Lettrism and Situationism: Examining and Comparing Expressionism Movements.

2551 Words6 Pages

Art has been always seen as a form to express self emotions and ideas; an artist creates an idea and shapes it by culturally known objects and forms to send encrypted message. Through the times both, ideas and materials used, separates art in to different periods and movements. In late 40’s and late 50’s two art and culture movements emerged, one from another. The first one, Lettrism, was under the aspiration to rewrite all human knowledge. From it another movement, Situationism, appeared. It was an anti-art movement which sought for Cultural Revolution. Both of these movements belong to wide and difficulty defined movement of experiment, a movement whose field is endless. Many different people create experimental films because of the variety of reasons. Some wishes to express their viewpoints which are unconventional. But most of them have an enthusiasm for medium itself. They yearn to explore what prospects the medium has and wishes to open new opportunities to create and to explore, as well as to educate. Experimental filmmaker, differently from mainstream filmmakers, wishes to step out from the orthodox notions. The overall appreciation is not the aim that the experimental filmmakers would seek for. Experimenters usually work on the film alone or with a small group, without the big budget. They intend to challenge the traditional ideas. And with intention to do so Lettrism tries to narrow the distance between the poetry and people’s lives, while Situationism tries to transform world into one that would exist in constant state of newness. Both of these avant-garde movements root from similar sources and have similar foundations. Nonetheless, they have different intentions for the art and culture world and these movements...

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...p from the world they live in, a world of separation and indicate themselves with their own realities. Art is handed over into society’s hands, as in one movement it is suggested - to fixate what is real, live like you create and create like you live; in other – abandon media’s proposed ideas and take the leadership of life in our own hands.

Bibliography:

Debord, G., (1994) Society of the Spectacle, USA: Donald Nicholson-Smith;

Seaman, D. W., (2000) From Letters to Lettrisme - the ancient origins of an avant-garde movement, Available at: http://www.thing.net/~grist/lnd/lettrist/show-gs.htm, (accessed: 10/08/11).

Filmography:

Ever the avant-garde of the avant-garde until heaven and after, (1970) Maurice Lemaitre, France;

Treatise on Venom and Eternity, (1951) Isidore Isou, France;

Critique of Separation, (1961) Guy Debord.

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