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Part of the book: Saint-Amant and the Theory of 'Ut Pictura Poesis'

Christopher D. Rolfe

MHRA Texts and Dissertations 6

Modern Humanities Research Association

RenaissanceFrenchPoetryopen

Abstract.  It is clear that the relationship between the various arts, that is to say between literature, music, painting and sculpture, is extremely intricate, confused even, and dependent on numerous factors. The aims of the poet or the novelist, the musician and the painter may coincide or they may be radically opposed. Although the means used in the creation of a poem or a painting are different, themes are clearly often the same. Moreover, one art may inspire another: paintings can and do suggest themes for poetry, plays are frequently transformed into operas and so forth. There is, however, an aspect to the relationship between the arts that is both more fascinating and more important in many respects: at various times in the history of European civilization one art has endeavoured to reproduce the effects obtained by another art. So, for example, poets have attempted to write 'musical' verse Verlaine striving to put his concept of 'de la musique avant toute chose' into practice. Or, and this is of most interest to us, certain poets have tried to achieve the effects obtained by the painter.

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