ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Raoul Ruiz: An Alphabet of Commentary

publication · 2026-04-24

This article, published in artpress in March 1987, addresses the inherent difficulty of writing about the films of Chilean-born director Raoul Ruiz. The author argues that conventional commentary fails because Ruiz's work lacks prior references and cannot rely on external examples. The piece is structured as an abécédaire (alphabetical glossary) to circumvent this critical impasse.

Key facts

  • The article is about the films of Raoul Ruiz.
  • It was published in artpress in March 1987.
  • The article takes the form of an abécédaire (alphabetical glossary).
  • The author states that Ruiz's films have no prior references.
  • The author states that Ruiz's films cannot benefit from external examples.
  • The article's form was born from the difficulty of speaking about Ruiz's films.
  • Commentary on Ruiz quickly encounters an impossibility.
  • The article was published in French.

Entities

Artists

  • Raoul Ruiz

Institutions

  • artpress

Sources