La promotion du travail artistique par le cinéma : image de l’artiste et « travail de l’image »

Abstract

Questionning the way film reflects upon artistic work compels us to consider the many ways in which “the observer is himself a part of the observation”, according to Lévi-Strauss famous comment of Marcel Mauss' sociological approach. Depending on the type of video production, the chosen focus, the target audience, its aspect, and finally, the kind of artistic work promoted, the camera's power of unveiling can be defeated and reach a form of self-celebration by the artist and for the artist. The history of cinematography technique provides a relevant frame to examine this ambiguous use of the cinematographic outlook on the artist, as the assimilation of art and work cannot be parted from their tension. Analysing the representation of artistic work in film reveals the sociological issues of the artist's imlage and its evolution, studied by Ernst Kris and Otto Kurz in the famous Legend, myth, and magic in the image of the artist. Embracing the spectator's focus and analysing the social construction of its posture towards the artist allow us to recognise the anthropological value of this hobby, and to restore its function of a measuring device – measuring what a camera has done to art, and what has art done to the camera.

Keywords

• artistic work
• art film
• documentary
• fiction
• artist
• biography