art & film essay,
grad seminar paper on abstraction and avant-garde film
abstract:
exploring the works of avant-garde filmmakers hans richter, maya derek, and curtis harrington, along with the context from which they originated, this paper looks for fluid definitions of abstraction as it relates to film and unpacks how film abstraction might inform broader discourses of abstract art. the sensibility of abstraction is almost ineffable, and, as susan sontag argued, “any sensibility which can be crammed into the mold of a system [...] is no longer a sensibility at all.” unpacking a sensibility that wishes to be universal, invisible, and open, while also avoiding a solemn and closed-off treatise-like approach, this is notes on film abstraction.
visuals:
alma thomas, apollo 12 “splash down,” 1970, 50 1/4 × 50 1/4 in (127.6 × 127.6 cm), the studio museum in harlem, new york, ny, usa.
piet mondrian, church facade 6, 1915, 39 x 25" (99.0 x 63.4 cm), the museum of modern art, new york, ny, usa.