In his seminal Manifesto das Sete Artes, Ricciotto Canudo elevated cinema to the "Seventh Art" by defining it as a synthesis of spatial arts (architecture, sculpture, painting) and temporal arts (music, poetry, dance). This 1923 work established cinema as a "Total Art" that blends the plastic and rhythmic arts to create a new form of aesthetic expression. Further insights on the manifesto can be explored on Wikipedia.
"A fábrica de imagens": o cinema como arte plástica e rítmica
Ricciotto Canudo’s Manifesto of the Seven Arts (1923) established cinema as a legitimate art form by defining it as a synthesis of the spatial and temporal arts. The text argues that cinema operates as a "total art," fusing classical arts like architecture, music, and painting through modern motion and light. Access the text on Scribd or U-Cursos. Manifesto das Sete Artes de Canudo | PDF | Arte - Scribd
O "Manifesto das Sete Artes", publicado por Ricciotto Canudo em 1923, define o cinema como a "Sétima Arte", sintetizando as artes do espaço (arquitetura, pintura, escultura) e do tempo (música, dança, poesia). O texto visa elevar o cinema a uma Belas Arte, consolidando-o como uma união entre artes plásticas e rítmicas. Versões para visualização podem ser encontradas no Scribd. Manifesto Das Sete Artes Ricciotto Canudo.pdf
Key Points of Canudo’s Manifesto (c. 1912–1923):
Rhythm and Light: Cinema’s essence is the rhythm of light and movement on screen, which he saw as the purest expression of modern life.
Beyond Reproduction: Canudo rejected the idea that cinema is merely recorded theater or photography. Instead, he called it a new, independent artistic language. In his seminal Manifesto das Sete Artes ,
The Ideal Spectator: He believed cinema speaks to a mass audience but elevates them through rhythmic, emotional, and visual storytelling—not just spectacle.
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Ricciotto Canudo’s 1911 "Manifesto of the Seven Arts" established cinema as a "Total Art" by synthesizing spatial arts like architecture with temporal arts such as music and dance. The text, which evolved to label film as the "Seventh Art," positions cinema as a transformative medium bridging visual stillness with rhythmic motion. The text is accessible through platforms like Academia.edu dangerousminds.net Rhythm and Light: Cinema’s essence is the rhythm
Cinema as the “seventh art” according to Ricciotto Canudo
Ricciotto Canudo (1877-1947) was a prominent figure in the early 20th-century art scene. He was known for his work in various artistic fields, including painting, sculpture, and writing. Canudo's contributions to art theory and criticism were significant, and he is often remembered for his efforts to legitimize cinema as an art form.
Canudo makes a crucial distinction regarding the audience's experience. He contrasts the "sensory" emotion of theater with the "intellectual" emotion of cinema.