ('xhibit('(1 us finishcd. whic h by strict acade mic standnrds could oll ly b(' call('d prepllrlttory sketcht's.1'his voluti le situntion wus ulrendy in place IOllg before tlw Impressionists" gl'ent re\'olt. initiated by Iheir first exhibit in 18 74 " At I('ast II gellC'rlition befort' LiUH, the desire for II more UllllU'diated Jlllintl'rly vision Wli S r('plncing th e old res pec t (or the maint enance of nobl e standards. The public needed H shiftier imuge , one wilh more mO\'('Inent, more ulll bigni t;r, und lIIore rlln gc, }piltchi ng style. and to keep graphic mcdiK ull ied to the pllillterly frl.llne of mind: they had a disposition to use drawing un d e tching or lu o not~rpe llud lithograph us if they were kinds of paint. and puinl 11 killel of graph ic mater ial. But t.he se nse of city livi ng is the sallie, and the l1im 1.0 illulIl iuu te it in t he hllrsh new kind of romantic idiom in which recurrence plnys n purt. Whi stle r. hav ing been ahead of Degas in illu strat ing mod ern living in a modern way early in til(' 18 60's, ga\'e it up for art's sake, moved to Ell gland , and large ly wit hdrew from IIny dramutic s ituations that might occur inside pictures . His fam ous confrontation with Ruskin ill 1877 st ill reverbe rateli in this cen tu ry as the moment. whf'1! subject lIlatt('r censed 1.0 be illl portant for st'riolls art a nd nil who cn red aboul it ill the Ellglish-spenking world_ Whi stler did mu ch in l hllt world to separute the illu strative impul sl' Crom the proper sphere of painting, und t.hus to focus later attention on the formal quali ties of pust IIrl. espccia lly in E nglall d und consequent ly in America. In both natiolls he fignrl's tlS t he spokesman of I"re neh theories of 1lI0de rn paillting, making' them comprelu' lI sible IIl1d demonslrlll ing their importunce. At the same ti me. he helped to discredit til(' ('ff('cl.ivcness of illustration and ally d irect pl ay on e motionnl respOllSC8 t hrough conventiollltl subject matter . COIISe(IU cntly, purl ly beclluse of Wh istle r's influ ellce, t he camera and all ca reflli painting that might suggest its more rigid or banal form s of realism were usually lined lip ill opposition to high est het ic considerlltions. The narrutive cllpltcities thai. might be released by the ctlllle ra stnycd obscure, the property of painte rs and graphic HrtislS who e mbrllc('d a sort of under ground romanticism wailing for it s day. ~ I eu n whil(' Whi stler helped

( "lpYriO h

MOVINO

PI C T U R ..:S

-

H . I :! e ll '" K L t; 8

,\I

E KY O N , Thl " olll-a N-Clwllfjf .

"; h~ hiI1K,

fin h tl latt'

-

14 . 1:1

e ll '" K I. E 8 M E H YO N . TIl ,. Ponl-a N·CJw nfle. E lc h illg.

MI" 'Plit h

II lall'

people in this century 10 find Impressionis t Pllintings bellul irlli . to see a lIew chlssicif.un ill them, 8 new unr'OnuIl1t ic ulli,·ersalit." Ihllt. rorc\ter cnnceled the Opill io ll Ho r th eir own time, whell they hnd see med in coherellt. di s· cordullt , lind ugly. Port rniWre remained in t he s phere or pnillting, des pit e th e com mercia l product ion or carte de I:j.jte I)hotographs both publ ic and do mest ic. and of portra it. I)hotography. But portraitu re, too. became a rorm or illu strnl ion in the hand Mor Degas und Fnntin and others arter the 1860·s. breaking bound s. co ming close r to genre painting. making gestures toward cinema.

FrlIll f e ill til e Jr illctcclf llt Century

" 15

•

14.14

C IIAR I. F. 8 .\IERY ON.

Tll r l~o,,/-aN - (,1I(1II91· . ~:I c h ing. l t'n l h li l a H,'

•

•

-

•

.,

•

•

•

1" . 15

C II A R I.. ~; 8 M~; R YON.

Tlt l' I~ml/-llintcl'ly modernity of t.he cnure rll , th e 11i1IIdiess eye. T he roma nt ic ques t. fO l' somc ulllltt ainll bly tnll' mi r rol' of common fan tasy could be full y slltis fi cd oll ly lifte r Ilct unl ciuelllu had pn ssed t hrough its int rodue tory s tag('s lind mani fes ted ils visuli l powe r over mod ern li fe,

rt-d •

'.

Ie

" 1•• oJ ••

14 . 2 1

M OV IN O

II Y-S ltl FANT I N - I. ATO PIl ,

J>ICTUR"~S

" ortrllit 1ll lI r.llIld l/ rll . f:I/"'''' f :dWl/ rdll

O"ly the n might the works of MUllct, I)egus, und Cuilleboll{' retrospectively look like feul und lIullIrul visions of Pari si8 11 life . fecoglliz8bly c harged with ambiguous modern lIarruth-c, ilillstr81ioll8 of tile highest order. Thei r strHugeness in their own limt', which C8111(, (rom th eir unlikeness to familiar painting, has now been washed away by our inrorlll€'d movie-vision. as well 3S by a schooled tllldel"'8tnndillg of lIIodern tl rt Unit hus

also taught us to view them

8S

eXaJllI)les of detached painterly nchic\'cmcnl.

Far to the 1I0rlh, the lise of light cha racter istic of traditional :\forlhern painting had continued in the work of nineteenlh-celllil ry cllIH_linllyinn

Frallce ill Ih e XiI/ciccI/II, Ce ntury

1-1 .22

II~!S R I

~' A:-;' Tl l'o·· I . ATOI · R .

f'/ Oll'rJ"$.

14 .23

Applf'lf (Jlld

II ENR I F·ANT I N · I.... T O U R .

S,m ' /lY

pr(l1'~

S/ ;fl l~ j/f'.

(;/,,/I,.rIlI Ol ,. Tabl,.

-12 3

ll OV IN O

PI C T U RE S

pa inte rs . several of whom produced sturtlingly c ine ma tic images witlJOut benefit of thl" ParisiaH milieu und its crit ics or its scu rch for II CW ill ulIliuu lions. These Scandinavian urtists have bee I! judged accord ing LO Ilw ir prox imity to Imprcss ionism , Sym bolism, or EXI)ress ionislIl , si nce they cou ld not claim It cc ntral co nt ribut ion 1.0 nineteenth-century illlugery, and IIHlIIy of them did Irlwel ali(I study in olher parts of Europc; but one Or Iwo seellled to lea p effortlessly int o the modern movie mode on t hei r own . Among these, the Dani s h ur lils l Vilhe lm i-Iamlllers iLoi, who WitS u stude nt at the Cope nhagen AClldc my. just IlS Friedrich had bcen u ce ntu ry cl1rlier , seems to have swallow('d whole th e German Romantic aims of 1800, lind translated them direct ly into without consc iousness of illte rve lling Itrtistie Shtges. His views of Sl)ure interior spaces with 1111 oCCIIS iOllll1 fe mu le figure scen from the buc k SIHtrply rccull s im iht r Fried ric h themes-too sharply, perhaps; they look quite con trived in their s lud ied meluncholy (14 .24). Th ey luc k the diurnal quulity of the snduess ill F'iIltt ill or Cui lI ebotte. or illdeed in Friedric h; but they do seem to roreshadow the Nordic ci nc mll , with its siow-mo\·ing reve lations of exis tenliill de8lmir. illlillirly,

mill

14 .2 4

VILHEL)I HAMMER S HO I , hlf"rio r 'OIlh

Sra /cd

W OW /III

Fnll",r ill IlI r .\'it/rirellill C'rll/",.y

14 .2:i

\'11.1l~~ L)I

HAMMEk S II O I ,

425

Fi r''' P() rl rj, j/s

the hug€' F"r'e Por/ rails with ils grim groUI) of IlIl'II aroulld a clilldielil Il.lble resembles not hing ill lIrt so IIIl1ch liS it looks l.lh clld t o murky rooms ill Dr(',Y('r filIUs (14.25) .• candinaviall lIIo\' i('); cOlllillll(, IIllotlwr Ih(,llH' I'Xplored by th l' pllinl('rs of IhNif' rf'gi olls , Ihut of lII ovi llg wllt('r . ~I IlIlY Clln\'ases ('olllu in nothing but th(' III(,SIIWI'izillg rippl('s of II s tream or fj ord . oCCliSiOlUilly int('rrup! ('d by OIl(' stOIlf' or thin branch . II surging fl ood r('udy to drown us if Wt' WIIIIt. The SCl.lndinuvili ll nilU't('('lIth-c(,lItury rt'ulist pni nlrrS IIl1v(' had to wilil for Scanc\ illU\·illll ci lH' IIl1l10 cillillllhclII and ~j:('1 Ilwlli illlllolio n. 10 s how the world whltl they could 11I1\' e dOlle if filrn -lIIltkilig hlld 1>('('11 01'('11 to IIt('III. 10 I)UI t hem 011 Ihe ill!ernUlio lllllllrli s lic nmp. Til l' 1)lIirl t illJ,!s Ihe nu;el\'es ure Ofl(,11 purl"'" deprl.'ssing. unlil by IIny hop" of futur it y dN'pi ll' 1111 tit{"ir 1111 cll rthly wint('r light.

FIFTEEN

Twentieth-Century Graphics; Movies

M0 V I E S

begu ll nearly s illlul lll llcously ill several COUIltries during the last. decade of tlit· nindee nth cen tu ry. Their abrup t. rise

sugges ts that. the need to invent them was universally Celt at. t he same momen t, and it is no t hard to see why. Betwee n t he 1840' s and the 18 !lO's,

while two generations of the public had been ge tting used to camera visioll ,

they werc also getting used to greater natu rali sm and more sensation in stage productiolls, aud to 8 fre sh abundance of printed illustrative materiaL Thi s was a lso increas in gly reali s tic and increasingly dependent on camera cOIH'cntions for real ity, es pecia lly in America. Longing for the nex t step was inevit.able, the desi re to see illuminated by ca mera magic what now appeared on the s tage or the page, to see rOlllallticized e\'en fu r ther both th e new documentary mode in pictures and the new drama of visual Cantasy. In Europe, the decline of romanticism in a rt increased the need to find uew media Cor a rell lis m suitabl e to ambiguous modern feelings. In I tll(' sUllie 8i1I1P{,S und fil l lip s l>uce tlt{' Stllll{' way ilS lIis m od e rll dress, just liS t ll(' movie cn nH'rli dO(,8.

Til e ull.erlllltive decol'ative nnd cnlligraphic IlIod(' ill illus t l'lltioll, the onc thut. dCl'in.'s from Bottic{'lI i, Grt'ek \'lIS(,S, lind ot hel' exquisit{' linear models, did IIppI'ar in ('quit! profu sio n ill udvertisillg I.lml postrr UI'I a t th e turn of Ihe ce ntury, wroughl into the fusiliollllb\t· Al't ~ou\'Cuu fonlllS tlutl were e\'e n more Ctlrrt'llt ill EII,·ope. '1'lIi!'; illllsll'lll in > s l yi(' 1'('li('s 011 cluss iciziug und archaizillg, lind 011 th(' lIS(' of ,..lyli,,· lir· allusioll to pust art. In mugllzille nrt, sllch u sty ll' WliS rurl'ly u SNi for ficiiolllllld slitirt', which de-

lIullIded the rNllislU of tht' illllll('t\illt(' 1I101ll('lIt

1'lItlt~r

1111111 u precise mo-

dishness of shupe Ullel lilll'. Pictures lhut told u stOI'Y or' Sll~l!('sted n lense or comic situtllioll held lO tllr chilll'oscliro 1I 1{' Ihod of 1'('lIdt'rilig alld to

(Ii('

deep·focus Dutc h style of cO IllPosition. tlftl'lI cOlllp l(,lt' with the Willdow,

15 .5 1I0WAKD C IlASIlL~~K C IIKISTY . " (I "r hUl!lhand IlIld Ilurll{';I 011 her logelher. " IlllISlrll.liOIl itl Sc. ribm; r '&.IloutJt/y .III1Y(IZillf' , 1li.'CI' rul}fr 1900

434

15 .6

MOVIN G

C HAR LK8 DANA Ol lJ 80N.

PI C T U RE S

"SttlKe·Stnlek:' lIIuSlrttl iOIi ill Cvfl iu',

Wttkfy, Ma reh 1905

•

-.

•

...

15.7 Still from

r ON

Ulld JIlt, 1938

T/I'r", i r /II -('r 1111/ ry G r(1ph ics: ,1/QI'iI'S

15.8 J .

II ~~ SH Y .

" YOI I IU'I"\'Y li l lli' d('\'i l , you!"

IIlu!itrat i()1I for Edu» F(' rl}('r's Fllli ny /l rrs"!, 19 1 j

the lUb lc. the clUlrllc ter set' ll rrom Ih£' rcar, 111(' drllll1 lll ic r"polIssoir. IIlId the pillY o r light 0 11 mobil e rabric, Aud , bpCll tl st' IIC'\\' prOcesses made n prinled und 1'('lwo· e1uced photoj!l'IIph look W!'y IIl lic h li kr- II prilll('(1 and rcp!'C!(luced IXlilifillg Ilu:H had bN'1I sp('c iltlly dou(' to look lik('u photoj!'rllph , Til{' tl'chlJo]ogics of 1'('I)J'otilu.:l ioll lllltd(' pailltillj.! lIIal pholol!rllphy ill ln a sillj!'lp ilillst l'lllin-' t~ II' t{'l'Il1'ist' ( 15_ !), 15, 10), The Cil lt l('!'11 II lId h('colII(' tilt' lles irahll' \'('hie)(' nr 1!'lIlh hy 1880 ; 1111 prin ted illuSll'llliolls p r(> l(>ru lillg 10 s how whllt 1I11."t hill':;- wus r('ally likl'wh et h(> I' imClgoi n('d hist oriclI] lUolllell ls or 4;li nC1l1 ('\'('11 ts-cou III b(' cOII\'ilic' ing only if Lllt'y uPPPIIl'('(1 ill t he SOI't of ,'pll(leriuj!' IIIn l "('ir('cludNI illll8t rnli oll. When the curr €'11 1 Wyet h is dispnruged, Itl' is cu lled l&ll illustrator . PrintUlaking, o n the other hund, became a lII orc lind more " I('vntcd und presti·

gious brallch of fioe urt separate from cO llllllcrciul grnphies, und it still is. 1' he more pholomechuuical rl'productioll was perft"'cl.cd, Ih e less prestige Ilt.lll chcd to the ctl mt'ra lUi Uti esthetic mediulll . lind the rnOl'l' it wus pUl'ely Kssocialed wilh dOClllllcn ttlry illustration. Movies I hus nl"OS(' i II I his COUll t ry just when the CH lllerli itself had become soml'wlutl deblls('d, ('\,(' 11 though certain successrul ill uSl rntors were gr('ully ndmired . eriolls artistic photography Will) OhiO pushed into (1n embult led position IlS UI1 Ilvalll -garde mode of Ilrt. ca refully at. odds with ba8tard cOllllllerciul productions. In Eurol){' during til(' surne period lht' camera rernuined a legitilllllt(' esthetic medium. lWei so did commercial gral)hic urt; wilh 11)(' r('sulL thul Europe811 posters Bnd postage stamps 8ud advert isemcnts displu,\'ed U high, 8d,'ullced standurd or pure design. and so did Europetm movies when the." firSt appenred . But narrative, cl'('utin> ones tended nol 10 b(' docum elltllry

in s pirit ,ulld hlld lIluch less "Cllson to StllY with ro}lIIlT1t ic 1'('ulislIl, Abs trllct , d Cfii gn und forlllll i in novution were fur ilion' fl11itfi ll fields, u nd so ",f' l'e ('x' pc rimc n ts in psyc hologicnl fll,\'or s uc h a s Symbolis t painters wel'{' uUt~ mp ti n g,

W hnt AIIlf'riCIlII (j Im 1Illlll1lgcd WilS to myt ho logize the old, reali!!itic modes o f a rt without appcnrilll! to do so, and 10 allow t hem to penetrate t he who le co nsciousness of l he nlilion throngh tilt' in tj'ns,'ly I'o lll llntic mediu m of film, The Onrbo spell. fOl' cX llmple . is II 1I1II1I(' r of Ii/.:hl li nd s ha d r Cl'cul, i ng un emot io na lut 1lI0SphCI'C ill Ul logolls lot hc s pc II of Ve rmerr 's WOIIICII , 1111 lIllCUIlII)' C\'oCll ti on of f{'mule inwurdm' ss cOl\veyed ill 1.1 picture tlml see ms to s how n sequence of impol'lunt. 1II01n(' lL l!; without fi how ing lilly nct ioll, A fa s hio nab ly d ressed WOUlttll is ill II 1'001ll-WC sc" h('r from the k llet' s up , Per hllps n mall hils just. I('ft, or is j us t co ming, or is 011 t. he othel' s idc o r thc world, S he is uwarc uud full of fecling, bu t h('r fncc is s till and he r hands qu iet. S he ho ld s 80 111('l.hill g', II n'ssel o r II hll irbnlsh, U 1('lt ('1' 0 1' tilt' wiudow fru me; Illeullwh ile we look ut h('r nnd re('1 thut the SCC II(' is 1II0lllCIlLOu 8, she is heurt breaking, t 11(' imnge is 1111 forgcu II hie , 0 il rho cou ld 11('\'(, 1' CI'(,II I e !!iuc h effec ts 011 1.1 tileutricully light cd s tagc; Ulld it WUSll' t IIcting', Shl' (u nd we) need('d the " reu listic" fil m ,l ighti n g, t ht, film se tting, and the c rcnt i\'(' cu m era "loving" her as it lIIo\'cd in t.o r('gctl'd hcl', jusl as V,'rlllccr se('m s 1.0 hll \'t~ " loved" t he llidy witli t llf' scale, the glass, 01' the guitlll', IlI slelld of becom ing ou t llloded, 11S it wns rust doi ng in EurOI)e , I-cnl islll was first Cll l'ricd (ul't hc l' herc by pnil1lcrs s uc h liS I l ome r and Hopper , then s hifted (pu r tly with t heir he lp) in to thc 1'('lIlm of populi .., d oculllenta ry graph ics, and fina lly rf'COlI stitlli.f'd lind irl'ndint cd on the sc ree n , T he film lIoir is a n eXll lllpl e of this e\'Cl1tlllll rOlllllnticizutiol1 of d ocu lUclltllry rcu lis m; and as n gCllr(', it d(,lIlollstl'alf's how the old :\ol'thcrn pictorial me thods werc needed rOl' th(' l)roc(,8s, Oer llulII imm igra llt di l,('ctors such liS }rc hellsibl e when il. is of· fer ed und received 0 11 mus ic's termS . Anal ogously in fillII , the impact of a dramatic moment is mude by its ent.ire ,·isual (rame and ground and its score, too, not jus t by the situution. It is u feuture of SOIn f movi es that their visual flav or see ms ilt odds with t he fl avor of thei r SlOry. that beu uti fu l ci nematography and seu illgs lIluy be cOllveyillg 8 chilling tate otherwise reHdered with grent d etach ment. In a bad movi e, ove rdress ing a mod est story c reates n si lly imbalallce; but in the haud s of a ser ious movie· make r likt' Stunley Kubrick, for exalllp le with Barry LYI/doll, the t.clIsioll between t he benigll bcnut.y of its ei ghteent h. cent.ury mise·e n·scene and it~ harsh s tory of spiritual pove rty fun ctions as a sor t of COIlSlanl ironic pedal·poin t, g iving t he mov ie its unforge ttnble bite. The rather formul, tragic sound of the eightee nth·ce ntury mu sic in the score intc nsifie!; thp effect. As ill it Mozart. ope ra, t he story is hI li of humili· utiOlI . roily. and callous betrayu l, but the lIIusic is rllvisilillg j and the totul ('ff("ct is til(" r('sull or their ill te rpit1'y IIlId illterde pendell ce. Suc h un effect. is difficult to ach ieve; t he connection mu s t 1I0t break be· tween the style and meaning of the mov ing picture. If ci ne matic beauty is d evcloped indel)endent ly of the poin t being' mnde by the nction, the movie is prelly but cri pp led , nnd the 8udiellce is beiug seduced by a lovely (lice so it WOII · " notice l he limp. Bad operu s at one time we re put toget her in the same way , with no cOllllectioll be twee n the narrative theme and the mu sic, so that the public would applaud the stars llnd the beauty of the arill S !tlld 1I0t care what they meunt. ]n the case of both opera lIud cinema, the power or t he medium is so strong, its d ircct e n'ecl on t he feeli ngs so intense, that co ntrolled artistry is not at al l necessary for cnlde sll ccess .

Cpyr

tel

Two., ielli -Crlliu ry G rfJ ph ieli: .IJol'il's

Bec8use of how mu ch ps),chologieltillulteriallouds each filII! shot, much of it e licited from the viewer, they are hcl:I.vy with sugges ti on, indi r('ct reference, Illultip le possibilities for 'meaning depending on till' next s hot, and the next. A grent dea l of visulllnUltler is thrown nWIlY, iuwiug rllised expectl:l.tiolls it ellll llot meet ill the Hcxt and next , becllus(' o f whal the di l'cctor' wants and (h(' ('dilor do('s, Somc of this ('xc('ss COll te nt. mill' be so (hu:zlill(!, ho ..... e"er, 80 full of IIl1di ff('rent illt('(1 elliot iOllal power. t hat it flUlC t ions Iike a compelliug melody, defining t he dUlI'ucter of the IlIo\,i(' (,,'e n if it makes 110 inllnediate sense, If it makes no !';ellse {','(' r, the movie CUll still uppenl 811d make monel'; but it will be a fa ilure , Best is if sllch visual dazzle c r ell i es til(' fi lm's se nse , how('v('r, and IIlU lI ages to carry nil other IIIcallillgs, IlS in most. o f Kubrick 's 1Il0\'il'S, Tlw \' isual glamour and clnrity of th e boo t-camp sC' movie accounts fo r both pn ill tc r and writer, g iving thc Dut.ch d etail s an Engli s h 4

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J A C Q U K 8 C AL LOT ,

!'ICTU RE S

" Th E' COII\'t'rsioll or St. Ilaul," (rom rite j\ 'ClC

Tu lulll f' II' . Publ isht'd poslhumously. 1635

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15.28 Still (rom Slagccoocli. 1939

T 1/:(' III ieill - C~ I//I/ ry G r(l pI! i cs; _11Q" i (> ~

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Romanti c cnst, eVl'n fhwo l'iug the girrs s('\'enteell th -ceutury COlStumes with ninetee uth-ee lltur_y details, The light ing rollows both Schnlcken aud certa in Ro mantic gesture" seen ill 'Dlijlli:,"~:- Wilk ie, lllld early Windu s-tllt' Quaint s upe rnuturnl cusl or the story p recludes r{'rerring to Turner , but I)e rm its allusion to Englis h genre artists o r the first hllir or t he CCIIIU r)', who orW II lItied historic dress lind st~ttillg, This slllull ('!fort is 8n eXlimple or what cn ll be dOlle in his tor icnl mo\'ies if th(' right ullde rstanciiug is reached about th ei r relation to hi storical pniutings lind hisloriclIilales. Twentieth -celllul'Y c inematic rOlllallticism wa s pUI tn thc v{'r~' bes t c relltin~ use in thi s nent slllull s,Ynt.h rs is or Ilin{'teenth -c('ntury ElIglish (nctuully Irish) lind sc\'entcenth -ce ntury Dut ch fi ctions. The essen tially romantic cim ra c1.rr or the film llIf'd iu lIl makes u('utral hist.oricn l chroniclc almost. impossi bl e ill movie rorlll . No mutter how !11l1c h research is done 011 pots IIl1d PIIIIS , 011 pri\'lIte mot ivulioll and socinl forces, on dia lect. or CUS t.OIll , nnd how mu ch hi!;tOl'iclIl expertise is brought to benr even 011 the actuill shooting, II 1II0vie like TILe Rclu r ll 0/ Mortill Gil erre ends up a poetic rollllluce , EITort s to rt'prod uce Bruegel puillt ings ruil or thei r e ffect , s ince Bnl cgc l hirnse lr was It highly (lI:·tll ch('(l, "modern" sort or puintcr-although highl y ci nclllul ie ill hi s cOlllpositiollUI met hod H. III his t.reat.ment o r subject lIIuUer, he WitS ltll il'OlIic. 1I 0t II rOIlUllltic renlist. He wo n' t. transilite very well illto the rOllluntic terms or 11 film like this, which builds a ruoderll rollltllltic Frenc h story 011 Ull ol'igilllli renl -life romantic plo t rrolll soulhern Re nuissllllce Prunce-which wns indeed an original ho me of literary ROllmllce. Bnlegel, with hi s sl ightly gl'otesque Northern style, cou ld only be s tuck onto the s llrrace of .110 rI ill Gll erre a s IIl1eC('8SIl~r nllllsion, to make II flll t.leri ng rcrcrellce to whllt Wt' li re ull supposed to know fro m him about the look o( EuropcilH nmlilire in lil(-' sixteenth centu ry _ It might hll\'e b('en beUer to lise the lUunllscript ill um illltlio ns (or the ROIIl/IIltic epic poems rrolll sixteen t h-ce nt ury Frllll ce itself, wh ic h hewe the right e motiona l flil\'or e\'en ir they IIII\,en't, as 1I!1111y well-knowlI picturesque peils· ants. An avowedly rOlllalltic film -lIl liker like Visconti CUll "cry smoolhly trllnslate hiJoll.Oric paint iug illl.o h is tor icn l fi 1111 by udal)! i ng only works of iI rt that depelld , like hi lS ClI lIIcra , olllhe rOlllllnlic II !S(' of lighl to CO live:' romllnlic themes; and so he can muke thc pasl com(' nlh'c in Th e Leopard, for example, 8S it. rail s 10 do in Marlill Gllcrre. The " iSHil l SC(IU ellCCS ill thai mo\'ic cn rry II IlH'SsllgC 1I0t 80 lIluch o r six teenth-cent.ury Mlral lire llS or the romant ic com'clltiolls of twentiethcentu ry Prench fill11-milking, ill thl' rnmil illr styl(-' or the !>oig-mUlt bitlersweet. lo\'e storieI-> o r the 1940's. The hi storicll i films of thlltl>criod. s uch as us En/allts dll Paral/ iN und us Visile'llrNdll Soir, used to huve prrrectly acceptab le sOIlU'w hnt il/con'pcl period COSt.UIIU'S, 1.0 SUppOI't the nhistoricnl.

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M O VINO

PI C T U Rt;S

romantic spirit of the films. No pointed references to paintings were at· templed; it WilS pure Prench movie"making, melodrama made trnnscc ndcnl by the chiaroscuro mode in Illot.ion. Martill Glterre is ItctulIlIy ,'cry simi lar, and all the expensive historical accurliCY is wasted and irrelevant. The stars' amorous relation is the real subject of th e movie, und the grcat('sl care and finesse are expended 011 th e modern clIlotiollulllccurncy of the se · quences depicting it-not 0 11 a t.nle renderiug' of ""' rench Renaissance peas· ant life. By contrast , th e quality of hnlian peasant existence-i ts tedium, its weight; the way delicate fee lings seek expression ill obscure physical terms; how relationships become muffl ed by circum sta nce lind vulnerabl(l to cnlde chance-all this itself cOllstitutes the rOlllllllCC ill Olmi'f; 1'h.e Tree of Woode'l Clogs. That film is altogether tl good example of documentary pictorial romanticism. Emotional respon se to its situations is drawn from the viewer directly by the muted color, the COllll>osition, lightiug, Illid editing of th e action that renders it apparently artless-ju st as in t he ci nematic Real ist paintings of peasants by Courbet and Millet (or agaill by Hembrandt)and not by rendering " moving" sce nes wit.h tlHl.Utrical poi ntcdness, or by giving youthful characters an attractive gloss-us in Mortill Guerre, or in the se ntimenta l Realist peasant. pailltings by Jul es Breton. It should be mentioned here that th e Jllpliliese movi e- milking enterpri se ha8 naturally had the advantage of (he extrllordinary trad itiolls of Japanese graphic art, both in ink alld bnU;h and ill prints. A graphic hi s tory of surpassing sophi sticat ion fIIay well hove pul. Japanese film -making ah cad of the West in finding ways to s how experi ence 8S part of a " floating world " that can on ly be IIIade even more explici t in movies. The influence of the West on Japanese film was large and deep; bUL the fundam ental einematic narrative conceptions explored 8nd abstracted by Harunobu and Hiroshige, who were inevitab ly admired by cinematic painters like Degas, s how a comparat.ively advanced understanding (or their time. Such a pa sl. hus undoubted ly gi\'en Ja.panese 1lI0vie- mukers something of till edge, eve n wh en they tire not treating historical materia l in hist orica.l ways . Quotat.ion in movies from movie hi story itself htls become th e true s ign that film has allied itself with the othe r arts that have buil t on the ir own past, form ing t raditious bused on what has work ed , making a community of fellow strugglers out of th e roster of past practitioners, raiding t he entire callon, as Shakespeare and everybody else has done, for whatever earli er discoveries will best serve the turn of present talent. Only the temporary power of rigid academies, rigid regimes, or both , has eve r stopped this natural artistic process, aud only the failure of prese nt18lcnt has evcr madc it dangerous or reprehensible.

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When American movies were supposed 1.0 be not nrt but. entertai nment, crit ica l disapprobation used to b(' eX I)r('ssed of movi es that quoted other movies, as if to say that perfol1llerl'l shou ld ncver hope to slIcce('(1 by stenl· ing tricks from their predeccsson;-<w('Il, or I)erhnps cspeciully. if it pays off. More recelllly such obvious lise of Pllst IP'cut llcss wns culled " hollutge" to whoever did it first; and most recently it is perct'ived as right and ellS' lomary, appreciated if a relll tulent like Woody All ell plainly builds 011 the aceo mpl isluucnts of the cinematic I>ast, and censured oll ly if he and his as· sociates s teal for lack of lutturul gifts or good ideas. By eneompllssing its own histOl'Y, film hns thu s openly lIcknowledged and encompassed the whole history of visunl art: just us Mllnel stole from both Goya and Velazquez, so a mov ie- makcr CUll s tf'al from both Manet and H itchcock. The future of cillcmu CUll oll ly be richer if such acknowletiglllellt. is more thoroughly internali zed Ilnd at the sUllie t illlc morc co nsciously understood. Although th eater, opera, and ea ri ng to S t. Jo,tlplt . Nantes, MUllee deli Beaux Arta. Ma rbu.rg/Art Resource. 4. 11 Georges de la Tour, A Woman Searcltil1g lo r Plea'. Nancy. ?Iusee His torique de Lorraine. Gir ... udon/Arl Reilource.

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5

D U T c n GEN R E

5 . 1 H endrick Te rb rngghen, Tltt! Calling af SI. ,11I1IIltt!WJ. Utrecht, Celltrll.1I.1 :\luseulII .

5.2 Still from Perfect UIl (/ugtalldillg , 19:1:1. 5.3 Theodor Villi Babul"tll . Th e Procure", Museum o f F ille Arts. Bos toll , 5 .4 Georges de la Tou r, Tltt! Paymu lt of /J u.n. 1."'0 \' , Museum . 5 .5 Shot rrom TIl t! Breaking Point, 19 50. 5.6 Gerard David, Tlt t! I' irgill alld CAild. Brussels, Mu see des Beaux Art s. G iraudolll A.rt Resource. 5 .7 Adriaen v8n Ostade, Collagt: Doorya rd. Was hillgton, D.C.. ~lIt i onal Gallery or Art . W idener Collect ion. 5. 8 Jail Stee n, Th e /)oclor'I Vi,i(. Philadclphia Museum or Art. 5.9 Gabriel Met811 , Th" MU lical Party. New York, The Melropol illl.lJ ~l l1setlm of Art. 5 .10 Pieter d e Hooeh, Motlter Lae ill g Iler Bodiu. Berlin . :\Iuseum Dahlem. Marburgl Art Resource. 5. 11 Gerard Dou , Mo/lter ami Child. Berlin, Museum Dahlelli. 5. 12 P ieler dc Hooch, Child alld MOlh er i ll a Ikel room . WHs hingloli . D.C.. ~a t i oll81 Gallery of Art, Widene r Collection. 5. 13 Pie ter de Hooch, Th e Kolf Player,. :-iHtiol181 T rns t, Polesden Lacey. 5. 14 P ieter de Hooeh, J/olh" r Delouli ng a Clt i lll . Allltil erdalO, Rijks museum. Al inari! Art Resource. 5. 15 Ilieter de H ooe h, Co uple ill a 8r.droo m with a /)ag. New Yurk , The Met ropolitan Museum or Art. 5. 16 Gerard Terborch. WOlnal! Petli,IY F ru it. Vie nna, Kilils thistorisches ~1\lse ulll . Bridgeman/Art Resource. 5 . 17 Gerard Terborch, Soldier a 11 (1 Girl. Paris, LOIl\'rc. Alillari/Art Resollrct' . 5 . 18 Emanuel de Wille. I llten or ,villt Woma n al a Cla vichord. $ ta te·o ....'lIed Art Collec· tiolls. The lllt.gue. Museum 8oYlllanll- \'811 Beulliugell . Rolte rdam . 5 . 19 J an Vermeer. A Jlall Gild WOllla'l II I Ih ll \' irgi ,w f.s. 1.IOl)do li . Collectioll of Her Majellty Queen tWubet h II. Marbu rg/Art Re!;ouree. 5.20 Pieter d e Hooeh , lI,ten or of tlte New TowlI lIall in Amslerdam . Lugallo, ThYI>8en· Bornemisza Col lection . 5.2 1 Jacobull Vrcl, Womall al a Wi lldow. Vie nna. KUIl8\hill torischt'1> Museum . 5.22 Pieler Jalll.!>ell8 Elillga. WOII'aN !leadi ng. Mun ich, Alte P inllkothek. Marbll rg!Arl Resource. 5.23 Esaiall BouMll>e. lI,terior wilh a Woma,1 Sp ill ll illg. Amslt' rdalll . Rijk8Il1I1SCUIll . 5.24 Jan Venneer, ODieu alld iAlIIgltillg Girl. l\"e ..... York. The Frick Collectioll . 5 .25 Willem DU.V8Ier, Soldier. by a F ire,,{a ce. Philadel ph ia Milselllll or Art. 5.26 Genlrd TcrlJoreh . O/fieu fin d Trumptl fJ r (TAr Oi"Hl tclt). Philudt'lphia :\11I8eUIII or Art . 5. 27 Jail Vennt'er. WOltlU1I Wril illg a 1A!lIu, with hu Ma i d . Bl t'1l8 illgt on . Ireland , Alfred Beit Collect ion . Gi raudOli/Art Il.f!sourec. 5.28 P i e l~ r Codde, YQW,lg :IIa n wilh II Pi/~. I..illt'. MU 8ct' des S CHUlt Arts. 5.29 Gab riel Metsll , IIderior of a S m ilhy . Londou , T he NHl iollHl Gallery.

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466

6

/II lj s/ratiol' s

LANDSCAPE ; PRINTS ; REMBRA NDT

6. \ Aelbert CuYP. Ca valieri Wat eri ng Th lli ,. lIorses. Amsterdam, RijkKllluseum. 6.2 Philipli Koninck, View of Field•. Alllsterdam, Rijksmuscum. 6.3 Remhrandt Villi Rijll, JOllepA A cculu l by Pot/pita,.', Wife. Wash ington. D.C., National Gallery or Ar t, Andre ..... W. Mellon Collect ion. 6.4 Aert de Gelder, Th e Way /0 Golgotha. llunich, Galerie AschafTellbu rg. 6.5 Jacob Hogel"ll, Tlt e Dance of Sa/atIlt). Amsterdam, Rijksmuseulll . 6.6 Nicholas \'8 11 Galen, Tlte Jwdgmcltl 0/ Cown' Wil/ iam lite Good. Has sell , I'rovincc or O"erij8sel, Town Hall. 6.7 Abraham Blocmaert. Tlte Morn'oge of PeiCItS ami Tlu/ i" Munich, Ail e P inakothek. 6.8 Eglon \ '11.11 der Nee r, Portrait of a Man and a \Vomo/. i,1 un I nterior. Seth K. Sweetser Fund. Courtesy Museum of Fine Art ll, Boslon. 6.9 Jan Vemleer, Vit!w 0/ /Jel/t. The Hague, Maurilshuis. GirRudon/Art Resource. 6. tO Emanuel de Wilte , A Marktl ill a Pori. Moscow, Pu shkin Museum of Fine Arts. 6.11 Gerri t Bertkheyde, Tltt Marktlplace at Hoar/em. l..ondon, T he Xational Gallery. 6.12 Rembrandt \'all Ri,jn, Th e £"/ol'llbmenl. E tc hing. first sta te. 6.13 Rembrandt vall Rijll. Tlte £"/ombmenl. Etching, fou rth state. 6.14 Rembrandt vall RUII, TAe Holy Fa mily wi/lt a Ca l. Etchi ng. 6.15 Andrea Mantegna , Tlt t! Virgin 0/ Jlwm ility. Engravi ng. 6.16 Rembrandt VtUl Riju, Cltrisl Prtlt nled. 10 tltt! Pt ople, Etching, seventh state. 6.17 Rembrand t vIIn Rijn . Tlt e DtlCe'II' from flte Cra ... Munich, Alte Pinakothek. GirRudon/Art Resource . 6.1 S Rembrand t van Rijn, Tiu Blillding of SUI'IISO II . F' rallkfurt . St il.delsches KUlllltinstitut . Marbu rg/Art Resource. 6.19 Rembrandt \'all Rijn, J oseph (ud POlipltar's Wife. Etch ing. 6.20 Rembrandt van Rijn, Tlte Rai, ing of Latarll.,. 1.08 Angeles Coun ty :\luseum. Oi ra udon,'Art Resourte. 6.2 1 Rembrandt van Hijn . Th e Raisillg of La.zants. Etching. Oiraudon/Art Rellource. 6.22 Rembrandt \'an Rijn, Tiu Arlil t in IIi, StNd io . Zoe Oliver Sherman Collection. Given in menlory of Lillie Oliver Poor. CourtellY MuseullJ of Fine ArlS, Boston. 6.23 Rembrandt van Rijn, Jail Six Readi"o. )o:;tching. 6.24 Rembrandt van Rijll, Jan Six wi/lt a DO{). Drawing. Amsterda m, Six Collection.

7

FREN C U PRINT S ; WATTEAU , C HARDIN

7.1 Jan Ve rkolje. An Elegallt Covpi e ill an I I/ fen·or. Pri\'llte collection. 7.2 Ootfried SchaJcken, Tlt.e Docto,.', Vil it. Private collection. 7.30otfried chalcken, Lady wi/A a Clllldle. Florence, Pia L Giraudon/Art Resource. 7.4 J . D. d e St.·J ean, SNit Worll wilA II Sword . Fashion print , 1670·s. 7.5 J . D. d e St.·J ean, Lady lValkiPig ill tlte CONlltry. Fashion pr int , 1670' s. 7.6 J . O. de St.-J ean, Gentlemall of Qwa/ i/ll. FSll hioll prillt, 1690's. 7.7 JaC(IUeS Cal lot, figure or a noblcman from La Noblt.,,~ lorrairte, 162 4. 7.8 Abraham Boase, SAops WIlder tlt~ La w CONr" . Etching. c. 16. Fried rich. TIt ~ Croll by lite Hallie. Cologlle, WlIl1l'8ff·Ricliarlr. ~l l1 seu m . 11. 5 C. D. F'ried rich, TI(,'O Mell al Moo "n6~ by 11t~ Sea. Chalk and sepia dl"llwing. Moscow, Muscum o f Pine Art . 11.6 C, D. Fried rich. Tlt e Salila'1l Tree. Berlin, Nat iolllligalerie. 11 .7 C. D. Fried ric h, Cowple /AJOkitly al tlte M OO /I . Berl in, Nationalgalerie. 11.8 S till frolll Et'O nyelille, 1929. 11.9 Still (rolll T Otti &lIlye r, 1938. 1 1.10 C. D. Fried rich, Earl y SIIOW; E /ltra"c~ i llto a Wood. Hamburg, K II Il Bthlllle. Marburg/Art Reilou rce.

, " d

11.11 S t ill (rom J/O(/l' rPl Tim tl, 19a6. 11.1 2 C. 0 . Friedric h . Vitlw from th e SlNdio Willf/ow, Itlft. Sepia. Vie nna. KUlls thi¥tUri8C tU.'" M IUiCUIll . 11.1 3 C. D. JO' riedric h, View fro m til t! Stlt.(/io Wi ,.dou:. n·yllt . Sepi.ll . Viclllla , KUllsthis to rischea MUSCUIil. 1 1.14 Mo r in . \'011 , c hwilld , TIl ,. MonlillO lIoNr. llullie h, Sc hackgalerie. Marburg/Art Re s()u~ e.

11 . 1 fi Morit r. \ ' 0 11 Schwind , Apparitioll ill II F or n I. Mllllic h, Sehllekgalerie. 1 1.16 :\l o r il1. \' 0 11 Sc h"' illd, OqHlrl llre i ,l til e f:arly Mort/;'I g. Be r li n , N8Iiolllllg81l'ne, :\18 rburg/ Art n eNou~e , 1 1.17 AlrN'd Rt'111I'1. Th ,. r isi t of Oltu 111 10 Ih l' Cr!lPI . OOsII'e!dorr, KUllliltllllU';t'lI m, 1 1.1 8 K.IIrl S pit7.w"g. Th t! Wiliou.oe r . Munich, Neue Pinllkothe k. Mtlrlmrg/.\ rt H4'lIolirce. Adolph Menzel, IICCIIt'1I rrom Th e I:i/t of f'rr d prick tn l' O~at: 11 . 19 F rede r ick by a ri" c r ill cOllsultatioll soout illljl rQ\'e mt'llt8. 11 .20 Frede ric k with his mini ster Cotc..-ji. 11. 2 1 Anned rarmens. 11.22 Prede r ick obliel'"\'ea the e nem y positioll Ilt Kollill (rom.llll ups t8irs window. 1 1.23 Frederic k exertises h is tn)(lPS in the rain. 1 1.24 Adolph :\It' n ze l, II /loom with O,t A rtis / 'If Silltr. :\Iunich. Bnye r ische S I.II818· gelll.li.lde58.llIll1iu ngen, M8. rtm r~/Art Heso u ree. 1 1.25 Adolph Me ll7.e l. 1'lte / lItfrrllpt iO II . Karli1nlhe. St8.sllic he KUIl &thalle, 1 1. 26 Adolph Mf' Il1.e 1. F ree/frick at lIochki rk . Be rl in, ~iltioIl8 I gMleri e, 1 1.27 lill (rom Th e Jlor se SoldicrI, 1959. 11.28 John Everett )l ill8i8, A cce pted . Sepia. New H a\'en, Yale Ce:nter (o r Bril iah Art. 11 ,29 C hll r leil KN~ ll e. " li ard l~ i lleK ." 1II1I81r8t ion in PI/tl ch '. Alma/lOrl.. , 1869 . 11 ,30 S lill (rom Alarty, 1955. 12

t

"~SG LI S H

ART AND ILL US TRATION ; WHI S TLER

12. 1 Abrahtlm .'010111011, 1\'a i/illg for Ih:e l'erdil'l. Lo ndon, Brit ish Museum , Bridgeman! Art Hesource. 12.2 H . K. Browne, " Mr. '>[lIch is amued by 811 ImeX I)(!ct ed Hpparil io n." Ill ustration ror J)iek£-ns' Marti" Chuu l l'wil, 1843, 12.3 W ill iam P owe ll Frith, "The Arres t." No.3 (rom TIl ,. H(Hld 10 Hili" . Etehi ng by Leopold PI8111eng rrom the 18 78 painting. 12.4 Arlhur Hughes. Th c f;"e of St. Agile•. 1.. o"dOIl, THtt' Gallery. 12.5 Will i8 111 H o lmllll IIl1l1 t, Th e IIr'rrl ing Shepherd. MUllc hest e r C ity Art Gallery. 12.6 1..3t1N'IICf> Ahu3·TadeIH8, SU /JI)ho. 8311illlon ', The W81ters Art Gtillery. 12 .i Sidney Page t. " Really, liIi r . tl liK iii a ve ry ext ra ordinary (111t·Slioll. " IIlulHratioll (or COIlMI1 Doyle'a Th t 11011 IIlI o/ Ih t HaJ/.;en:illu, f ro m Tlt t Sl rlHld MOgUli llt , Janua ry 1902 . 12 .8 F' r811k H olI, NeN--gute: CQIII1II ;1I( 1 for 1'rial. F;gh8111. S urrey, Royal H ollowtly College. Bridgen ulIllJ\rt Hellourcc>. 12 .9 F' r3uk Bra mley, A Jlupeltu DIINJ/I. lAnd o n , T a te Ollllery. 12. 10 GII8ta \'~ CRi llebolte, Th e f'/oor Sc rllfJf!rI . PHri" MUIi~e d·Ors8)'. G iralldon/ Art Hesoll ree. 12. II 1.o\'ilS Cor illth , Salo mI'. l..eip7.ig, Museum d e r B ildf'nden KUIiJit , )tarburg/ Art HellOuree. 12. 12 A tk inNon Grimshaw. Vii) 1IJ of l. iverpool Q/l.ay by :l/rxM /iyht. lAudon , Tate Gallery.

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470

'ource, l or IU llstratiO/IS

] 2. 13 J . A. MeN. Wh islier, Noc"u"" e i,. Black " " d Gold: TIt~ FallillY R()Ckd. Det roit Institute of the Arts. Marburg/Art Resource. 12.14 J . A. MeN. Whistler , S tvdy iN n ell!. TON~' and Black: POrlrait of Tluoclore, DI(rel. 12. 15 J . A. MeN. Wh istler, Hotlt u ltitJUJ. Etching, 1860. 12. 16 J . A. Me N. Whistler, Wap/)irlY o rl TJwm tl. Pri\'ste colleelioll. 13

AMER I C A

13.1 J ohn Singleloll Copley, Wat.roll and lite Sltark. Gift of Mrs. George "Oil Lengerke Meyer. Court.esy Museum of f'ine Artil, Boston. 13.2 M. J . Hesde, SauH11e all Ote Mar.ltu. Michigan. "-'Iint In stitu te of the Arts. ] 3.3 Pitz Hugh Lane, Bracc', Rock. Brace', COI.'« . T he lAM Collection. 13.4 Thomas Cole, Tlte Bxpv/'ioN from (/t il Garden 0/ f.'den _Oift of Mrs. Maxilll Karolik for the KKrolik Collection of American Paintings, 18 l a-186S. Courtesy Museulll of Fine Arts, Bost.on. 13.5 Thomas Cole, Tlt l Wilier' Reeel/ illg Aller lite Deluge, Wlishington, D.C., National Mu&eulIl of American Art, Smithsonian Insti tu tion. Gift of Mrs. Katie Dean, in memory of Millnibel S. and J a mes WIlI Ia.ce Dean, and Museum Purchase through Major ACCIUisi· tions Fund, Smithsonian Ins titu tion. 13.6 Albert Biersladl, MOtud Adam", Wa"ltinyloN. The Art Museum, I)rinceton Unh'ersi ty. Gift of Mrs. J acob N. Beam. 13.7 Albert Bierstadt. Tlte Hock y Moamlairu. New York, The Metropolitan ,\Iuseulll of Art . 13.8 Winslow Homer , We.fl Poin/, Prowl'" j\·cck. Williamstown , :\la8& .. S terl ing and Francine Clark Art Ins titu te. 1:1.9 Winillow HOIllf'r. Tlt e Croqllel Game. 1866. Priends or American Ar t Collection. The Art hllititu te of Ch icago. 13. 10 Claude Monet, Women in tlte Garden. Parill. llusee d'Orsay. GiraudonlArt Resource. 13. 11 Willldow Homer, Croqltd Player. New York, Nat ional Academy or Design. 13. 12-1 5 Win.slow Homer. magazine illustrat ions. F rom lIar-pu'" UTeeHy: 13.12 ' ;Winte r-A Skat ing Scene," 1868. 13. 13 "Our National Winter Exercille - S kating," 18 66. F'rom The Gala.r,y: 13. 14 ;'She tur ned her race to the window," 1868. 13.15 " Weary and dissatisfied with everything," 18 69 . 13. 16 Winslow Homer. Hoy" in a Past wrt, The Uaydon Collection. Cou rtesy Museum of Fi ne Arts, Boston. 13.17 Winslow Homer, Un dertow. Williamstown, Mass .. Sterling and Francine Clark ,\ rl Ins titute. 13.18 Winslo ..... Homer, TIt ~ Li/~ Line. Ph iladel phia ){useum or Art. 13.19 James Tissot. Portrait 01 Miu Lloyd. London, Tate Gallery. 13.20 Jalllu Tissot, Tlt t Gall~ ry 01 II.M.S. ;'CalcwUa," London, Tate Gallery. 13.2 1 Thomas Eakins, Th~ Concert Singer. Philadelphia Museum of Art. 13.22 Thomas Eakins, Tlte Pathetic SoP/g, Washington . D.C., The Corcoran Gallery of Art. 13.23 Thom8.11 Eakins, Portrait 01 JUrI. f..'aki"". Washington, D.C., Hirshhonl Museum and Sculpture Garden , Smithsonian Ins titu tion. Gi ft of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. 1966. 13.24 Thomaa Eakins, The Swimming lIole. Collection Modern MuseUm o r Fort Worth. Purchased by the Priends or Art.

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1

13.25 'rhollla~ ElI.killli. Saifillg. Philadelphia Museum of Art. 13.26 Thomali Eakius. tartillY Ovl Al iI''' liail. The Haydon Collection . Courtesy

MuseulII of Fine ,\rI S, UQliloll. 13.27 Tholluu. Ellkius. Sd/-Po,.jmil. New York , ~tlt i o ml.l Academy of Design. 13.28 ,101m Singl'f Sl!.rgellt. Sei/-PorINt i' . Floreuce, urn!.i. 13.29 J ohn Singer Sargent. TIl e DOUghier, of f~'dward Hoi/. Gift o f ~hlrY I..oUi611. Boil , Jane Hubbard Boit. and Jut ill O\'e ring Boit, ill memory of their fat her, Ed ..... ard Darley Boit. Courtl'sy MU8Pum of FilIP ArtN, Bostoll . 13.30 J ohn Singer Sargent. Porlrait 01 J!rll. f..'dHXlrd I~. l>ul'ill a/Hiller SOli Dill illgslo,. Du vi" ).A>S Angeles County MUI~eulII or Art. 13.31 Thomas Eakins, J/amil Scene. T he Brooklyn Museum . Girt or George A. I-learn. JO'rederick l..oeser Art Ptllld, Dick S. Hamsay ""tllul. Girt or Charlcs A. Schieren, 13.32 Diego VelA.tltllc7.. Ul$ Me-Nilla". l\hulrid . rrado. 13.33 John Singer Sa rgent, M r". Ca rl Meyer a"d /ler Chi/drc". Burringdale. Berkshire. Sir AIIIIIOII), l\j(>ycr. Marlmrg/Ar t Heilource . 13.34 Edward HOPl)('r, /loom iN New York. Unh'e nlit~, of Nehraska II.t l.illl:ol\!. S heldon Me morial Art Gllliery. 13.35 Edward Hopper, SeeO/lll S iory Sunliyh/ . Nl'w York, Collection Whit ney l\luseum of AIIII'ricall Art . 13.36 Edward H OPIX·r. Niglt/ Sh adoles. Et chi ng. Xcw York , Collec tion Whitncy MuseullI of Ame ricalL Art. 13.37 Edward H opper, " H e did il j U1S1 011 purposi' to frightell IIIi' ... " Illustral iOIl ilL Fanller', lVifc. March 19 19. 13.:IS Edwltrd HOI'I)N. Summer f;"ell il/g, 1947. I)ri"al.e collecl iOIl . 13.39 J ohn S inge r Sltrgellt, "I'lietial! Bead Sfrillgers. Buffalo. N.Y.. Albright· Knox Art Gltllery. 13.40 Baslman Johllson , No/ af /lfJm e. The Brooklyn :'Ituse um . Gift or :'Ili*,s Gwendolyn O. L. Conk liHg. 13.41 Fairfield Porlt' r, A Sil or/ Walk . 13 .42 Eric F'ilSc hl . Oaddy's Gil'/. I.Olldoll . Baatch i Collectioll. 14

FRANCE IN THE NINETEENT H CENTURY

14 . 1 Tholllas Couture. ROlllallit of lite Decadenel' (detai l). 1)11ri8, :'Ilu sl!e d·Onllty. A lilian! Art Resolln:t'. 14.2 Edgar Degas. lVoma/1 I roning. SUII Against tile Ligll/. \\'lIlI hington. D.C., ;\'8t iollal Gallf'ry of Art. 14 .3 Edgar Dt>gas, D(IIICl'rlf Climbill(J a Stair. Paris, :'I11I1It'f' d'Orsay. Giraudon!Art Relloun:e. 14.4 l"" York, The :'ott"tropolilll.U :'IllIlSeu m or Art . 14 .7 Edgar DegaK. RI'!lliug 0 11 1 1t~ Bed. Monot ype. Paris, :'I tadame Le Garrel' Collection . 14.8 "~dgar Df'glllS. Gel/i"y Oul of th~ Balh. MOlLotyP'!. Paris. Bihliot hccricnce in, 53, 54, 56, 67-8: seventeenth·ce ntury, 99, 206: sixteenth·centu ry. 90, 94-8: Spsnish art. influenced by. 255 , 257, 259

FUgitt from Hurt,,',,!! Troy, Tlt e (Elshei mcr). l..M FUgitt i,.to Egypt, f lu (Elshei nwr). 106, 1O?

Floor Scra lHl r. , Tlte (CailleboUt"), 338-9. 340. 341 , 419 Florence. 35, 59, 116, 200 F lorentine painting. 59, 88, an Jo' ocillon . Hen ri. 1.5 (olk art. Amcriclln. ;{4(1 (olklorilltic iconogra phy in early prints Bnd mo\·ies. comparl'd. 76-8. 124_30 (olk tales, German ROlJJllntic interellt in, 125,309,:U 1_14 Forbidde" Pla)ltt (film), 284 Forge of Vwlca", Tlte (Vehb;que7.), 1.6 (orgeries o( artist s' s ignatures, 7.9. Forl,,,,a, La (Tiepoio). 222. 222- 3 (ourteenth·eentury, 52, 165; book iIIulitration . 52, ()3, 59 . 75. 85, 81 F ragonard, J ean HOllore, 28, i l l France. aD, 52. 53 , 99, 332. 39:1: IU. a/'o Louis XI V, King; Paris Franccsca. P ie ro d ella, au Piero d ella Jo" l'ftnctsca Franciscan Orde r. ll1i Francis I, King, 82 Frankenstein, !l2 Frallkell"teitl (film ), 3.Ql Frank fur t, lil2 Frederick at lIocM.-irk (Menzc l), 31 8. 3.21 Frederick the Great, 450 F rederick the Great biography (Men7.el), 3 16-18,322,403, 43 2, 433, 450 fre eze·(rames, 2.6 French Academy, 206. 246, 393 .394, 396 Frenc h art; academic training (or, 393, 394 , 396, 397; and cinematic tradit ion, 11 2-18.208-9.243,247-9,399-422. 426-30, 436; Dutch a rt influenced by.

1!17. 198. 20 1-5; Dut ch influence on , 205-19,22 1,395 , 398, 401 , 403, 407, 4 18-20; eightef'llth,cf'lllury, 205- 19, • , 2 .'. 0 , w ;,'-,l 1- "" "_ 46-""", "_ "'. ,2 • 2""• • 23' 26 1- 2. :194-5, :19 8, 399: (ashion ill, 20 1- 13. 2 17,2 39,24 1,243.247 ,259, 398-9; (ourt et'nth ·cenHlry, 52 , 5:J; gen re the mes, 205- 19, 246-9, 395, 396. 398, 399, 404, 405, 414 ; g ra phic. 201 - 12, 2 17, 241,246-7,252, 399-400,402-3, 406-1 5. 426-9,443; landscapt', :197-8, 409- 15 i light in. tI 6, 11 8. 361.41 8. 419. 427 ; Neochu;sicis m, 39f.-8, 404; nirwteeuth·cent_u ry. 18, 30, 37 , 259, 347, :168. :169-70. 389. 393-422, '1 26-:10; Pa risia ll center on. 205-6. a 9a-5, 398=400; photography. 407, 409, 41 3, 426-7; portraiture, 190, 201, 204, 247 , 395, 414-1 8. 421 ; POlltRe\'olutionary s tylill tic changes , :J93-8; psychological I'xperience in, 207- 19, 247-9. 339, :141 . 403-22; realillm in , ao, 114, 2 10. 2 13.2 17,338, 346, 394, 395. 409. 458; lIe\'enteent h· century, 112- 18, 162, 197 , 201 -6, 211,394, 395; sexuality in, 209-1 1, 2 16- 17. 24 7, 404 , 41 5-16; symbolism. 336; and theater, links between. 207-8,210.21 1, 212 . 399-401. 426-7 : you thf" l facial style iu , 2 12_ 16 French Finc Arts Academy (HOllie). :lllfi F~ " clr LietA lellllllt'. W Or/lUtl , Tlte (fi lm),

ill F rench 1II0\'iell, 457-8; early, 426_30 F rench Re\'olut ion, 393-4 , 395 rrescoes. ~ 10, Ill ; eighteeuth.century Italian , 221-4, 227 , 231 Frick Collect ion, thc , Ll9 Fried . Michael. 5 1, lli r"ried rich, Caspar David, 39, 21292-309, 3 10,342,352, 376,424 , 44 5; graphic .....ork, 303-7 Frith , Will iam Powell , 28, 39, 114, 327, 3 29

frontispiece!!, in early printed bookll, 8! Fron t Pag8, TIM (film), still rrom , 453,

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FwtJ ,lIdnl J/J ck~1 (film). 4..:l9. Fflaali. J ohann Heinrich. 2A:l Oainliborough. Thoma". 25 7 GalllSsi. Peter. 30. G(lia.ry. Th e, HOlller' lI illustrations (or. 363, l&5 Galen, Nichola. \'all . 165. 167, l.6.8 Galileo. 11.6 Gallery o/ II.M.S. " Colcwlln." Tlt e (Tis&Ot), 369 , 3W gambl ing scene', i l l Garbo. Greta, 260. i l l Oauguin, Paul , 4.2.l. Oautie r, Theophile. 284 genre art , 10. 3li ; distinction" between high Ilnd low, l.Q.ll.; eighteenth. ccntury French, 205-19, 246-9, 395; Gennan, 125.309, 3 11 - 14,3 18, 3 19; and hilltorica l scenea. linked, 170-1 ; Im prCBsionislll &.II , 368; nine teenth· century American, 368. 389; nineleellth-ctlltul'Y f'~ lI c h, 395, 396. 398. 399. 404 , 405 , 414; lIe\te nteenthcentury Dutch, 124-57. 170-7. 197-202.206.217. 27 1. 446 Gt llllernall 0/ Qlfalil lJ (De St..J ean), 200 .

mm

202

George I V alllte PrQt'O,,,, Ballqwd

(Tunler), 274. 2:ll. German art. ~ 87 . 354; cinematic mode in, 102- 8.294-324 . 339.340; Dutch influence Oil, 300. 309. 3 16, 3 18; eigh teenth·century . 249-50; flfteenth·century. ~ genre IIcenea, 125,309.3 11-14. :11 8. 329; iIIuatrath·e. 125,309, 311 - 24 , 387; light ill, 106,297-8,303, 305, 309-11, 3 15; ninetee nth-century, 39, 40. tl.. ~ 234 . 292-324. 329. 339. aS8, 387. 424 ; Realialll, ;!.!!. ii. 160, 260, 284, 29 8,300, 301.314- 24; Romantic, 8. 39 . 40. !U. 92. 234. 292- 3 15. 424. 430; 8eventccnl h· century, 102- 8 : aixteenlh·century, 79-84. 86. 87. to.. 93-4 Gen nan movies, 3..9.. 430, 44 5. 4!ill Gennan Renaissance humanism, 79-80

German I,ypt':, 81 Genna ny, 39, tl.. 308, 358, 393 Gerilllle, J ell" l..wn , 28, 398, 404 , .aa9 Gelling 0111 oflhe Hallt (Degas), 407. 41lB. Gheeraer tll. 261) Gltetll Altarpiece (Van Eyck). Ii. 61 Ohent iIIum inatiolls, 61 GibllOll. Cllarlel! Dalla. 432. 440 G ilpin. Will ia m, 262 Giorgione, 18.90, lO..6 Girtin, Tholllall, 2fi.5 Gish, l~iII i. n , ? 60 Glau 0/ \faltr alld Coffcepol, willt Ollio tl~

(Cha rdin), 2 19. 2 1 9 Gleyre, Charles Gabriel . 404 " The Gnarled :'ot onllte r," ill .. al rtttioll for Tlte l..cgeHd 0/ Croqll,rmila ille (l)o re). 428 , 4.2.8. Goda rd , J ean·!Jllc• .!l.9 Goea. Hugo \'an der. 21. 54, M. ~ !i1. !Ii gold ellgra\'illg, 8.Q GOIt Zillll. Hend rick, 35.1 10. III, 11 2, 190, ?OJ GOlllbrich, E. 1-1 ., is Goncourt hrolheMl, ;l(l.3 GOlle Willt tile Wiltd eontilluity IIketch ()Iell ziea), tf. !.5 good and bad art, 'te high and low art Gorda/e &or (Ward), 281, 282 Oolitic CaOtedrol by a Rit'tr (Schinkel),

3..9..fQ.3..09. Gothic Nl\·j\'al. eight eenth-eentury British, 2.6l Gothic acript. S1 Gondt, Hendrick, 106_7 GOl.'Ull ell, Th e (Chardin), 2 11, 2 1B Gowing. Law~ ll ce, 28 Goy. , }"rauci.co. t l.i. lL 2.l. 25. :l4. ~:!2, 69, !!. 252-&0, 261, 265 . 271. 273-4.275. 276. 284,303 , 326, 336, 338,401.407. 411 . 421 , 4 39,440, 446. 4:)9; gnphie work , ~ 246. 252-6,2.6Jl Grllnd Manne r, The, 35.l Grand Sitcle, 221 Grtlllger, S tewart. 3.!l3 Grapu 0/ Wratlt (fllm). 4.1.

I mitu grllphic, d efinil iolllJ 0(, :l3 Grapltic, Tlt e, 337_8 graphic a.rt . set printed graphic art G ra\'elot, Hubert. Frllll\,ois. ill Greal Day al lli' Wrallt . Tlt e (Mart in). 28 7, 288 Grcal Die, TIl e (fil m), still from . 412. i l l Grtal Traill Robbery (film) . ill Greco. EI . 9.9. Greece. 334. 3.Jl1. Greek tragedies, 2Ji G reek vastll. ill Greuze, J , B .• 28. 212. 246-9 , 250. 2ii2 G riffith, D. W., 228. 259, 284, :1:14. :t49, 430 , 'rB. 455 Grim8haw, Atkinson , 342-3 gnMJillt; early lIIalluscripts, 85 ; Venc tian painting, 2!! Guardi, Francesco, 234, 23..6 Guercino, l81 guilds. carly book illustration, 67, 6!) , 1..5 Guys. Constantin. 400 . ill Haa rlem, )75_6 H aarlem, Cornelius \'sn, 1.6.9. H ague, The , 3.L 389 H alevy. Degas illus trat ion ror. 407. l!l!1. Hs la, F'rans, 3 1. i l l I-I lllllmershoi, Vii helm , 4 2 4_ 5 " handless eye," 15, 1.1 1/01111;001 Crossing lite A.lps (Tu n le r), 272 . ~72, 273 " Hard Lines," ilIu8tration in PWIICIt '. Almanaek (Keene), 323. 3.2:1 Harlow, J ean, 2..6..0 lIarlol(.'t Family, Tlt e (H ighmore), 243.

244 lIar/Hr ', Wed:/y. Homer', illustrations (or , 363. i l l H anlllobu, 458 B usch, l6.8 Hadill , Will iam, 27 9 Heade, M , J .• 3.5.2 /lead 01 a YOIlIIg Gir/ (Vermeer), 200 " He d id it just on purpose to frighten me,. ," illustration in FarmM', Wil e (Hopper), 387. 3.BB. /I~irt ... T1t ~ (film). ill

493

"I ('nri, Robt'rt. 387 /lenri Of! Go , and /I i, Nitc~ (Degas), 416,417 H enry, J " i l l H epburn, Katharine, 3..6i! heretics, 2..:1.5. " H er husband and I turned on her together," illustration ill Scribner', Maga zinf! (Christy), 432, i l l hproic depictions. n illctef'nth-century Britis h. :134-7 H erzog, Werner, 8.8. H eston , Charlt Oll , 168, 3:15, i l l H eyden, JIlII \'an del', l1fi high Ilnd low art : d is tinctions betwecn, 10-11. 27, 3 1-2 , 43, 1ft. 448; Dutch, 177-8; e ightecnth-cenlury Brit is h, 245-6; movies, ~ 10- 11. 245, ill H ighmore, Joseph , 241--4 H igh Rena issallce, 88 , 90. 3.30. H illiard, Nicholas, !l.9 hip-length " iews; ill fifteent.h-century art, 12 1; ill se\·cntf'f' nth·ccnlul'Y art, 1?O- l lIirt/illY Sltt pJu rd, Tlt e (I-IUllt), 331, 332, 3J2 H iroshige. :l.5..8. H irschfeld, AI, 3..i " H is eyes fell U(>OII the stick in Holmes' hand ," illustrat ion (or Th t How.nd 01 lltt BasJ.~t rlJillt:' (Paget). 45, lli. historical art , 2 7-8, 35 , 91. 453- 7: eightef'lIlh-centul')', 206 , 246-7; and gen re scenes, linked . 170-1; 811d historical film , compared. 453-8; lite rs~' ground in. 29; nineteenthcen tury, 277::80. 283-90, 314-22. 324, 325. 330, :133 , 334-6, :137. :195-8, 404 , 457: seventeenth-century Dutch, 161_71, 177-8, 198_9 h is loricalmo\'iell, 27-8. 35. 47, J 65, 178. 257.268,275, 334.450. 453-8; black,a nd·while \ ' S , color, 453-7; early Italian, 228-3 1; and his torical a rt, compared. 45:1-8; literary ground of, 21 Hitchcock, Alfred, 45 , 68. 179, 41 3, i.5.9. H obbema, Meinde rt, l58 Hoga rth, Willism . 239, 240-52. 253,

276, 32" 329, :lB!>

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/ ildu

494

Hogers. Jacob, 163. 165.2.2.2 Holbein, Hans. 78. 97. 244. 249, 262. 3 16. 33:1; graphic work, 8 1-1 . 9a. 1.80 Holl . Frank , 3:18. i l l Holland . 14. 116, 169.262,334, 359; Itt) allo Dutch Itrt Hollar, Wenceslall>; , 110,204 Hollywood, 27. 114. 126. 198,303.333, 334. 435-6; IU allO movies 1I0l y Family witlt a Cat, Th ~ (Rembrandt ), 18 1, 182, l..8a Holy Roman Empire , :t u Homer, :124. 3.25 Homer, Winslow. 37. 360-70, :n5, 376 . 378. 38 1.883,385-6 ,38 7,390,3 91 , 393. 430. 443. 4A5 /lome Sce,. ~ (Eakins), 378. 3B.1 l-l ont hol'St, Gerrit \'an, 11 6. 119. 200, 44:1 Hoogstra ten, Samuel \'Sn . l.!l3 /loIM/~" Do w" , ~l (B ramley), 338. :M!l. Hopper, Edward, ;!§... ift.. 152, 234,360. 383-9, :190. :19:1, 443 . 44 5 Aorenbout, Oe rard, 78. 9..6. H OMier, H 8r~' , i l l horror mo\'iI'S. :LB 1/01'16 Soldier" Th e (fi lm), st ill from, :U 8 , 32 1 How,ld. of tAe Busken:illts, TA e (Conan Doyle), Paget illu8tration for. 45. 336,337 Hou8ebook Master . 18 H OII) tAll OtAu lIalf Livu (Riia), Cox illus tration after . 432. 4 32 Hudson River-school painters. 3.6.0 Hughes , Arthur. 330 Hugo. vietor. 284 humanism, German Renaissance, 79-80 Hunt , William Holman, 320, 330 111111ler$ in tAe S'IOW (Bruegel). 9..5. HYPPIerotomacAia Polipitili (Colonna), 9.0

a

/co"ograplty series (Van Dyck), 190_1 illuminated malluscripts , Q.2... 1.2.. 84. 232 , 249 , 361. 457: fi fteenth-century, 61. 64-71. 75-8. 6..Q.. ~ 121 ; Flemish, 58_61, 64-7 1, 6..Q.. ~ guilds. g 69, 75; influence on Northenl

m

a

Europea n painting, 53-1 . 58-75, 85-6 . 9;; . ) 02. 121; int imac), of, 68-7 1. 74 ; h alian, 8 7; 8 ixlec n t h ·ce lltu~' . 11-5 : spatial perspective in, 59 . 6 1, 64-71

illuliioniSffi. 11. 2 1; fl N!hitectura l. 227-31. 234 . 236. 2:\7. 284- 7, 295 . 333; in fifteenth-cent ury arl. 52-68; ill Italian art. 59- 64, 68, 104, 223, 227-31 , 2:14 , 327: in Northern painting. 17, 21, 52-9, 61-8 . lJ!;}. 306; in thrater, 64. 227-:U. a2 7. 333 illustration, +-5; Ameriean , :)60-8, 385, 387,431-5, 437-9 , 44 3-1; comic, :l22, 324; and car ly photograph y, 8 1-2, 338, 406- 7.41 3-14 . 421, 432. 437-40. 443-5; early religious. 52-1 . 58, 59. ~ 64-84. 88; eightecnth-centu ry, 205- 12, 231-3 , 245-52, 263, 316. 398-9; fa iry-tale, 92, 125.309,3 11-14, 428; French, 201- 12,217,239.241, 246-7. 252, 399--&00, 402-3 , 407-8 , 4 I 3, 414- 15, 42 1-2_ 426_ 428-9, 44 :i: Ital ian, 78. 86-90; movies linked 10. !!.. 30. 50. 76-7 . 36 1. 43 1. 440, 44 :1- 6, 450, 458; nineteenth-ct' lltu ry British, 24 I . 245-6 , 252.261.263 . 273_80.

283-90. 318-29. 332-3. 336-8. 346-8. 38 7, 41 a; nineteenth·century German, 125.309,3 11 - 24 , 387; Nort hern European, 52-71, 74-8. 80-1. 85-93, ~ 99- 102. 106-9. 17 6-95, 200.204 . 3 16. 326. 433; painting accessible through. i. ~!i. 3 1. 35. 84. 102. 106-7. 178-95.205, 217, 290- 1, 32 5-6 .440, 44 3; reprod uced 8S pain tings. :!37-8; se\'entee lllh·ce nlury. 99-102 .106-14 .116 . 124.176-95. 200-6, 208; t.unl-or·t he-cl'lltury styles , 432-5, HO: twt'1l1iet it·ct'lItu ry. 252. 385, 386-7, 432-5; I CIl also book illust ration , maga7.ine illus tration ; printed g raphic art 1mlHltienct of tAe Sick ,Van, Tlt e (AI'S Mon e"di engraving), 76. ZZ Imperialism, i l l Impressionism, 18, 30, 37, 347,368.

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I"dc.£ a94 . :H)7. 402. 406-7 , 414 , 411. 421 , 424; fil'8t C'xhibition (1 8 74), 391; IUS genre a rt, :168; light and color iD I.31. 3Ji1 Incarnation theme, 8.5. Ingrt'll, J eall Augustt' Domini(IUe, 191 , 257, i.O..l ink and wash . :14. 45. 112,246 I" tenor (IA. riol) (Degas), 40:1. 403, 404 . 405, 416 I"terior al PdwlQrlh ('['unler), 269. 269 t"terior of a Smithy C\feI8u). 154 , 156, U6

IIlterior of t"e New TowI' 11(111 ill Aml /orda'" (De Hooch), 14 3, i l l intenor S CClleil , Dut ch. 131 -5 7, ill I"terior with a 1V0man S,Jillll illU (UOllrsse), 147, 148

b ,tu 'ior wit" Selltcd WOIIIII', (1h.lIlIlU!rshoi), 4 24. :l.2!t I,,'en'or with lrO//I(lI' al a Cla vic" orcl (De Witte), 139-40, /40. ill b ,' ernt.plioll , TltfJ (Mentel), :11 8, s.iQ In the IUOImt/l in' (H omer). :Jfifi. 36B "In the PrelJence o r Wa!:!hingloll," illustration in CCldury Maga:illfJ (Pyle), 439. L1!l 1"loIerallctJ (film), 22.8. Iphigen ia . 223 Irving, Henry, 333-4 . :135. i l l Italian IIrl , !1 :1 7; IIbs tl'llct beauty in , 90; classical tl'llditioll , 14, 17-Hl. 52. 58. 59-60. llli.. ~ ~ 109, 111. 118 , I 19-20, 162, 221, 395; eH rl y book ilhllHration. 7B. 87- 90; eigh tee II t h'e!!n t ury. ei nelllat ie t' Ie men t in. 221-39. 261-2; fiftee nth·celltury, 52, 54, 59-64, 68. 8 7; French Qrl influenced by. a9fi-8; graphic, 1iL 86-90,99; High Renaissance, S8 , 90; ilhl8io1li8nl ill , 59-64, 68. 104, 22:1, 221-31. 234, 327; landscape , 232-9, 261; light in, 1JL @" 61-4, 86-7, ~ 104, 109 , 116 , 119,223 . 225.226, 23 1.233 , 234,239; literature linked to, 18.86-7, 90; mannerism , 99, 110. 119, 259 ; 1II0tion in, 22 , 86, ~ 1m!. 223 , 227; mythic. 221-8; and Northern

495

Europeall tl'lldilion, compared, lfi- 18. 21, ~ !l9-7 1. 80-2, 84-90, 96-7, 99-111. 11 8. 119-23. 162-3, 1i0. 183. :1:17; PN'· Hllphllcl;t e8 influe nced by, 330, 33 1; psychological experience in, I S. 22. 25. 29, 59-62, 90. 109. 221-:19; realhun in. 59-64, 68, 99, lillL 223; se\,ellteenth·centu ry, 99. 101. 102.104 , 106,109-1 I. 11 6, 11 8 . 124, ]:1 1, 162 , :l12. 327, 334. :19fij siXlepnth·cenhll')', 78 , 86-90, ~ lind theater, links between, !L 14.25,29 , 63-1.109-11, 11 8-20, 170,207. 22 1-4,227-31,327,329,330, 446 I ialilill comedy , 207 It.lilill movies, lL 228, 2a l. 446. i l l Italy , 52 , SO, 99 . 228. 217 II f rom Ollter Space (film ), 3.l2 h 'in", William M.. 3ti

etm.,

"Jack Iht' Giant Killer," i.9. JacobeHII court mlisque, :127 Jalllt's. 1-1 1'111')', a68, :170, 375 , 376 , 378. :UH, 381 Jal. Sir Ht adillO (Rembrandt). 193-4.

ill Jail Sir willt a /Jog (Rembrand t), 193=4 . ill. JKpanesc a rt , 346, i l l JapallPsP 1II0\'il's, 4 31,:l1i8 J etrcn;oll , Thollla!!, H3 Jellhlha"'s Dali.g"ler (Degas), 404 J erusalem, 1.63 Je,." Cltri" Silperslar (film), s till rrom, 295,2.2,j J e ..... !:!. J..6.9 J ohnson. Eastman, 389-90 Jose,)" Accltsed by Palipltar', Wife (Remb randt), 162. 1.6.3 Jo,cp" al.d Polipltar ', Wife (Rembrandt), }86, 1.81. jOllrnalislll, Ilictor ial : eightcenth-eentury, 245-6; lat e ·se\'cn teent h ·cen t u ry, 204-5j nineteell th·centlu ) '. 329. 3.3.8 Judgment Day, 2H3 Jli.dgm enl of COIlIII William Ihe Good. Tltt (Van Ga len), 165. 16i. 167, l.6.8. July Monarchy, 3.9.6.

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496

IlI(lc.£

(Bening illumination from TIM Da Cos/a lIonl). 71. '13 JIlp it6r al1d /lIt rcvry ill tlte liou&t of Baltcil alld PhilemON (Elslieimcr) , 102-3. lll3. JU88im , Estelle. i l l Jw.n~

Kalf, Willem. 6 Keatll, John, i. 312. 325, Kee ne. Charlell, 31S- J9, 322-1 , 399 Kersting, Georg I"' riedrieh, 3Q9 Ki ng Kong (film). 3M Koll Player-" Tlt e (De Hooch), 13:1. 1.'14. ill Koninck, Philips, 158-9 . 21l Korda. Alexander, 450, 4 51. i l l Kubrick. Stanley, 44 8 . i l l Knnde. David, i l l

aan

Lady lVa/ki" g ill tlte COIUltry (De

St.-Jean), 200, 2!l2. LAH/y witl! a Can(lle (Sclulilckt'u), 200, 2111 1.A' kt. j" Ih e Wood" Th e (Dorer) . 94, !l:t Lamb, Charlelli, 2B.J. LalldiNg of COfUlllbNlf (Bierstad t). 3.5.!1 landscape art, 9 1-6. 397: American, 39, 352-60,3 75-7; British, 26 1- 92. i l l 397; Dutch . l aS-flI. 171. 173-6 , 234, 235.261-2 . 271, aoo. 397; early book illustnalion, 75, 9 1-4: effeets on travel, 262-3, 278-9; t'igh l('ellth'cent ury, 9 1, 232-9, 26 1-5, 277. 28 1. 395; Frt'nch, 39 7-8. 409- 15: German Romantic, aJ!.. 40. ~ 92. 234 . 292-:n ;). 480; Ita lian, 232-9, 26 1; light in, 159-6 1, 265, 27 1-2. 279-80, 298; LuminisllI, 39, :152-4 ; nineteenth·century , !l2.. §.L 9 1. 26 1-:1 16.341. 352-60, :175--7, 397. 409- 15; Northern Europt'81l t radi tioll of, §.L!i.!!.. IQ. 9 1-8, 102, 106,1 58-61, 171. 17:1-6 . 2:15 , 26 1-2 , 265.27 1-2, 300; pict uresque ideal, 262-5, 277. 296: seventeeuth·century. 10 1- 2 , 106. 158-6 1, 17 1, 173-6,235,300; sixl eclllh'ecntury, 9 1-8 ; .U' al lff) lopographieal art.

landscape ill movies, 264-5, 277, 278, 301, 303. 3..51 landscape p hotography, 263 , ~ Lane, }o~itz Hugh, 3..5.3 Lang, Pritz, 35. 259. 284. 4:!b Last of EIlglalld, Til e (painting), 3.3.l Laura (film), 3.ll I~a\'ater, J ohann Kaspar, 24 9, 2.5.0 La wrenCf! of Arabia (fi lm), l.fi8 Leech. John, 322, ill I~e Fallu . S heridan , 455 ugelld of Croquelflila ine. Tlt e, Dore illus tration (or, 428. Ul1 Leighton. Lord, 28, 334 , 3 3 6 I~eo llardo da Vinci, 22, 86. 100.2.5..9 I~opard, Th e (Rim), 4 57 Le\'in , Gail, aft1 Lewis, Jerry, l2.8 Leyden. Lucas \'sn. 8B !.i~r ShuliorwPII (Turner), ill L'i~r I'eritali, (Claude), '>63 Licht, Fl"('d . 252 , 253, 2.5..5. L ichtenberg, Georg Chris toph , ill Ufe Li"e, rite (H ollll'r), 366. 3 67, 430 I. ife of all lIl-edMcated Girl, Tlt e, SCene from (Chodowiecki), 25 1. i l l Life of (J Ital.:e, Tlte. scene from (Chodowiecki) , 251. 252 IAfe of Frederick the Great, Tlt e (Menzel). ilhullraliolls (rom, a16, 3 17, 3 18, 322. 403, 4:12, 43 3, 450 light and lighting. §. 1:l- 2!l. 3 6 . 38. 39. 4 5; ill AmericslI Romantic art, 3!l2-4, 361, :166, !J6R, 371 , :114 : in British art, 27 1-2,279, 281. 327. 329, 330 , 3:19-42: and color. lti... 11. 2!!. 8..6.. 118: in Dutch art, 16, !J!. 22, 23-5, 28, 61, 119-20, 131. 133, 13 9-60, 168, 179-93,241. 27 1. 327. 443 ; ill French art, 116.118, 36 1. 4 18, 419. 4 27: in German 8.rt, 106, 2 97-8, :103, 305 , SO!)- I I, 315; Impressionist, 37, 36 1; in Italilln art , 16. 59 , 61-4, R6-7, 90, 10·1, 109, 116 , 119, 223, 225, 226. 23 1, 233 , 234 , 239; landscape, J:,9-61. 2 6;;, 27 1-2, 279-80, 298; in IIll.wiea, 15-16. 18-2 1, :19-40, 160, J 80, 29!l, 301. 427, 44 0, 450, 4 5:1; in

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497 Northern Europellllllrl, !!.. ~ 15-25 . 28,39,53-9, 61, 65-8,80,85-6, [!. 9:1-6. 102-9, 11 9-20, 13 1, 133, 1:)9-60. 119-95,310-1 1, :)21, -1 22. 44 3; set also back lighting: chiarollcuro; llloonlight Limbourg brothe"" 5.!1 line: eightec nth'(:('lItu ry us(> or, 254-5; Italian VII. Nurthern European , 81-8; set also drawing; ske tchell linear perilpecti\·c. 14; Rrteenth ·cen lu ry Italian . 59_64 literacy. early, 14. 75. 18 literature, 7. ~ fr. ll.i alld Drilill h art, 240. 241. 2f12. 276. 278. :120. 324-9 . 8:12-3.336; eighteenth-ccntuI'Y. 240, 241. 24 6; and historical IIrt, link!! between, 2.1.... 29; and Italian book illlllltMl.tion , 78, 86-7, 90; modern, 243; ninet eenth-century, 242. 2 78-9, 320, 322-9. 336. 370. :n5. 316. 319. :181. 400. 403,404; Romantic. 106. 278-9 . 284; tnavel, 276, 324 lithography, 34 . 35 . 45 . 102; il1\'enlion o f, 101. 246; niIlPteenth·celltul')' "'rench, 402, 407. 4 13 hittle Girl with a S/tutfltcocl.. (Chardin), 213 , 216.216 L ittle Dibu ('I\lrller), 279, 2BfJ "Lodgers in a crowded Bayard Street lenemenl.- ' Jo'iv(' entll a Spot:" illustration ill Scribner', MOllthly Maga.lillfJ (Cox), 432 . 432 London. 2:14 . 2:19. 274 . 281. 281i. 333 . 34:J. 427 . 429.:l.3..l Longfellow, Hellry Wadswort h, "a6 "Long sat waiting rol' all answer," illustration for Th t Song of lIi(JwatJlO (Remington). 436, 4 3 7 long shot8, film , ;H5 Lorraill, Claude, 106. 160.262 , 263. 271. 279, 28 7. 354. 356. 35 7. 359. ill l..ornaille, 114. i l l Lotto, Lorenzo, 2.5..9 Louis XIII . King of France, i l l I~o\li" XIV, King or F rllnc('. 197,201 , 204. 205. 20~ , 3..9.6

iAlithprbou rg, Ph ilippt' JaC(lut'8 de, 277.

ill Louvre, 21!l. u mt-fcflcr, TIl e (Verlllf'er), 442. 44 3 Lo..... COlill trieii , frJ Lubeck, 6!! Luikoll, Cmmnr, 2.(11. Lumie re brothf'rw, :l.2.9 Lum inillt painterw. 39 . 35? 1 LWIICll co'l, Til t (Cllilleoottc), 41 8-19, 420. 420,!l.2..l LWlIcilCon i'l tlt e StNdio ()Ianet), 3.0 LWII for lAft (film), .a1i5. Lllt7.clburgcr the engra\'er. 9.3 Lyons, !ll

"I fbi 6

Mlldoll1l8 find child : ill Itillifln art, 63, 64, 121. 124 , 18:1; in Northern European art , 54, :i!i.ll69. 1L 12 1. 124 . 18 1-3 Madolllw in tlt e Ch urch, Tlt e (V811 Eyck), 54. 55, 56, 6!! Mad rid, 1..6 magazirw illustration, Q., ~ 4 3-6; nilleteellth-ct'nlury. 324, :125, 329 , 3:17-8.360-8,387, 399, 403,42 6, 4 37-40 , 4 43-5 ; t .....entieth·century AllleriCHu, 3Aa , :187 . 4 32-5 , 4-1 3; see also ill ustration; prilltt'd graphic a rt Mala Nod e, tl(luatint rrom Lo, Caprichol ((;oya). ifi. U Ma ll (Iud \ramall at lite I'irgi,wls, A (Vermeer), 14 0 , 141. 141 , l..:l.2 Mande r, Kart'l \'all. 9.6 Ma net , Edollfl,rd , ~ l a , 13, l!i , 11.30, .31.. :LQ.. il. 45. 4 6, ~ 257. 259, 395, :198 , :199 ,4 00,4 01, .f06. 407, 411. 416. 422, 4 32, 459 ; grnphic work,

aa.

40 ')

Manne riSln, I II; Dutch, 169-70; Flemish, 99 , 169; Ital ia n. 99, 110, 119. 25.9 MSlllegn8, Andrea. 86. A7, 8..8. 183 lIulliuscripls, illuminat.ed , BCt illuminatpd mall usc riphl

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4 98

l"deL

Ma n 1Valkiny, Seen in Profile (Watteau). 208. 2i1!l Man Who CamtJ IQ D"",,6,., Tlte (fi lm). still (rom, 441 . 443

maps, black·and ·white, 33 Marcalltonio, Ra imondi . 86_ 7 Market in a Port, A (De Witte), 174. 174. ill Marketplace 01 /laariem, Th e (8 erckheyde), 175, 115, i l l Marriage (Cats), 111

Marriage of Pelew4 " lid Th etis, Tlte (Bloemaert). 169, 110

Ma rtiu. J ohn , 283-90, 329, 354 , 355, 356, i l l Marli" Cltltuiewit ill u8tration (Browne), .128. 3.2.9 Marl y (film ), s till (rom , 323, ill Marlyrd01n of St. Peter, Th e (Cal'll\'aggio).

109, un Mary llagdaiene, 8.8 mSS(lue, 118. 126. 1611 , 3.21 Ma888ccio, :ill M assacre of lit e J,I/IOCIJnts, Tlt e

(illumination (rom Tlt e I/our, o/ I,abel la Co/Mic"), 69 , za Mat illKe. H enri. 38. 3.0.6 Maximilian, Emperor. 82 Maxim ilian Mallter, 59, 70j ICe al$o Belling, Alex.llde r Mayo r, A. I-Iyall . ill Medici cycle (Rube ns), 207 med ieva l illumimitiOIiS. Itt illuminated mllnuseripts medieval " naivete, " 59, 6.1 Meisel. Marlin . 325. 33S Meis8onit'r. J ean l.ouis EMlest. 28, 29 , 4 39

Melieli. George8. ilO me lodrama. 334; fi lm. !!. 28. 47. 4 9.1 28. 170. 430, 4 32; nineteenth·centu ry s la gt'. 257, 286, ill Mem ling, Ha ns. 61 memory, fi men: ill eighteent h·cen tu ry F ~ n ch art, 208, 209; ill se\'ellleen th·century Dutch a rt. 148-57, l.9B Meligoui·Cololllla. 227. 2.3..l

M eni ll(JI. JA4 (VeIA7,(IUez). 16. 379. 383.

384. 389 Menzel , Adolph, ;u. :109, 3 16-20, 322. 324 ,325,326 , 329.336-7.338. 38 7. 403, 432, 433, 450

MCI17, ies. Will iam Ca meron . i!l Alercltullt, Tlte (H olbei n .....ood cut). 8 1-2.

...

Mer-yo n. Cluules. 386, 407, 409-1 3. 41 8 . 4 28 M eui cltr' Ie' VoyageNr,

0 11

Th ei r Ri!l Nrll

from lIaly (par la Diligellce) ill a S/IOW U rift Itpoll Mmmt Tarrar-22ml of JIIIIN a ry . 1829 (Turncr). 273 . 273 Mcl ropoli. (fi lm), 284; arc hitectura l " illion rrolll . 285

Metropolitan M lIlU! UIII, 359 Metsll, Gab n el, 28, 128 , 130, 154 , l..5.6 lIIt'uotinl, 263; lIilll'tel'lIth,c4'ntliry 1I 1It' of, 27!l-80. 283-4 . 28 7; seventecnth· ccn tury u !ie of, 187, l!lfl ;'Miami Vice" (TV "i1ow). Michel angelo, ;L. fr. 35 , 6.0. Jl/ id"iyll ' Mode I'II CO ll vt r$llfiQII , A (Hogarth), 24 2, 24S Mienll, F' rall8 van , 28, 128 Milla is, J ohn E\'t"retl, 320. 322, 324 , 329, 330, 336, illii MillN , J ean Fram;oill, Mi8 MiIli"er ', SltOl}, Tlt o (Degas), 40r. , 4Jlj Milton. J ohn , 284 , 28 7, 4 28, i l l mill ilHIlrf! pai lltinglJ. 406; sc\'enH..'enth· ce nlUry Northern EuroptRn. 99. 102-4 , l.ft:l Mi,.i,' ry 0/ Mari ne, Th e (Meryon) , 41 1, 412. 413 M jm c ~/OIu Dra ft 0/ F i, lIe' (Raphael), 3.5D Mi,er ie8 of lVar picturl'lJ (Callo!) , i l l ,ulft. Pi ocf't ill .,. " fA SON rce" (D t'gas).

?n

404

Muck; ng of Cere~, Til t (EI!.heimcr), 107, 108, lO!I: lIlodel ing, in Italia n c ng rlwi ng. 8f_7 1JJ(H:h'nI lIrt !!. !:L. 1fI, 27. 43. 4 9. 50, 98, 422; begillllingJol 0(, 30, :12. 40-1. !)I j mo\'ies d isconnected rrolll, 27, 43. 49, 50 ; t rsu!icendell tal , 298; ICC al80 Ilhst r8ct ion; tw('nt i4'! h,c4'nt ur)' IIrt

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499 modem litennure, 2.i.3 Modtrn Timt' (film), still rrom, 303, 31l5. Modigliani. Amedeo, 3.8. Mona Li$(J (da Vinci), 32 Monet , Claude, 37,158 , 36 1. i l l MOltlorie Altar (llan der Ooc.), M.

u..

57-8. fii monochrome art, .tt black-and-white mOIlQtypes: nineteenth-century Frellth, 402 , 407-9, 41 3; se\'enteellth-cen tury, 10 1_2

Monroe. Marilyn, 2.6.0 montage, ~ 26, 82; in fi lms, 445 : in Ilineteellth-century British art, 336 moonlight : in British painting, 343: in Gennan painting, 106, 305 Moore, Albe rt, 336, :H6 lIIoralthemelJ: in American art, 354. 357, 371. 374 , 432; in eighteenth-century Britis h art, 214-5 2; ill eighteenthcentury """rench art. 247- 9; ill nineteenth·century Briti8 h art. 211 . 329. 330-2. 33HO; ill se\'enteellth· cent.ury Dutch art , 13 1-42. 177, 200.

2M Morgwe. Th e (Meryon) , 41 0, i l l Mo,.ning [{ON,., Tlt e (Schwi nd), :109-10. 310, i l l Moses, 986 Mouy T,.ee, Tlt e (Seghers). 100, 101. 102.

300 Motlte,. on(1 Cltild ( 1)011) , 130, 1.1J..2 Mothl r lJelow.ing a Clli/d (De Hooch), 135. 1.3.6 .V oth er Lacing lIer Bodiu (De Hooch), ) 30. ill motion : in British illulJtrativc art, 336 . 341; devicell, ill paiuting, 2o.-f!: film \'s. theate r , 50-1; in Italian art, 22. 86. 96. 109. 223 , 227; Muybridge studiell, 374 , 4:17: in Northern Eurol)can a rt , 20-5 . 53.56-9, 96-7 . 102, 11 9-5 7. un Alowlin RONgt (fU m ), 4 55 MOa/ l1t Adam" Wa shing/Oil ( Bierstad t). 3'8, 3.5.9 lIIo\'iu, 13-15: about art ists, " 50-7; ad\'ellture . :il. !!t ambiguity ill, 1.. 8 .

u..

29. 50.88.97,127. 14 3-4.265,31 5; and AmeriCan Homalltic art, compared, 35 1-92, 4 30-1; animated, 124-6 , 132, 30 1; archi tecture ill, 176, 227 . 228-31 . 284--6. "II ; artistic thiel'ery in, 11 - 12, 458-9; a\'allt ,garde, 4 9, 430; beauty in, 44 B, 44 9; black,and·white, 33, 34 , 35 . 39, 41, 43, 4 6-7, 49 . 139,228,231, 254.280. 411, 440, 450. 453-5; a nd British art, compared, 240, 24 1. 242-52. 265-92 . 324-48, 4 53,457 : chiaroscuro eft'ectll in, 4 6, 4 9, 453, 455, 4 58; cinematic methods, 44 5-50; as collaborative errort , 93; color, 20. 4 6-50, 453-5 ; colorizell, 46-7 ; comedies, 6. 28, 47. 49 ,1 26 . 12 7-8,178 ; continui l), s ketches ror , 4:"'- 6, 225. 227. 3 16, 432; cri me, i1.. 49, 4 30; definition of, I ll; documentary, 48-9, 430: early, 50- I, ~ 334. 126-3 1. 4 35. 4'15-6; editing, 20- 1, 2.§.. ~ 212, 352, 449 ; lind eight eenth.centu ry French ar t, , compared. 11 2- 18, 208-19.243 , 2i1- 9; and eighteenth-celltul'Y Italian art, compared, 221-39: lind eighteenth·century Spanish art, compared , 255-60. 213-6; endurance of, 3=:4: engulfing effcct.ll of, 15-16. 20-1, 28- 9, fiL tl.. 266-7, 351; European, carly, 426-30. 446; and fllshion . 2:1 1. 2[,7, 308, :t34 ; fillll noi,., 39, 407. 436 , '*i5; roreign \'8. American, \'alue of, 4:15-6: French, 4!l7-B; future or, 459; German , 4 30, 44 5, 150; and German art, compared . 102-8.294-324. 339. 4 30; u high \'8 , low art. 6. 10- 11. 245. 448; historical , 27-8, 3 a, 47 , 165, 178 . 251.268,275. 334 , 4 50, 459-8 ; illus t ration linked to. ~!ill. [ill. 76- 7, 36 1. 43 1, 440, 44 :1-6, 150. 4 58; indtll;try 0 (. 27, 178; int imacy of, 5-6, 9-10. 68; inve ntion or, 332; Italiall , 2L 228, 231, 446 , 4 58; Japallf'Se, 431. 458; illlld t$cape in, 264--5, 277 , 278, :101, 30:l, an1; ligh t in, 15-16 , 18-2 1. 39-40, 160.1 80. 295, 301. 427 . 440, 4 50 . 453; literature

m

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500 mo\'iu (coal,)

linked to, 27 i melodramu, §., 28 ... 7. 49, 128, 170, 430. 432; modem, 24 3; modern painting diseoullccted (rom. ~ ill.. i!!.. QQ; snd m",ie. 8-9, 143, 247 , 375, 447-50; narrat ive ill, 25- 32,

i!. 48-5 1.

17 1, 243, 252. 275-6, 300,

3 12. 430; and nineteenth.century ""rench art. compa.red. 399-4 22. 426-

30i Northern European art linked to. +=7.!..!. 16-25 , ~ ~ li. 54-73, ~ ~ 9 1-8. 101- 14. 11 9-206. 240.243.

300, 32 7. 440-2 , 445. 450-3. 455j peep.shov.', 193; period. 453-1; power or. 3-4, 27. !i 2. 44 5, 44 9; psychological experience i ll , 5-9, 12, 18-2 1. 25-7 , ~ 46-50, 76- 7. )7 1. 176. 179, 2 13,

232, 242-3.268, 275- 6,300,301. 339, 44 6-58; and realism. 46-50, ) 16, 2 13, 430,4 3 1. 44 5, 458; religious. §.ft. ) 20, 292, 295; romantie eha racler 0[, 7-8, iQ. ~ 234, 265, 300. 301,

349-50. 389. 430- ) , 44 5-7. 457-8; Scandin8\·i8n. 424, 425, 44 6, 4 5 1; aci·ft. 228; set design ror. 228-3 1, 303 . 309: 334; and sexua lity in, il... i l l 136. 139; si lent, 76. 87 . 446; surrealiatic. 4 9; and Iheat.e r. com pared. 50-1. 334. 440 . 4-4 6, 44 8i time flow in, 25-6; transcendental impullj:e in, 300; twenlielh·«ntury, 435-58; and twentieth~ntury Ameriean art, compared. 383-92. 430-5 . 44 0-58; war, 178, 44 9; Wes terns. !1..!ft. ~ 178, :157, 4 30, 437-9 , 4 55 movie·ata r image, origin in painting, !l..1 Mr. Oldltam arid JIi. F riend. (Highmore),

242, :n " Mr. P inch is amued by 8n unexpected apparition," illustralion ror Dickens'. IVanin Cbuluoil (Browne), JIB, 3.29. Mr•. CarlllJeyer and Her Cltildru (Sargent), 3 78 . 382, 3..8..3. ,Vr•. Da lli. alld lIer SOli iAL'i"U.'orl (Sargent), 378 . 380 Munich, 23, lll2 mural painting, German Romantic, l l i Murillo. Bartolome Esteban. 35, 3.2.9

Muaeo dC'l "raclo. l.fi. museums, ~ ~ 1..6 IIIlIlIic, 375; movie. 8-9, 47. 14 3.24 7. 375, 44 7-50 ; scenes, ill Americlln nilieteenlh,cf'lIll1ry a rl , 37 1-3 ; IIcerl('a. in scventet'lIth·cenl ury DUICh Itrl. 14 3, 198, ill MN.ical Pa ny, Tlte (Melau), 128, mllaic video, 9. Mllybridge motion s tudies, 374. i l l mythology, 35, 161, 44 5; in Briliah art, 263, 268 , 272-6 , 283, 334-6, 339; Chriatian , 102, 292, 293; Clallilieal. 99. 102-9. 161; ill Du tch a rl , 16 1-9. 170. 171 : ill ""Jemish art. 96-8; in French art. 2:! 1, 398, 404; in Italian art, 22 1-8; 1II0rll, 252; in lIe\'emeemh· century art. 99, 102-9. 16 1-9. 170,

m

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Naked JII fJja (Ooya). 2.5..9. Nana (RIm), ill Napoleon Bonaparle. 252, 277 , 3illi narrative, 10 . 27- 30. ia. tl;. in eighteemh·cenlury Bril i&h a rt . 243-52. 273-4 : in ei((,htf'enth.cenlury .... re nch a rt, 205- 19 , 24 3-52i in German art , 125, 309-24; K",phic tradition, :ill. ;!;!. 34-5, 4 3-6: modenl , 243; in movie•• 25-32, 4 6. 48-9. 171. 24:1.252. 2 75-6.300,3 12, 430i in nilleteellth~enlury Ameritan art, 356=-83; in ninetetnth·century Brit ish art. 272- 90, 324 , 325-34 , 336-40j ill lIineteenlh·ct'lilury Prellch art , 405, 420, 4 22; in Northern E uropealJ art, Qi. §.§.. 64-71 ,!!!. ~ 11 9-206, 243-4 : ill se,'enteenl h-eenlury Dutch arl . 11 9-206. 24 3-4 . i l l Nativily "I Nipltl. Tlte (Ourtgen tOt Sint JailS), 85, 8.1 naturalilm, 206 . 4 26; Oen nan n omanlic. S09, ill Nltll rsl P ielY (nineteenth cent ury), fiB nature movies, 471 48-9. Nuarenel, 3.illl Neer. "~Igoll \'an del', 160. i l l Nwcl ... iC!ilm. 60, 23 1, 233. 24 7. 250.

."

50 1

Jllde:r 309, 3..9..i. 399: F'M'lIch. 394 . 395-8; Ro manl-ic, 22.l Neoplatonism , Helillissance. 5.2 Netherlands, 53 , 87. 99, 11 6, 177. i l l Netsche r, Caspa r, 28, L28 Newgale.' COlll lllillt:(l lor Tria l (lI olI), 338,

ill newspapers, !!. t 35; nineteenth·century iIIuatrsti\'e, 3 ;)4 Net#! Te,lam c,.l, Tlte. Callol illuill r&l ioll or, 455. 416 New Town lIall (Amsterdam). 143. lli. New York, 176,234,35 7,4 :17 Nigltl Shadowl (HoPI>er). :186, 387 nineteenth·century art. 10, 28, :13. 39. 114; American, :-19 . 298, 324, 349-83, 389-90,393,437; Brit il!lh, 114, 18 7. 261-92, :UH8. 387. 403. 4J:" 455. 457; early movies, 426, 429-30; rashion in, 10, 259. 269- 71 ; French, It 114. 259. 347,368, 369-70, 389, 393-422, 426-30; German, 39 . '10. ~ 92. 234. 292-324. 329. 3:19. 358. :'187. 424 . 430; historical, 277-80, 283-90, 3 12-22 . 324. 325, 330, 333. 334-6, 337. 395-8. 404. 457; illustrat ion and printed graphiclI, 30, 263, 276-80, 283-90, 303-5. 3 14-29. 332_3. 336-8, 346-8, 360-8. 387. 399, 402-3. 406-1:'. 426-9 , 437-;0.443-5; landscape, ~!L li: ~ 160, 261-:1 16, 341 . 352-60, 375-7 , 397; Northern European, 3:14-6, 422-5; photogra phy and painting, linked . 13-14, 1:1, 30-2, 257,338,342, 347-8, 357.392. 402-7, 4 13,421 .4 26-7 . 437-40, 443~ realislll, 30-40. 49, 160. 260,284 , 298,300.301,314-24,330. 336-8, 349-83,392, 394.395.409,4 13, 422-6. 445; romanticillm ill, 39,!2..

:.m.;n,

160.260 , 292-:115, 346, 349-8:1, :194 ,

395.406-22. 426.429.4:17 .440,447. 455-7; Scandinaviall, 422_5 Nine\'eh, 2.8.1 Noah 's Ark, 2M Nocho'f!4 in Black and Gold: TIt ~ F alling Rockel (Whistler), 343, l l i

Northen l European a rt, !.. !!. 1; ambiguity in, L ~ 2 1-2 , 28. 53-9, 8 2, 88 , 91 . 2L 109, 127, 136-7, 142-=4, 156-8, 161. 265, 3 15; American a rt influenced by, 39, 350, 352, 358-60, 38 1. 386, 389,390,39 1. 393. 44 3, " 50- I; British lirt influenced by, 261-2. 271 -2. 3 18. 320, :126. 33 1, 33 7. 350. 455; chiBl'Ol;cul'O in, 16. 179, 190.2 12; cinematic element in, 4-7 , 14. 16-25. gft., ll... 54-73. fig. §..!!. 91 -8. 10 1- 14. 119- 206, 240, 243 , 300,327, 440-2. 445. 450-.1, 455; color 8upprelliled in, 85-6, 88 , 253; flftee nth·century, l.§.. 17. 2 1, 52-7 1. 15-8. 80- 1. ~ ~ ~ 102, 259; graphic tradit ion ill. 4-5,!L 52-71 , 74-8. 80-1, 84-9:1. ~ 99-102, 106-9 , 176-95.200,204,3 16. 326. 43!J; hip·length views in, 120-1; iIIuliionism in, 17. 21. 52-9, 6 1-8 , 19:1, 306; influence or medieval illu mination Oil, 53-4 , 58-75. 85-6. 95.102.12 1; and Italian t raditioll, compared . 16-1 8, 21 .52.59-71. 80-2, 84-90, 96-7.99-111 . 11 8, 119-=23, 162-:t 170. 18:1, 3:17; la nd scapt' tradit ion, ~ 63, 75 , 9 1-8, 102, 106, 158-61. 171, 173-6.235, 26 1-2,265, 271-2,300; light in. 6. ~ 15-25. 28, ~ 53-6, !!2. ~ 65-8. M.. 85-6. ~ 9:1-6. 102-9 ,11 9-20.1 31, 1:l3, 139- 60, 179-95, 310- 11 , 327, 422.443; nineteenth .cent.u ry. 334-6. 422-5; psychological expe rience in, 4-7, 17-25, 56-71.1fr. 80-2 , ~§..!!. 91 -lt 101-9 . 120-95. 249-50. :100. :127; real ism in, 56-64, 68, 76. 78-82, ~ 103-6. 126, 137-8. 161, 176. 208. 257, a 12. 350, 422-5; religious experience in, 54-71 . 75-8, 80-1, 8..5... a1;. rootll or Homantieis m in, .3.2.. l..O2.. 160-1, 234 , 300; se"cllteent h,centu r),. 99-109.1 19-206.243.386. 440-3. 450; sixteenth ·century, 74-98; pall ish a rt influenced by, 253, 255, 257.259; lee al ,o Dutch art; ~~ I emillh art : Gennan a rt; SC8ndin8\'ian art

no

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502 Norlhen l European movies, 424 . 425. 446, iOll Not at /lome (Johntlon), 389, S9Q Notl~, L4 (tHIII), 49, l.3..6 Novak, Barbara, 352, 3..6..l Novak, Kim. 1.29 No,'aJis, 3.l2 nudity in art, 41 . 4 6. 259 ; .ee al.a

SE'xu8lity /" Nrembuu Chronicle.

TIt~. 19

Officer alld JAJwglt ing Girt (Vermeer), 149, 150, 193, 44/. i l l O!Jicer ami Tnunpder (Tlt e /)i.pa lclt) (Terborch), 15 1-2 . Hi. 15 :1-4

Old TOMln lIoll of Amsterdam, Tlt e (Saenredam), 45 1, Li1 Olmi ,

7 1, 4 58 Olympia (Manet), 40, i.!.. 4' J, 46, 259, 398,40 1. 406 Once a Wuk, 3.2i "One ealluot look at. this," No. 2fi from Lo. De.a,/re. de 10 Owerra (Goya), 255. EMIIBIIIlO.

2$6

';Open here I flung the Shutter, " illustration for Poe's Tlte Ra l.'t rt (Ma llet), 402, 4Jl2 DIM Pl i ng of lite Red Sea, Tlte (Callot), 112.

ll3 opera, 162.207. 247.334.336, 398,4 59; bad. 448; , British, 334 , 336; F'?ellch. 207 . 398. 400; ltaliall. 446; and mO\'ies, compared, ~ 44 6, 448, 449; se\,entf'enth-century t heaters. III, 11 8, l.2..6 Opira Comique, 207 ornaments. in early printed books. 8..4 Ostade. Adriaf'.n \'an. 124-3, 130, 3J..6 O-Toole. Peter. l..6..8 " Our NatiOllal Winter ExerciseSkating." lIa rptr', iVu ldy (H omer),

363, ill Ovid. l.O1

Paellwm. mezzotint from the Lillie Liber (Turner), 279,

280

Paget.• Sidney. 4 3. 45. 324. 336, i.3.2 " The Painter of Moden l Life" (OUYII).

,urn painting, 1!.; bad. 10--11 . 177; color and tOllal relatiollRhip in, 37-9; de\'iceR of motion in, 20-5; and early photography, linked. 13-14, 15, 30--2, 338, 34 2, 347-8,357. 392. 406-7. 41 3, 42 1, 426- 7. 4:17-40, 443-5; endurance of. a-4 j gra phic reproduction of, 4-6, 9-10 , 3 1-3, 35-7. 4 3,46, 48 , 84, 102,106-7, 17S-95 , 205, 217, 290-1, 325-6 , 406, 440. 443; made from print!!, 337-8; lee also lpecific cOlmfrit,,' period,: .fyltl Palace witlt Clock Tower (Canalelto), 236-7 , 237 Palais de Luxembourg, 2.Ol Pamela (Richardson). ill Pamtla aeries (H ighmore), 241, i l l Pannini, Oiovanni Paolo. i l l Panofsky, Erwin, 52. 54, 68, 76-7 , :u3 pauoram&8, late-eightee nth-century, 281 _2

Paradiu W I t (Milton) : Dor~' 8 ill 1l8traliOllll for , 428, 4J9j Martin' s: illustrations for , 284, J8~, 286, 287 Paris, 52 . 389. 429; academic training in, 393, 394, 396, 397; eighteenthcentury. 205-6, 207; n ineteenthcen tury, 393, 395 . 398-400,

409-1 5 . 41 8. 42.2 Paris Academy , 206 , 246. 393. 394, 3.9.6 Paris Strut; Rainy Weather (Caillebotte),

41 8. U9. parks. eighteent h-century ""rench . 206,

2lll! parody, eighteenth-cen tury, 20.1 Parrish, Mufield , i1 Pas,ir:1n (fllm), iD Pltstrtlne , Oio\'allni, 23.1 PaOletic Song. Tlt e (Eakins), 3 71, J.Z3 patronage, art : eighteen th-century, 206- 7. 217, 252 ; fiftee nth-century, 60. 255; ninetee nth-eent ury. 308; in Romant ic Oermany , 308; royal, 19 1, 206 . 252-3, 255, 308; seventeenthcentury. 179.206--7

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503 Payml'"t of OWl'" The (Dl' III Tou r). 121.

p h~'siogllom~'.

Prure: B urial at Spa (1'u rllc r). 292. 293

245. 249_ 50 I>icarl , Bernard , 2.Q8 pielurl'lillue idetl1. ill hUldsC8 i>j' II r t,

Prucefwl 1-0"" (W'III1ories, eigh (('en t Ii-cenl u ry,

ill

? 4 5_6

ill pef'p-show mo\' it'l;, 1.!l.3 l't'lI illl;u lllr CIlIIII>l!.i!!lI, ? :,3 Pellll, I rv illg, i l l Perfect Umienlall(litly (film), lItiit

P irr(l de l ta F rn llcf'lIcn,

54 . !iL 63.

ill (ro m ,

12" 1.2..2. period movies. 45;1_ 7 penpec l iv(': Dutc h , 193; ill ilu1iHn

painting, 22. 59- 6-1 . 22:1. 227-:1 1. 2:14; IIIcdie\'1l1. 59 , 61; ill Nor t hern }';urol'wlln art. 52-9, 61. 64-8, i l l Petrureil, 18 1'£01'1', Frllllz. ill I)hiiip II , King o( S pa in. 2..5..5. phologrliphy, 16, 101. Hi8. 180, 19L 338; Amf'ric!l II , 357 , :174-!i. :\92. 4:i2 . 4:17. 440, 44 3-4 ; lirchitt"clurul, 2:11; black-and-while, 3:1 . 3 4 . :1:;-7. 43. 46.

280; color, 48-9; cOllllUrn:ilil. a.:.lL 35.36. frL 26:t 407; do
!l... HI:I, 2 71. a2!!

Po r ter, Fairfit'ld, :J!)O. i l l Portico with a La ll lerll, The (Calilitetto),

2aa,213 Porlmil of fl MUll ancl II 1\'01l/al/ ill all / II/I'rior (V8 11 de l' :o.1eer), 17 1, i l l Porlrait of Miss Lloyd ('I'ilillot), a69. ~ Porlruit of .lt r

Mrs. Edwill f;dwards (F'ltlltill· JJlI.lOu rJ, 421, i l l !'orlmil of M rs. 6'flhll/i (Eak i n~), 37-1. fHld

m Port rail of /lt e '''(IN/Utla (/~ POllt,jQ,

(Ooya), 2!U, 2 i B portra.illll'(', :18; AlJlrrica ll , :171;. :128-84; British. 187. 190. 240. 241. 261, aii-6; Dulc h, 190- 5. 200, 376. :J]8: elirly photogra l>hic. 406, .J 14 - 15: F lemillh. 259; F N'IICh, 190. 20 1, 204, 247. :195. 414- 18 , 42 1; ItS lIille tt'enth·

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504

l"de:r

portraiture (eo"" ) etntury illu.tration, 414- 18, 421 ; print., ll. 18 7. 190-5; royal eighteenth·eentury, 252-3, 257-60; &e\·ellt.eenth-century, ~ 100. 154. 187. .190-5. 200. 378; Spanish, 252-3. 255. 257-60, 379-82; Uf. 0 110 stlr·portraitu re pol ter art, tunl ·o f, thf'·~e ntury, 433. 444-5

Poull in, Nicol .. , 38, 11 8. 162,206. 338.

ill power or movies, 3-4, 27, a2 Poynter, Edwllrd John, 28 "The I)relude" (Wordlworth), 262 Pre· Raphltelite Brotherhood . 32.2. Pre, RaphKelitel, 18. 29, 3 19-22, 324, 330-3.m Pri,"(J ~ nJ (BoUicell i). 1.8 PriKCtl j " tltt! TO k~ r (Delaroche), 3.28 printed graphic art, 4-5, :!: ~ 3 1, 45; Ame rican , 360-8, 385 , 386-7, 43 1, 432-5. 437-9, 444; artistic fame increased by, 78-9, 84, 180; and arlillie thievery, 11 - 12. lI6-7, 100. 406, 458-9; Brit ish, 240-1, 245-6. 252, 254-5, 263, 276-80, 283-90. 3 18-29 . 332-3. 336-8,346-8, 41 3; chillroll~ uro ill, 34. 35, 46, 49, 179, 190,225,246, 407.4 32, 433 ; all collaborative drort, 93, 178; color, 48-9; ~ollli~, 34, 43; Dutch, 124, 154, 177-95,200-2.204 . 386. 450; early combinations or printed type and pi~turel, 3S, 65, 74-8, 84. 86-7; early landscape, 92. 10 1-2; and early photography, linked, 3 1-2, 338, 406-7. 41 3-14, 432, 437-40, 44 5; eighleenth-eelltury, 205- 12. 2 17, 224- 6. 23 1-3 , 240, 245--60,263, 3 16. 398-9; fa.hi on, 201-6. 208-9, 2 17, 239: flft eentlHelltury. :!.. ~ 75-8. 80-1, ~ ""rench, 201-12, 2 17, 241. 246-7.252.399-4 00. 402-3. 406-15, 426-9. relrler, Aloys . 2!6 Sent inel, Tlte (Remington). 437. 4 38 st'p ia dl'1i..... ings. G.-rmall Romantic, 3Q3. 305_7

set d es ign . 309; ei gh teenth·cent u ry Italian, 227-32, 234 , 236. 2a7; movie. 228-;1 1, ;103, :J09. 3:14; nillt,tf'ellth· century Britis h t hea ler, aaad seventeenth.century a.rt. f!. 14. H . 378: classica l trad ition , 119-20. 162. 169. 207; Dutch. §. LL 2ft.!i!!. 1 I I. 116;

ll6. 119- 206, 300, :109, 378-9, 386 , 44 0-:1, i aa. 4an; fa shion, 11. 11 :1 , 200-6. 208-10. 211. 2 I 2; French, 112-1 8. 162.1 97 , 20 1-6.2 11. :194. 395; German, 102-8; g ra phic, 99- 102, 106-14 . J 16, 124 . 154. 176-95. 200-6,208. 450; Ita lian , 99, 10 1. 1M. 104.106,109-1), 11 6 . 11 8. 124 . 131. 162. 3 12, 327 . 334.395; landscape, 1QJ-2. 106, 158-61, 171. 17:1-6. 235. 26 1-2.27 1. 300; ~o rth e nJ Europea n. 99-109, 119-206.235, 243,261-2, 271. 3QO. 386. 4i 0-3, 450; polit ies in rut. I QQ. 11 3-1 5. 167- 8. 204. 206. 211 ; Spanish, fi!!.. 11 1. 170. 378-8 3. 392; lind lhellter. linkli between,

50S levenleenth-century a rt (~,,'.) 109- 14, lI S, 120. l1fi.. 127. 132. 14 2, ] 59-63, 170. 207, 210. 321 sexuality, 40. 88; in American eu lture and Dutch art. compared. 128-30, 137; in American Romantic art, 366, 368-7 1, 375, 391 j in early I)rillted illustration. 77, 12; and 'Bahion, 2 11 - 12.2.&7,25 7,259-60.269; in Frtnch art, 209- 11, 216- 17. 247, 404 . 41 5-16; in mO\'iu. !L 111 . 136, 139; in nineteen th-eenlury realilm, 40- 1j pornography, !!. 193, 27 1. 329; in Ire"en teenlh'centllry Dutch art. 128-30. 136-42. 148-9. 154, 163. 171. 198. 200. 455; in seven teenth· century Italian a rt. ill SltadokJ 0/ Deallt, rJt ~ (paint ing), lli Sltady Pool (Cotman), 265, 21i.6. Shakespeare, William, 25. 3 12. 3.2.5. Shakespeare illustration, 241. 3.2..6 SilaNe (fUm), !l.9 "Sherlock Holme," illullrKl iona ( Paget) , 11.!..§.. 336, 337. ill "She turned her (ace to the wiud()w," The Oo.JuII (Homer). 36:1. l l i SltoPl IUlder lite La w Cow rl , (BoIIse), ~03, 2iliI Sltorl Walk. A (Porter), 390, W aide lighting. 159:60 Siena. 52 Iilent filml, 76 . 87. i l l Iilver engraving. 8.0 Sint J ans, Geertgen tot, 8..5: Sistine Chapel, 3 sixteenth·century art. 33,1 2 1, 165.1 69. 1 57; Dutch. 90; Flemish. 90. 94-8; Oenuall, 79-84 , ~ 8.L fill. 93-4 ; graphic, 33, 7 1-5. 18-93, ~ 208; illuminated manuscript •. 1 1-5; Italian. 78. 86-90, 96; landsupe, 91 -8: r\o rthem E uropean, 14-98 ; p aychological uperience in, 74- 98 Ska ti Ng iN Celttral Park (H ome r). 31i3 skeletous, 224 . i l l . kelchel, 45. 181, 4 2 1; Americall, 3 75; Dutc h. 177. 193-4 . 227; fo' M' nc h. 396-1 , 421 : Gennan, 297, 300, 303-7,

3 18; Italian. 221; (or moviel, ilIu8tratimls, and paintings. compared. 43-6. 227; ninetl"ellth~elltu ry. 315, 42 1; travel, 263j I€e 0./'0 drawing slide lecture., 8 slides, color. 9..!l Small Pa.,iolt , Tite (Do rer woodcuts), 80, 81 Soldier aNd Girl (Terhorch), 138, ill Soldier. by a F irt-plau (Duyster). 149-5 1, W aoldier scenea, seve nteenth ~e ntury. 14 8--57

Sol i'ary Tru, Tlt e (F riedrich), 29

, 299

S0101ll01l. Abraham, 325, 321 Scmg 01 Jliau.'(J /lw, Tlt e (l..ollgfellow), Remington illu8trll.l ioll for, 4.16, i l l Song of Songll, 71i Spain , l.n. 252. 387 Spanish a rt, 350, 316; American art influenced by, 318-83. 389. 390, 39 1, 392; and ci nematie mode, 255-60. 273-6; eighteeuth·celltury . 252-60. 273-76; graphic, 252-60; light in, 16; Northern Europeall influellce Oil , 253 . 255.257,259; portraiture. 252- 3. 255, 251-60, 319-82; psychological uperience ill, 253-60. 273-6 ; realillm in, 253, 259-60, 350, 392; ae\'enteenth ~en tur)'. 60, I l l. 170, 378-83, 392 SpiN ,.~r', TIt~ (VelAzquez), lfi. Spitz.....eg. Karl, 315--16, 322 Spra nger. Bartholomeul, l.fill Sprino f'l(Jw~ r', Appltl and Ptar. (Fantin. Latou r), 42 1. 42J. Stagecoach (fUm) , 3 12; s till rrom. 455 , 4 56

stage design, eighleellt.h-eentu ry Italian. 221-32 . 234,236 , 231 lIage melodrama. nille t etn th~e llttlry . 257 , 2Rfi "Stage·Struck," illustration ill Collier', lVeekly (G ihBon), 432. I...U. Stanwyck, BllriJa ra, 3.6.8 Slarling Owl Alter Rail (Eakins). 37fi,

3?Z "Star Trtk " (TV s how), 355

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509

Steen. Jan, 28.126-8. }:!0-1. 142. 199 . 200. W SHII Life, Corner I)f lite Table (F'llntin· Latour), 421. 42.J. 8till· lire painting, 9 1. 179; eighteenth· century French. 212, 2 17-19; nineteenth-century French, 42 1, !l23 It ill photogn!.phy, 13. 18,25, fi Ji early, 13-14; as high \'8 . low arl , 27 , 3 1-2; 811 IItep to moviel, 15; lee allo photography Stockholm, 2.3 Stokes, Adrian, 86, 20 Sioni ng of SI. StepJten. Tlt e (F.hlheimer), 104, JOj, 1.llii

storyboards, lee continuity sketches Stra nd Magazine, Tlt t , i.l Stra\·insky, Igor. 247 street theater, 118 Siudy ill Plu lt Tuntl and Black: Purl rail of Tlt cooore /Jw ret (Whistler). 345, 346 subjecth·i ty, in early religious art , 54. !IT.. 86, 96-8 sublime art, 264-8; American. 352-4, 356-8; German. 292-3 14; nineteenth· century British landscape. 264-8, 278, 2 8 1_92 Swil Worn willt a S U.:()rd (Dc S t.·J ean),

200,= Summer f.' IJf:H ing (Hopper). 38 7. a.B.8. Sutltmit of JUl. WCllltingtotl , Tlte (HOllier),

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sunlight , 1!. 54 , 158, l.6D S Wll ri'e on lite Marslte. (Heade), 352. 113 surrealism , 4:10; films , ;l9 S utton. Peter, 137 . 116 S wedis h movies. 44 6 Swimmi ng I/ole. Tlt e (Eakins), 37!'i. 3..Zli. Symbolism, 30, 347 . 424 , 44 5; Bt igillll , 336; French. 336; Pre· Raphael ite, 330 S ynd ics of lite IJral)trs ' Guild (Rembrandt), 45 1. 4.£2.

style , 109. 330 tav~rll scenes. tlevE'nteellth·celltury. 116, 124. 136 , ill

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television , ft. 2. 126, 128. 171 . 178, 204, 21 I , 263; black·and·white, 46, a8 collaborKt ive effort , 93; comedy, 126; aud fa shion, 2..5.1 Temp€sla (Giorgione), 18, 90 Tennyson, Alfred, lA rd, :1 12. 3.25 Terboreh, Gerard, :13, l aO, 13 1, 136. 13 7-9. 14a. 151 -4, 156-7 , 198. 204 , 2 10, ?6 9 Terbnlgghell. Hendrick, 116. 119-20. 12 1. 2!2 textu re, in Nort hern European paint ing, 17, 21. 53- 9, 6.1 Thackeray, Willialll, a ~ 4 Tltam tl and umdoll from Rieltmo"d lIollle. Th e (Canaletto), 234. 215 Tltllllle, E mOOllkmellt (London), 286 theater. :1-4 . ~ 1.. §. !1 ~ 50, fii. 76, 78. 104,459; and British art, links be twe~n , 325-36, 3:17; dioramas, ~ 28 1-2,284. 426-7; eightee nth·centu ry, 207-8, 210,211. 212, 221-4, 227- 3 1, 234,23 6, 247, 249,28 1- 2,31 8; and Freneh art.. links between, 207-8. 210, 2 11 ,2 12,399-401, 426-7; illusionism ill. 6..i. 227-3 1, 327, 333; Italian. 207 , 327, 44 6; and Italia n art, links bctwcen , ~ 14,25, 29. 6:l-4 , 109-11 , 11 8- 20, 162- :1. 170,22 1-4, 227-3 1, 327, 329,3 30; Mnd mO\'iell. compared, 50-I, 334 , 440, 44 6, 448j nineteenth·century. 257, 281-3. 286, 287,325-6,337 , 399-400, 426-7. 429; Northenl \ ' S. classical t radit ion in. 162-3; Rococo ",cenic elfects, 227-32 , 234,2 36,237; seventeenth·century, 109- 14, 118, 120, 126, 127 ,1 32, 14 2. 159-63, 170, 207 ,2 10,327; street. 118; lIubl ime. attemphl at, 28 1-3, 286. 287: twen tieth·centu ry, 4:m, i l l Theater of Nature, l.6O Tll ta /MlnI Sue r .. ". , ,ee Ha per /J.llyolo ror 11 (Bibicna). 228 , 2.2.9 Tlteodora (film) , 228. 230 Tlr.e r~.e Haqwill (Zola). 403 , iIli t hi('\'pry, artislic, 11- 12,86-7.100, 406, 4:'18-9; in movies, 11 - 12, 458-9

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Tltir" lor Know:ledge 01 th. ~ World, Bcene (rom TIt~ Di/e 01 a Rake (Chodowiecki), 251 . 2.12 Tit ania, Jelfcrloll (Pyle), 44 3, u.!l. Thomson, James, i l l Thorwaldllen. Bertel , 60 Tiepolo. Gio\'llIllli Batt ista, 22 1-8, 231 ,

232 .234,253,279,3lH Tie rney, Gene. :lll time flow , in mO\'ies. 25-6 Tinloretto, 102. 104 , 226, 329 , 3.9..6 Tislol, Jamell. 369_70 Titian, 29, 99. 279, 3.22 Tom Sawyer (film). 8ti11 from, 301, 3.a2. tone, 4 11: cinematic qualities of, 38-41 , 280. "11 ; Blld color, relationship in painting. 37-9. 86 : ill eighteenth. eentury )i' rellch painting. 2 13; ill Italiall VIlI . Northern F~urore811 art, in late-nineteenth-cen tury pllinting, 343--7; ,fe al,o black lind white Topographies]srt , 26 1; early photographic. 409; eighteenth-centu ry Ital ian, 232-9 . 26 1-2; 811 illustl'8ti\'e repor tage, 262-3. 277-9 , 324; nineteenth-century American, 357- 60; nineteenth -centu ry British. 26 1-80, 2 83-92; ninctet'nth-century French , 409-15, 42 1; se\'enteenth-cen tury Dutch, 173-6,234 , 26 1- 2, 2 71 ; watercolor, 26 1-2 , 26ft-B , lli Toulouse- Lautrec, Hellri, 399, i l l Tower of Babel, 284 tragedies, t heatrical, 126, 23..l transcendental art: Americall, 39, 298, 300,36 1; Gennan Romantic, 298; modem . 298; movies. 3.O.Q transpart'lIcy, 93; in American ROlll8nt ic 8.rt, 352: dioramas, 28 1-2 : in eighteenlh-ccnlur)' art, 226-7, 24 6, 265; in German Romant ic art , 297; in s ixteenth·century art, 93-5, 112; I€~ al.IO watercolor travel ; effects of landscape painting on . 262- 3, 278-9; late-e ighteenlh-century, 262-3 , 265; nineteenth-centu ry, 279 , 324; writings, 276, l l i Trechsel brothers of Lyon s. 93

Tru of WoodsN Clog" rite (film). 71 , 4 58 tnlthfulne88, in black·and-white art . 34 , 37. 85_6 Turan-Milan Hours iIluminatiolls. 61, 64 , 6tJ, 6.5 TiJnler, Joseph MalloNI William, :!. 14 , ~;!Q. 26ft-8 1, 284 , 290, 292 , 297, 303. 336.341 .342.348, 4 57; flgurati\te work, 267, 269-71. 274 : illustrations, 276-80, 324; legendary scenes, 2 72-8. 286; watercolors. 265-6. 268 'I1Jnler, l~an8 , 2.0.0 twentieth-centu ry art, 10, 39, 48, 68, 252, 268 , 300, 303, American , cineml:ltic t rad ition in, 383-92. 430-5, 44 0-58: illustration 8nd graphics, 252. 385, 38&-7, 4:12-5; mOl'ies, 435-58; photography. 432, 44:1 Two Ma yicio,., willt i'llItc/ti,.dlo (Ticpoio). 225, 226 Two Men al il!oo"ri.lle by Ihe Sea (Friedrich), 296, 297 TWQ Si.llters, The ( F'antiJl - I~3t.our). 4 16, U8 200 1 (film),

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270, 21.l type, .te printed type

ly8ses. 272, 213 Umbrian paint ing, ~ no unce rtainty, 88 cinemat ic condition, 2 6 8 ullcollscious, use in cinematic art, ~ L ~

il2 Un(ieriow (Homer), 366, 367 U.ltal Refuge. scene rmm Th e I.lfe of an lIl~dl«!ated Girl (Chodowiecki), 25 1, ill Vall d e Velde, Esaias, 231i V8n d e Venue, Adriaen, I 77 , 2.O.J. Van Dyck . Anthonie , 38, 45 , 11 2,190--1 , 208, 209, 2..6.2 Van Gogh, Vincent, 37 , 300, 421 . 4 29,

4fo5 Vardac. A. Nicholas , ill

'" Varley, J ohn, 262 Vanledoe, Kirk , i l l vaudeville, 5..0 Velbquez, Diego, ~ 14. 16,38,39. 170.

255. 257. 378-83. 387. 389. 390. 39 1. 392, 40 1, 41 5, 4 32, 439, iftll Ve net ian lirt : eighteen th·ce nt ury, 22 1-8, 232-9; seventeenth'cen lury, 99, 102, 106; sixteenth·cen tury, 9.0 Vendian B~ad Stringer' (Sargent), 387,

389 , 389, 390 Veneziallo, Domenieo, 5.;l Veniee, 102,233. 234,235, 239,38 7 Verdict, Tlt e (film ), 3.B Ve rkolje, Jan, 197-8, 200, 20.5 Ve rmeer, J an, Q.. ~ ~ 10 , 16, 19-20, 28.

31.;!,g. ~;!Q.. i t M!.. 103. 106. 116, 130. 136. 139. 140-3.1 47 , 149 , 152- :-1. 154.1 57. 161. 173 . 17:). 176 , 177,193 , 198. 199, 200,204 ,2 10. 3 11. 2 11, 22 1. 23;$. 234 , 235, 249. 33 1.398. 404.406 , 4 2 1. 440-3. 44 5;

m

genre and hil!ltory scenes linked in,

170-1 Veronese. Paolo, 102, 104,329 . :t37 VerlHlilleH, 198. 201, 205. 206 videos . 5-6. !l View from /lI e Stll.dio Window (Pried ric h. Iwo sepia d rawings), 305, 306, 306. 307.3flZ Vi!!w of Detfl (Vermeer), 173. 173, 234 View of Pields (Koninckl, 158-9, l/ill View 01 Liverpool Quay by Moon/iglt/ (Grimshaw), 34 2, 342, :l1J View of lite Bacillo witlt lite Hn cilltoro Arn'lIi,lg (Csllaletto), 2 .18, 2..3.!1 View of tit , 7,i, richer (Vall d .. V.. lde), 235, 236 Vigee· Lebnm, Marie, 257 Ville de Lumiere, 3.9..8 Virgil , 3M Virgin, lee Madonna alld child Virgin and Child, Th e (Cima da COllegliallo), 63, 63, fu1 l'irgill and Cltild, The (Gerard Da \'id), 124, l2.l. Virgin of Ihtltlility, Tlt e (Mantegna), 182.

ill

Visconti, Luchino, i l l Vi, iteWr, dw Soir, u, (film), ill Vi8il of 0110 III to tltt Crypt, The (Hethel), 3 14 . 3 14, 3 15 Vouel.• Si mon, ll.8 Voya gr. 01 Lile, Tlte (Cole), 354, lli Vrel . Jacobus, 144-5, 148 , 389, 4 20 Vu illard, J ean Edotla rd, 31 Wagne r, Richard, ~ 333, 334, :U.9 Wa ilillg IQr tlt e Verdict (Solomon) , 325-6,

326, 327, 3.3.8 "Wait till you've been allointed," No. 61 or Los Capn'clt08 (Goya), 25:1, 254 11'a,'pillg Q/I Tlt altl~' (Whistler), 346-7, 31il War Br.hcte t/ Cart/ ivai arid l..tnt, Tlte ( Bnlegel), 9.5 Ward , John , i l l war movil'8. 178, i l l Washington, D.C., 5.9 watercolors, 226. Z:l2 j American HOlllantic. 38:1. 385; British, 234, 246, 261. 26fl- S. 279; Dutch, 9:1-4: topographical, 26 1-2. 2 fHi-8, i l l Waters Heced ing alt,r tlt e Del wge, The (Colc), 354-5, 3.5Ji Watsoll alld tlt e Sltark (Co pley), 350- 1, 35 1, a55 Watteau, Antoine, 136, 20[,- 12, 213,

217. 22 1, 222, 227 , 237. 239 , 241, 257. 27 1. i l l WAX models, l l i Way to Golgotha. Tlt e (De Gelder), 163 . 164, 272 " Weary Klld dissatisfied wilh e\'erything," Tlte Galaxy (H omer), 363, i!5fj

W.. imar. 3!l9 WeIlcs. Oraon, i l l Wcrft', Adriaell van der, i l l Western movies, 47 , 48, 49. 178,35 7, 4 30, 455; pictorialsourees or, 43 7_9 West Point, Protl.t', Neck (Homer), 960.

:lJil Weyden, Rogier van d er, 54, 76. 2.5.5. Whistler, James Abbott McNeill, 343-8, 351. 398. 40 7; graphic work, 346-8,

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W histler, James Abbott McNeill (COllt.) 4 13; Ruskin confrontation (18 77), and influ ence on painting, 4 J 3_ J 4 Wh itt! Girl (Whilitler), 344 Whitehall a lld tlt e Privy Gardt!1I (Canaiclto), 2.3..:l WidoN.l6r, Tlt t! (Spitz'o\'cg) , 31' , i l l Wild Hurses in s Forest, The, R8 Wilkie. DS\'id, 2B William III , King of E:ngland , lli " Winter- A S kating Scene," /larpu', Weekly (Homer), 363, 3..6.l. lYinter E IJe"ing (Bening illu minatio n from Tit!! Da COIla /lolf r,), 71, Z2 Woman at a Window (Vrel), 144-5, 145,

ill Woman l ro"i,% Seen Agaillst the Light (Degas), 4 00, i l l WOrMn PeeliNg F1'If i t (Terbo rch). /3 7,

laB Womall Pcrw rillg Milk ( Vermee r), 19.1!l Womall Rcadillg (Elinga), 14 6, 14 6, ill Woman St'arcitillg for Fleas, A (Dc la Tou r), 11 7, ll8 Woman Writ illg Q utter, IOitlt /ler Maid (Vermeer), 152 . 15:1. 15.'t, i l l 'o\'OIlU'IJ; in American culture and Dutch art, compared , 126--30; in eighteen th century to"'rellch art , 209- 10; in nineteenth -century American a rt, 361 _ 36 3-6,366--7 1; in nineteen th-century

French a rt , 405, 406, 415-16; ill seventeenth-eelltury Outch a rt, 126--57, 198 ,200, i l l Womtn in tltt! Gardell (MOllet), 361, 362 Wood, Michael, 2.6i! Wood, Natalie, :lfiB woodcuts, ~ 75, 77 ; sixteenth-centu ry,

!2... 80-3 , 9.3 wood eng","illg$, 40 5; n ineteenth-ccntury America n, 363-5 word, printed , '~41 printed type Word sworth, Willism. 6 8 , 2 35. ? 6? Wor4' (paint ing), 3.3..l workshopa, se,·enteclllh·celltll ry prillt. 176--8 1, l.9.O World War II , 168, i l l Wttewael , J oachim, Ui!l Wurzbu rg ReHidcllz, 221 Wyeth. N. C .. 47, 444 Wyler. Willi"III, Uti Y"le Art school, :131 l'o/.! and M~ (fi lm), s till fr(l rn, 432, 4.3..l "You nervy little d c,'il, you!" illust ration for Edna F erber's Pa nny /llnelf (Hen ry), 433, 435 l'ON Ng .1/011 willt a Pipe (Codde). 154, l.1j Zof'fany, J ohan n , 2.6.2 Zola, Emile, 403, 404 , iO..li zoom effect, ill Du tc h pilinlillg, l..9..3.

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ISBN 0 - 394-57400-1