Editorial: The Blurring Line Between Visual Arts and Cinema

In an editorial for artpress, Catherine Millet discusses the increasingly porous boundary between visual arts and cinema, highlighting two filmmakers whose latest films are released in France. Peter Greenaway, initially a painter, incorporates his painting background into his cinematic work, notably his 2009 Biennale di Venezia reinterpretation of Veronese's 'The Wedding at Cana'. Steve McQueen, known for video installations, won the Caméra d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival for his first feature 'Hunger'. Their new films—McQueen's '12 Years a Slave' and Greenaway's 'Goltzius and the Company of Pelican'—exemplify a convergence of still and moving images, drawing on art history and cinema. Greenaway revisits Dürer and Titien through a layered interplay of painting, theater, cinema, and digital imagery. McQueen cites Goya for representing violence, while his Hollywood film maintains geometric simplicity reminiscent of Eisenstein or Murnau, reflecting his long-standing interest in modernist cinema, as noted by Robert Storr. Millet argues these films offer intellectually satisfying alternatives to many contemporary installations, which often lack structure and thought. Greenaway's complex stage machinery and McQueen's use of Louisiana landscapes and architecture are among the most convincing installations seen in years.