The Paintings Make the Painter, remarks on Le Mystère Picasso, a Film by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Felix Thürlemann, University of Konstanz
Summary
Among the films that show artists at work, Le Mystère Picasso, shot in 1955 by Henri-Georges Clouzot, stands out as one of the greatest achievements in the genre. We are well acquainted with the "prehistory" of this work, a joint venture between two virtuosos in their respective fields: the filmmaker Clouzot and the painter Picasso.
Each of these two men contributed equally to the initial conception of the film, though at certain moments the filmmaker played the role traditionally attributed to the director and the painter became an actor, embodying the character of Picasso, the modern artist par excellence.