Cinema and the Art of Anachronism

Raymond Watkins

doi:10.15448/1980-3729.2022.1.43380

Authors

Raymond Watkins Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Pennsylvania, PA, United States. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7187-2752

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-3729.2022.1.43380

Keywords:

Cinema, Anachronism, Robert Bresson

Abstract

This study argues that the way visual art forms migrate and transform from one media to another over time can be traced through their varied relationships to temporality. By introducing a model of “artistic anachronism,” it is possible to better understand the way these transformations take place. After establishing some of the theoretical characteristics of anachronism, the study turns to the films of the French filmmaker Robert Bresson, and the way he directly references painting through his films. Such an examination provides a model for future studies that use anachronism as a way of better understanding the way migrations take place between visual media both old and new.

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Author Biography

Raymond Watkins, Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Pennsylvania, PA, United States.

PhD in Cinema and Comparative Literature from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, United States. Associate Teaching Professor in English and Humanities at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.

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