French Literature Reviews - 2026
The Painter as a Model: From Surrealism to the Contemporary Extremity
Art and Visual Culture
The Painter as a Model: From Surrealism to the Contemporary Extremity
Adelaide Russo
Literature and Arts
"Perspectives" series edited by Dominique Viart
16 x 24 cm - 304 pages ISBN 978-2-85939-896-5
23 € (April 2007)
BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING
The Librairie Michèle Ignazi is hosting a book signing event on Thursday, June 14 starting at 7:00 PM (17 rue de Jouy, Paris IV M°Saint Paul).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I The Painter as a Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CHAPTER II Ekphrasis in Louis Aragon's Collages: Ekplexis, Energeia, Escamotage. . . . . . . . . . 45
CHAPTER III André Breton and the Mechanisms of Judgment: Specular, Speculative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
CHAPTER IV Mediation in Philippe Soupault's Art Criticism: Paolo Uccello and William Blake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
CHAPTER V Michel Leiris: The Painter as a Model — Meditation on the Image under the Sign of Substitution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
CHAPTER VI Art and Oscillation: "The Eye of a Certain Philosopher". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
CHAPTER VII Muthos and Prophecy: The Elaboration of a Modern Mythology — Poet, Painter, Oracle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
CHAPTER VIII The *Apparatus Criticus* of Art: Francis Ponge's *Atelier contemporain*. . . . . . . . . . 159
CHAPTER IX On Love: Fenosa Four Times — Toward a Poetic Reading of Fenosa's Oeuvre through the Perspectives of Francis Ponge, Bernard Noël, Bernard Vargaftig, and Jean-Marie Gleize. . . . . 179
CHAPTER X Dialogues and Dedications "For All That the Eyes See": Bona Tibertelli de Pisis and André Pieyre de Mandiargues. . . . . . . . . 197
CHAPTER XI Greetings and New Year Gifts: The Circulation of Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
- Shared Olympia: Michel Leiris, Jacques Derrida, and Marcel Duchamp. . . . . . . . . 221
- The Favored Painter: André Masson. . 239
CHAPTER XII The Hospitality of the Text: The Poet as the Painter's Friend — Michel Deguy, Bernard Noël, Michel Mousseau, Bertrand Dorny. . . . . . . . 265
Bibliography ...................... 279
Index of Proper Names............... 293
Index of Periodicals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
The relationship between literature and the visual arts has long been a central concern in French intellectual history, particularly within the Surrealist movement and its aftermath. The Painter as a Model: From Surrealism to the Contemporary Extremity by Adelaide Russo examines the interplay between the written word and the canvas, with chapters dedicated to figures such as Louis Aragon, André Breton, Michel Leiris, Francis Ponge, and Michel Deguy.
The volume addresses the mechanisms of judgment and the circulation of values within these artistic dialogues, highlighting the role of the poet as both a critic and a companion to the painter. Readers interested in the history of modern French aesthetics and the evolving nature of the dialogue between poetry and the visual arts may find this examination of the poet-painter connection relevant to their studies.