The Baroque Aesthetics of Peter Greenaway’s Films

Abstract

The article explores the application of fine art’s expressive possibilities to filmmaking as exemplified in films made by Peter Greenaway, an English director, artist and one of the main figures in modern auteur cinema. His films are characterized by a highly intellectual and philosophic perspective due to the particularly rich visual component as well as the tendency for a dialogue with other art forms.
New cultural forms and practices often originate from the synthesis of various arts, and in this sense, fine art and cinema demonstrate a particularly close blend based on space-time dimensions. Despite a sufficient body of research on this synthesis in general, the interaction and mutual influence of the languages of the two art forms is touched upon relatively seldom. Nevertheless, the systematization of the visual and expressive means remains poorly studied due to the lack of a thorough analysis of each of them in the context of the «fine art — cinema» relationship.
The expressive means borrowed from visual arts (from painting in particular) promote development of the film language and enhance the impact of audiovisual works. The identification of these techniques is necessary for understanding the common principles of forming up a visual image. This article highlights the use of fine art’s expressive means in filmmaking. Drawing on the example of Peter Greenaway’s work, the author lays special emphasis on the «fine art — cinema» pair, taking into account the synthetic character of the latter.