.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Considéré comme l'un des plus grands films de l'histoire de l'avant-garde cinématographique, Ballet mécanique est un film réalisé sans scénario dans l'esprit Dada, en strates et à plusieurs mains (Georges Antheil pour la partition musicale, Dudley Murphy à la caméra, et Man Ray et Fernand Léger pour de courtes interventions). Présenté pour la première fois au public en octobre 1924 à Vienne, il constitue à plus d'un titre une étape essentielle dans l'oeuvre de Fernand Léger qui ne cessa d'intervenir dans son montage. Il existe plusieurs versions du film témoins des tentatives de l'artiste de modifier le sens et la lecture des plans afin d'augmenter les effets de ruptures rythmiques: L'artiste multiplie les séquences rapides au cours desquelles surgissent des objets et des formes essentiellement géométriques, mais tente également d'incruster des plans de tableaux ou encore de tinter chromatiquement de courtes séquences.
Les trois bandes étroites de couleur verte, rouge et bleue séparant verticalement la composition et sur lesquelles apparaissent des formes géométriques en noir et blanc laissent imaginer que la gouache a pu servir directement ou indirectement dans ces tentatives de remodelage du film. Son caractère rythmique et contrasté illustre assurément les tâtonnements et les expérimentations cinématographiques qui animent Fernand Léger à cette époque et qui se reflèteront dans des oeuvres plus figuratives séquencées verticalement, comme Le profil noir (voir lot 47) de 1928, par exemple.
Considered one of the greatest films in the history of avant-garde cinematography, Ballet Mécanique is an unscripted, Dada-style masterpiece based on a multi-strata arrangement and produced by Georges Antheil (musical scoring), Dudley Murphy (camera), and Fernand Léger and Man Ray for their artistic interventions. The film premiered in Vienna in October 1924 and, in more ways than one, marked a milestone in the work of Léger, who never stopped exploring the art of montage, initially in collaboration with Dudley Murphy, and then on his own. The film exists in many versions where Léger modifies the direction and interpretation of the shots in an effort to heighten the effects of rhythmic distortion. In these rediscovered versions, the painter introduces rapid sequences where geometric shapes and objects appear in quick succession. And not content with experimenting with rhythm in different ways, he also incorporates shots of paintings and dyes short sequences in chromatic hues.
The three narrow bands of colour in green, red and blue that divide the composition vertically, and provide the backdrop for black and white geometric shapes to appear, lead us to think that his gouache may have been used, either directly or indirectly, in these endeavours to rework the film. Its rhythmic and contrasting character is certainly indicative of the experimental and explorative spirit behind Léger's work at this time, a spirit that would become more tangible in his vertically sequenced works of a more figurative nature, such as Le profil noir (see lot 47), 1928.
Les trois bandes étroites de couleur verte, rouge et bleue séparant verticalement la composition et sur lesquelles apparaissent des formes géométriques en noir et blanc laissent imaginer que la gouache a pu servir directement ou indirectement dans ces tentatives de remodelage du film. Son caractère rythmique et contrasté illustre assurément les tâtonnements et les expérimentations cinématographiques qui animent Fernand Léger à cette époque et qui se reflèteront dans des oeuvres plus figuratives séquencées verticalement, comme Le profil noir (voir lot 47) de 1928, par exemple.
Considered one of the greatest films in the history of avant-garde cinematography, Ballet Mécanique is an unscripted, Dada-style masterpiece based on a multi-strata arrangement and produced by Georges Antheil (musical scoring), Dudley Murphy (camera), and Fernand Léger and Man Ray for their artistic interventions. The film premiered in Vienna in October 1924 and, in more ways than one, marked a milestone in the work of Léger, who never stopped exploring the art of montage, initially in collaboration with Dudley Murphy, and then on his own. The film exists in many versions where Léger modifies the direction and interpretation of the shots in an effort to heighten the effects of rhythmic distortion. In these rediscovered versions, the painter introduces rapid sequences where geometric shapes and objects appear in quick succession. And not content with experimenting with rhythm in different ways, he also incorporates shots of paintings and dyes short sequences in chromatic hues.
The three narrow bands of colour in green, red and blue that divide the composition vertically, and provide the backdrop for black and white geometric shapes to appear, lead us to think that his gouache may have been used, either directly or indirectly, in these endeavours to rework the film. Its rhythmic and contrasting character is certainly indicative of the experimental and explorative spirit behind Léger's work at this time, a spirit that would become more tangible in his vertically sequenced works of a more figurative nature, such as Le profil noir (see lot 47), 1928.