M HKA Ensembles

Video, 00:65:00.

Collection: Fonds Henri Storck.

After the Second World War, Henri Storck makes his most well-known films, first about Paul Delvaux and Felix Labisse, then about Peter Paul Rubens. Storck tries to combine art criticism with the visual power of the cinema, which results in the first film about the life and work of Rubens with sound and movement. The filmmaker attaches great importance to the educational role of the cinema and is therefore particularly didactic in his approach. He defines the Baroque in comparison with painting to the Middle Ages, he refers to the composition and layout of the paintings, and he shows the life, the house, the women and the studio of the painter. The way in which he composes his film testifies of great cinematographic craftsmanship. He uses an early form of animation to analyse the structure of the paintings by means of lines and circles, and he plays with the fragmentation of the screen to present comparisons between different studies or styles. At the same time, he brings tension into the image by means of smooth camera movements, lateral shots, and zooming in on details. During the exhibition Sanguine/Bloedrood, the film is projected in the public space, in alternation with a new video on Caravaggio. The choice of these projections emphasises the cinematic character of the Baroque, and at the same time goes back to the initial goal of the great altarpieces of Rubens. These were not meant for the museum environment, but were meant to be viewed from a distance.