Luchino Visconti
Painting, theatre, cinema: Intermediality in the work of Luchino Visconti
In his 1954 film Senso (The Wanton Countess), the Italian director Luchino Visconti explicitly refers to the famous romantic painting of 1859 by Francesco Hayez, Il Bacio (The Kiss). Whilst much has been written about literary and theatrical influences upon Visconti’s work – as well as a film maker, he was also a leading theatre and opera director – there has been a lot of speculation about but little hard corroboration of pictorial influences in his films.
Theory on cinema has long ceased to address cinema alone, but nowadays also focuses upon its evident links with other art forms. For example, with theatre and visual art in terms of composition, perspective, lighting and performance. Rather than addressing the quintessentially cinematic craft of editing, the focus is now upon what happens within the image: the mise en scène, the framing and other qualities of the camerawork or photography. Such a comparison of film, theatre and visual art addresses ‘visual culture’ in the broadest sense of the term. This broadening of scope from ‘purely’ pictorial, theatrical and cinematic art to a more dynamic study of visual culture is extremely current in the field of media and art theory.
My own research into Luchino Visconti fits in well with this trend, yet also departs from it. This is because, in general, there is a tendency in the literature on visual culture towards simply pointing out comparisons between media or art forms, and to do so in quite an ahistorical way. One of the aspects which I am investigating in my cultural-history-based research on Visconti is how painted images are transformed, by their passage through time in various forms, from unique works of art into icons and clichés, and so can be taken up by a popular medium like cinema. What I am researching is the ‘gap’ between the painted and the filmed image, to see what happens when pictorial depictions are removed from their original context.
This first of all required research into material from Visconti’s own estate, which is now housed at the Istituto Gramsci in Rome, but it also calls for oral and written research into the contribution made by his collaborators: people like cameramen and set and costume designers. Eventually, such a comparison of cinema with theatre and visual art should cast significant light upon the ‘collective authorship’ of a film. After all, during the production process each of the technical specialisms involved transforms and interprets in its own way traditions and products from one of the other two art forms.
State of the art: in 2004 and 2005 I did my archival research and interviews in Rome, Milan and elsewhere. Early 2007, I did archival research in Paris. From July 2007 to January 2008 I lived in Rome, thanks to a fellowship of the Royal Dutch Institute, and wrote nearly all of my chapters in first version. I hope to hand over my manuscript to my publisher by Autumn 2008.
In his 1954 film Senso (The Wanton Countess), the Italian director Luchino Visconti explicitly refers to the famous romantic painting of 1859 by Francesco Hayez, Il Bacio (The Kiss). Whilst much has been written about literary and theatrical influences upon Visconti’s work – as well as a film maker, he was also a leading theatre and opera director – there has been a lot of speculation about but little hard corroboration of pictorial influences in his films.
Theory on cinema has long ceased to address cinema alone, but nowadays also focuses upon its evident links with other art forms. For example, with theatre and visual art in terms of composition, perspective, lighting and performance. Rather than addressing the quintessentially cinematic craft of editing, the focus is now upon what happens within the image: the mise en scène, the framing and other qualities of the camerawork or photography. Such a comparison of film, theatre and visual art addresses ‘visual culture’ in the broadest sense of the term. This broadening of scope from ‘purely’ pictorial, theatrical and cinematic art to a more dynamic study of visual culture is extremely current in the field of media and art theory.
My own research into Luchino Visconti fits in well with this trend, yet also departs from it. This is because, in general, there is a tendency in the literature on visual culture towards simply pointing out comparisons between media or art forms, and to do so in quite an ahistorical way. One of the aspects which I am investigating in my cultural-history-based research on Visconti is how painted images are transformed, by their passage through time in various forms, from unique works of art into icons and clichés, and so can be taken up by a popular medium like cinema. What I am researching is the ‘gap’ between the painted and the filmed image, to see what happens when pictorial depictions are removed from their original context.
This first of all required research into material from Visconti’s own estate, which is now housed at the Istituto Gramsci in Rome, but it also calls for oral and written research into the contribution made by his collaborators: people like cameramen and set and costume designers. Eventually, such a comparison of cinema with theatre and visual art should cast significant light upon the ‘collective authorship’ of a film. After all, during the production process each of the technical specialisms involved transforms and interprets in its own way traditions and products from one of the other two art forms.
State of the art: in 2004 and 2005 I did my archival research and interviews in Rome, Milan and elsewhere. Early 2007, I did archival research in Paris. From July 2007 to January 2008 I lived in Rome, thanks to a fellowship of the Royal Dutch Institute, and wrote nearly all of my chapters in first version. I hope to hand over my manuscript to my publisher by Autumn 2008.
Lectures
I gave a keynote paper on the topic at the conference 'Visconti e le arti visive' (28 October 2006), which I co-organized myself. My co-producer of the conference, Olivares Edizioni, published my essay on the same topic of Visconti and Visual Arts. See Visconti/ Conference
In November 2006, I gave a paper on the use of mirrors in Visconti's films, at the Associazione italiana per le ricerche di storia del cinema (AIRSC) in Naples. This will be published on the net in 2008.
In May 2007, I presented my research within a larger presentation on Visual Culture within Higher Education, at the Royal Academy of Sciences, Amsterdam.
At the workshop on Intermediality, organized by myself at the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome (17 December 2007), I framed my research within concepts & interpretations of intermediality.
In April 2008, I lectured on Visconti & mirrors at Dante Alighieri/University of Groningen, Netherlands. At the Certosa di Pontignano (University Siena), I gave a triple lecture on 'intermedialities', paintings in Visconti's filmsets and framing & deep staging in Visconti's films. I also gave a guest lecture on the last mentioned at the University of Terni, north of Rome.
In June 2008, I lectured on my Visconti research at the NECS conference in Budapest, Hungary.
Late August 2008, I gave a paper on a collection of pictures on the location scouting for Tosca (Jean Renoir/ Carl Koch 1940-41) for which Visconti was assistant-director. I recently discovered this collection myself. The lecture was held at Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, in occasion of an exhibition and conference on Puccini & cinema, organised by Pier Marco De Santi (University of Pisa).
In September-October 2008, I am giving a seminar on ways of comparing art & cinema, related to my research, to the students of the MA Intermediality in my department.
Publications
See Visconti Publications.
I also contributed to volume 3 of the series biblioVisconti (forthcoming) and contributed in 2005 to a Dutch dvd-box of Visconti's films, issued by Cinemien/ Homescreen.
I gave a keynote paper on the topic at the conference 'Visconti e le arti visive' (28 October 2006), which I co-organized myself. My co-producer of the conference, Olivares Edizioni, published my essay on the same topic of Visconti and Visual Arts. See Visconti/ Conference
In November 2006, I gave a paper on the use of mirrors in Visconti's films, at the Associazione italiana per le ricerche di storia del cinema (AIRSC) in Naples. This will be published on the net in 2008.
In May 2007, I presented my research within a larger presentation on Visual Culture within Higher Education, at the Royal Academy of Sciences, Amsterdam.
At the workshop on Intermediality, organized by myself at the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome (17 December 2007), I framed my research within concepts & interpretations of intermediality.
In April 2008, I lectured on Visconti & mirrors at Dante Alighieri/University of Groningen, Netherlands. At the Certosa di Pontignano (University Siena), I gave a triple lecture on 'intermedialities', paintings in Visconti's filmsets and framing & deep staging in Visconti's films. I also gave a guest lecture on the last mentioned at the University of Terni, north of Rome.
In June 2008, I lectured on my Visconti research at the NECS conference in Budapest, Hungary.
Late August 2008, I gave a paper on a collection of pictures on the location scouting for Tosca (Jean Renoir/ Carl Koch 1940-41) for which Visconti was assistant-director. I recently discovered this collection myself. The lecture was held at Torre del Lago Puccini, Italy, in occasion of an exhibition and conference on Puccini & cinema, organised by Pier Marco De Santi (University of Pisa).
In September-October 2008, I am giving a seminar on ways of comparing art & cinema, related to my research, to the students of the MA Intermediality in my department.
Publications
See Visconti Publications.
I also contributed to volume 3 of the series biblioVisconti (forthcoming) and contributed in 2005 to a Dutch dvd-box of Visconti's films, issued by Cinemien/ Homescreen.