Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Th.--Lett.--Paris 1, 1986.

Th. 3e cycle--Litt. et civilis. fr.--Aix-Marseille 1, 1986.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-221).

Thèse de doctorat : Sciences de l'information et de la communication : Nancy 2 : 2007. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre.

In the first chapter I will discuss Renoir's involvement with the Goncourt brothers and his close interest in the themes of the Rococo. I will show how his connection with the Rococo surpasses superficial imitation and brings Renoir into direct dialogue with eighteenth-century ideas and motifs. In the second chapter I will explore the ideas about women that arose in the eighteenth century as seen in the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and how Renoir puts them to use in his paintings of his wife, Aline. I will discuss Renoir's dialogue with Rousseau's natural roles for women, especially the practice of breastfeeding. In the last chapter, we will look at Renoir's career as an Impressionist in Paris and his interaction with the fashion of the day. During the rise of haute couture in Paris, emerging fashion was embraced most famously by Baudelaire, who despised the idealization of nature. Here we will look at Renoir's retort to Baudelaire's ideas. I seek to show that naturalism, as understood by Rousseau, is present in various ways throughout Renoir's Impressionist period, even as financial reasons constrained the artist to represent the busy city life of Paris. In summation this thesis will analyze Renoir's depictions of women, his love of eighteenth century artists, and the ideal of the natural woman he would return to throughout his career. I seek to demonstrate that Renoir was not superficially engaged with the Rococo Revival; rather, we shall see how deeply Renoir is in debt to Rousseau's ideas and Rococo aesthetics.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 1979. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-265). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 1979. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 262-265).

Si la direction d’acteurs de Jean Renoir est l’un des aspects les plus importants de son art, elle n’en est pas nécessairement le fait le mieux connu. La compréhension de celle-ci est en effet souvent troublée par des a-prioris théoriques ou par la popularité de certains mythes(comme le mythe de l’improvisation par exemple). Cette thèse propose donc de reconsidérer les pratiques et les théories de la mise en scène des acteurs chez Jean Renoir en restituant ses méthodes de travail à partir de documents d’archives (Cinémathèque française, UCLA), en réexaminant ses réflexions théoriques sur ce thème et en analysant les singularités du jeu des acteurs dans ses films. Nous examinons d’abord une conversion esthétique qui s’est opérée au début de sa carrière et qui constitue le prélude de son intérêt indéfectible pour la question de l’acteur. Ensuite, nous analysons la manière dont Renoir élabore progressivement, durant les années 1930, des stratégies de casting et des méthodes de travail, qui ont toutes pour but d’« animer » ses personnages. Puis, nous évoquons la période américaine du cinéaste durant laquelle sa « méthode française » est mise à rude épreuve par les studios hollywoodiens. Enfin, nous analysons les orientations prises par le cinéaste à la fin de sa carrière, lorsque son cinéma reflète une esthétique plus artificielle et théâtrale. Nous réévaluons notamment les enjeux de sa fameuse « méthode à l’italienne »en clarifiant sa relation au théâtre. En retraçant pas à pas le développement de la direction d’acteurs renoirienne, cette thèse a pour but d’en offrir une vue d’ensemble la plus objective et la plus exhaustive possible. / While the direction of actors is one of the most important aspects of Jean Renoir’s art, it is not necessarily well-known. Its understanding has been obscured by theoretical bias or some popular myths (such as the myth of improvisation). The present thesis therefore aimsto reconsider Renoir’s practices and theories in mise en scène of actors by reconstructing his working methods based on archival documents (Cinémathèque française, UCLA), by examining his theoretical reflections on the issue of actors, and by analyzing their performance in his films. First, we will examine an aesthetic shift which occurred at the beginning of his career and which constituted a prelude to his unwavering interest in the question of actors. Next, we will analyse the way in which in the 1930s he progressively elaborated on strategic casting and working methods, seeking to “animate” the characters. We will then consider the American period of the cineaste during which his “French method” was challenged by the Hollywood studios. Finally, we will analyse the approaches adopted by Renoir at the end of his career when his cinema increasingly assumed artificialand theatrical aesthetics. We reevaluate, in particular, his famous “Italian method” of rehearsal by focusing on its relation to the theater. By retracing the development of the direction of actors by Renoir, the thesis attempts to offer as an objective and exhaustive overview as possible.

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Univ., Diss., 2007.