Cette thèse monographique, consacrée à l'oeuvre filmique du cinéaste expérimental Stan Brakhage, constitue un apport en histoire et en esthétique du cinéma. Une recherche en archives a permis l'analyse de la filmographie complète du cinéaste composée de près de quatre cent films réalisés entre 1952 et 2003, et l'étude de ses archives non-film. Cette thèse propose une synthèse de ces analyses, dans une étude stylistique de l'oeuvre filmique du cinéaste.L'étude stylistique est fondée sur des analyses esthétiques, formelles et iconographiques.Un style naturaliste a pu être identifié et défini, avec en particulier les théories du naturalisme de Worringer dans Abstraction et Einfühlung, de Kris dans Le Style rustique, et de Zola avec la méthode expérimentale, réactualisées avec les théories du modernisme dont de Greenberg, et adaptées aux formes cinématographiques avec les théories d'Eisenstein et de Brakhage. Cette thèse stylistique prétend donner une synthèse d'ensemble monographique. / This monographic thesis, dedicated to the film work of the experimental film-maker Stan Brakhage, constitutes a contribution in film history and aesthetics. A research in archives allowed the analysis of the complete filmography of the film-maker composed of about four hundred films made between 1952 and 2003, and the study of its non-film archives. This thesis provides a synthesis of these analyses, in a stylistic study of the film work of the film-maker.Stylistic study is founded on aesthetic, formalist and iconographic analyses. A naturalist style could be identified and defined, with particularly the theories of the naturalism byWorringer in Abstraction and Einfühlung, by Kris on rustic style, and by Zola with experimentalmethod, updated with the theories of modernism including by Greenberg, and adapted to filmforms with the theories of Eisenstein and Brakhage. This stylistic thesis pretends to give anoverall monographic synthesis.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal. / Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de cette thèse ou ce mémoire a été dépouillée, le cas échéant, de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale de la thèse ou du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal / Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de cette thèse ou ce mémoire a été dépouillée, le cas échéant, de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale de la thèse ou du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

No final da década de 1960 e início da seguinte, dentro do contexto que se convencionou chamar de cinema experimental ou de vanguarda norte-americano, um número sem precendetes de cineastas dedicou-se à elaboração de filmes-diário ou autobiografias filmadas. Esse movimento é acompanhado, no caso de alguns dos realizadores, por um interesse por outras formas (literárias ou pictóricas) de autorre- presentação e escrita de vida e por um esforço reflexivo sobre as possibilidades, usos e potências dessas formas no cinema. Partindo do entendimento que a autobiografia transforma-se em um campo de interesses para cineastas, críticos e público apenas a partir deste momento, esta tese pretende abordar como ela é formulada e inventada por cineastas como uma forma possível para o cinema. A partir da análise de textos e filmes de três cineastas centrais para essa elaboração, notadamente Stan Brakhage, Jonas Mekas e Hollis Frampton, demonstramos o papel do gênero na transformação de um panorama artístico e criativo. De um lado, como se verá, a autobiografia afirma-se e inventa-se como uma tentativa de dialogar e responder a uma história artística que incluí o próprio cineasta, de outro, ela propõe-se como um lugar de singularização e transformação dessa história. / On the threshold of the seventies, the autobiographical genre emerged as one of the main tendencies of the north-american avant-garde film. This event was followed by a growing interest in other forms of self representation and life narratives in painting and literature and by an intellectual effort to reflect on the uses, qualities, possibilities and predecessors of the new form in film. Understanding that autobiography becomes a field of interest for filmmakers, critics and public alike only at this moment in time, this dissertation intends to broach how autobiography is fashioned by filmmakers into a form viable for cinema. Relying on a vast documentation of writings by Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage and Hollis Frampton, three filmmakers whom we consider to be central to the understanding of the genre as such, and on close readings of their autobiographical films we demonstrate the role played by the genre in the transformation of a creative and artistic environment. As will be seen, the emergence of the genre responds to a historical and aesthetic transformation in experimental films and offers itself as a peronal narrative for this changing history.

No final da década de 1960 e início da seguinte, dentro do contexto que se convencionou chamar de cinema experimental ou de vanguarda norte-americano, um número sem precendetes de cineastas dedicou-se à elaboração de filmes-diário ou autobiografias filmadas. Esse movimento é acompanhado, no caso de alguns dos realizadores, por um interesse por outras formas (literárias ou pictóricas) de autorre- presentação e escrita de vida e por um esforço reflexivo sobre as possibilidades, usos e potências dessas formas no cinema. Partindo do entendimento que a autobiografia transforma-se em um campo de interesses para cineastas, críticos e público apenas a partir deste momento, esta tese pretende abordar como ela é formulada e inventada por cineastas como uma forma possível para o cinema. A partir da análise de textos e filmes de três cineastas centrais para essa elaboração, notadamente Stan Brakhage, Jonas Mekas e Hollis Frampton, demonstramos o papel do gênero na transformação de um panorama artístico e criativo. De um lado, como se verá, a autobiografia afirma-se e inventa-se como uma tentativa de dialogar e responder a uma história artística que incluí o próprio cineasta, de outro, ela propõe-se como um lugar de singularização e transformação dessa história. / On the threshold of the seventies, the autobiographical genre emerged as one of the main tendencies of the north-american avant-garde film. This event was followed by a growing interest in other forms of self representation and life narratives in painting and literature and by an intellectual effort to reflect on the uses, qualities, possibilities and predecessors of the new form in film. Understanding that autobiography becomes a field of interest for filmmakers, critics and public alike only at this moment in time, this dissertation intends to broach how autobiography is fashioned by filmmakers into a form viable for cinema. Relying on a vast documentation of writings by Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage and Hollis Frampton, three filmmakers whom we consider to be central to the understanding of the genre as such, and on close readings of their autobiographical films we demonstrate the role played by the genre in the transformation of a creative and artistic environment. As will be seen, the emergence of the genre responds to a historical and aesthetic transformation in experimental films and offers itself as a peronal narrative for this changing history.

Film abstrait peint à la main sur de la pellicule recyclée, The Dante Quartet de Stan Brakhage est une adaptation personnelle de La divine comédie de Dante. Agissant comme un palimpseste où chaque couche révèle des éléments caractéristiques de l’oeuvre du cinéaste ainsi que l’influence de certains poètes et artistes, The Dante Quartet reprend certaines caractéristiques de l’ekphrasis. Dans ce mémoire, je travaille avec l’hypothèse heuristique que The Dante Quartet est une ekphrasis, et plus précisément une ekphrasis inversée. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à ce qui reste du pré-texte après son passage d’un média à un autre. Compte tenu du laps temporel qui sépare ces deux œuvres, il est aussi question d’influences contemporaines au travail de Brakhage. Le cinéaste basant son travail sur les phénomènes de vision (et plus particulièrement sur les visions hypnagogiques dans le cas qui m’occupe), le point sera fait sur la pensée de Brakhage à ce sujet, pensée qu’il expose dans son livre-manifeste Metaphors on Vision. / The Dante Quartet by Stan Brakhage is a personal adaptation of The Divine Comedy of Dante who took the form of an abstract movie made from hand painted images on recycled footage. Acting as a palimpsest in which each layer reveals characteristic features of Brakhage's work and the influence of different poets and artists on it, The Dante Quartet also includes some features of ekphrasis. In this thesis, I work with the heuristic assumption that The Dante Quartet is an ekphrasis, specifically a reverse ekphrasis. This thesis looks at what remains of the pre-text after the transfer from one medium to another. Given the temporal interval between these two works, I will also discuss of certain contemporary influences to Brakhage's work. As the filmmaker based his work on vision phenomena (especially on hypnagogic visions in that movie), the point will be made regarding Brakhage's thinking about this, thought that he describes in his manifesto Metaphors on Vision.

Film abstrait peint à la main sur de la pellicule recyclée, The Dante Quartet de Stan Brakhage est une adaptation personnelle de La divine comédie de Dante. Agissant comme un palimpseste où chaque couche révèle des éléments caractéristiques de l’oeuvre du cinéaste ainsi que l’influence de certains poètes et artistes, The Dante Quartet reprend certaines caractéristiques de l’ekphrasis. Dans ce mémoire, je travaille avec l’hypothèse heuristique que The Dante Quartet est une ekphrasis, et plus précisément une ekphrasis inversée. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à ce qui reste du pré-texte après son passage d’un média à un autre. Compte tenu du laps temporel qui sépare ces deux œuvres, il est aussi question d’influences contemporaines au travail de Brakhage. Le cinéaste basant son travail sur les phénomènes de vision (et plus particulièrement sur les visions hypnagogiques dans le cas qui m’occupe), le point sera fait sur la pensée de Brakhage à ce sujet, pensée qu’il expose dans son livre-manifeste Metaphors on Vision. / The Dante Quartet by Stan Brakhage is a personal adaptation of The Divine Comedy of Dante who took the form of an abstract movie made from hand painted images on recycled footage. Acting as a palimpsest in which each layer reveals characteristic features of Brakhage's work and the influence of different poets and artists on it, The Dante Quartet also includes some features of ekphrasis. In this thesis, I work with the heuristic assumption that The Dante Quartet is an ekphrasis, specifically a reverse ekphrasis. This thesis looks at what remains of the pre-text after the transfer from one medium to another. Given the temporal interval between these two works, I will also discuss of certain contemporary influences to Brakhage's work. As the filmmaker based his work on vision phenomena (especially on hypnagogic visions in that movie), the point will be made regarding Brakhage's thinking about this, thought that he describes in his manifesto Metaphors on Vision.