Documentaries, novels, series… the revelations of the mysteries of art fascinate the French
On the Parisian 13th Art scene, a wall of images stands up, hundreds of paintings projected on a screen, in a vast mosaic. The critic Hector Obalk highlights the gold backgrounds of the Italian Renaissance, the chiaroscuro of the 17th century, then the luminous palette of the Impressionists, ending with the blue monochrome of Yves Klein. “I promised you “The whole history of painting in less than two hours” I just brushed it in eight minutes, by color,” he jokes.
Since the premiere five years ago, his stand-up has already attracted 150,000 curious people. Because the deciphering of art seduces in all its forms, through documentaries, but also fiction. novels, like Lightening of varnishes by Paul Saint Bris or Orangerie syndrome by Grégoire Bouillier; television series: The art of crime Or Polar Park ; shows: that of Hector Obalk or The Raft of the Medusa by Alexandre Delimoges… A phenomenon whose essential Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser are emblematic, with their 300,000 copies sold in France and their translations into 37 languages.
This passion for decoding the jewels of the brush first took the university route. Françoise Barbe-Gall, art historian and speaker for the How to Look at a Painting association, explains: “The public has always sought to go beyond “I like, I don’t like” to analyze the way in which a subject is represented and grasp its deep meaning. » But the approach has become crucial at a time when mastery of religious, mythological and historical references is becoming rarer: “Who knows from the outset what a dormition or the kidnapping of the Sabines is? » she asks.
To quench this thirst, the documentary sector continues to innovate. The new Arte web series, What a story! Investigation into the cloth has, for example, browsed the archives freely accessible on the Internet to reveal the identity of the secondary characters of strong works, such as the dwarf of Meninas by Velazquez.
Learn while having fun
From now on, fiction increasingly echoes our desire to unlock the secrets of art. Because it plays the game of a society that favors speed and entertainment. “Caught up in their activities and the screens, people would like to absorb an entire visual culture in a few hours, as evidenced by the success of certain shows,” laments Françoise Barbe-Gall.
If Nelly, a lively retiree, came with her friends to attend the Raft of the Medusa a presentation led vigorously by a funny speaker at the Comédie Bastille, in Paris, is less about learning quickly than in a fun way: “We approach the Géricault monument through emotion and shared laughter, which is more motivating than opening a big book or following a somewhat academic documentary. »
To get into a work, nothing beats a story. In their series The art of crime the eighth season of which will be broadcast on France 2 this winter, Angèle Herry-Leclerc and Pierre-Yves Mora stage a shock duo for the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property: a cop impervious to painting and a researcher from the Louvre who, in her head, speaks with the masters.
“We were struck by the relationship between police officers and art historians: they are investigators who focus on details to elucidate a mystery. To find out who did it, you have to study the paintings,” she summarizes. For the episode on Toulouse-Lautrec, the writers delved into the life of the blue-faced dancer from At the Moulin Rouge and made it the key to the plot. Damien, a journalist in his forties, was sensitive to this process of incarnation: “It’s easy to identify with the neophyte who asks questions of the scholar. This human dimension is the price of the discovery of culture. »
The subjective deciphering of heritage treasures was able to carry the public through difficult times. Anne, bookseller in Paris, gave a lot of advice The unknown woman in the portrait by Camille de Peretti who, from the beginning of the 20th century to today, links the destiny of a family to a repainting – a painting reworked by its author – of Klimt stolen, then reappeared. “This romantic fresco, rich in twists and turns and strong feelings, pleases readers because it allows them to escape from a period marked by daily difficulties, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…”
This temporality also explains the triumph of Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser, according to his publisher Nicolas de Cointet: “In our world of brutes, this fable about a grandfather who presents his granddaughter with icons of the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Center Pompidou and draws a life lesson, had the effect of a balm. »
Intimate odyssey
This artistic quest leads everyone to the heart of our humanity. The journey can be intimate. Françoise Barbe-Gall remembers two of her students facing the Painting on a white background for the cell of a solitary of Miro, an immaculate surface scratched with a black line: “I evoked Miro, at the end of his existence, renouncing all pretenses to fix the moment when a crack occurs in oneself, what each no doubt felt it, and they began to cry. »
Sometimes the revelation is collective. At the exit of Raft of the Medusa Nelly made the connection between the sinking of the frigate in 1816 and the current migrant tragedy: “It was the simple soldiers who died, because they did not have access to the boats. Today, the victims remain the poor. We are alarmed by the corpse of a child on a beach but, a few days later, we have forgotten it…”
At a time when images overwhelm us, deciphering is a guarantee of independence of mind. For Françoise Barbe-Gall, “we move from passivity to the ability to understand them, to choose some and refuse others”. With the lucidity that this quest will never have an end point. “We penetrate deeper into the works to find out why they captivate us, but with each clarification, our fascination increases,” remarks Angèle Herry-Leclerc. For example, learning that Monet took his wife Camille as the sole model for three of the characters in Women in the garden makes you want to look at the canvas even more. » A virtuous circle where each response multiplies our ardor.
To have
On DVD
- The art of crime, by Angèle Herry-Leclerc and Pierre-Yves Mora. The complete seasons 1-7, Ed. Gaumont, €49.99.
- Polar Park, by Gérald Hustache-Mathieu. Ed. L’Atelier d’images, €29.99, released December 3.
On stage