Film - wideo - malarstwo: "The Passions" Billa Violi

Film—Video—Arts: Bill Viola’s The Passions The author of the article interprets The Passions cycle by Bill Viola, initiated in 2000 and concluded with a series of exhibitions in 2003 and afterwards. In many projects composing the cycle, though not in all, Viola used film camera only to transfer the recorded material to video later. His inspirations come form medieval and renaissance art which is exemplified through depiction of objects and characters and clear references to the old paintings. The Passions cycle consists of twenty diverse works connected by the theme of human emotions and containing references to traditional painting techniques. The emotions in question are extreme though often remain undefined as if Viola himself contemplated not only the possibility of their representation, allowed for by the painting medium, but also the spectator’s capacity to recognize and experience them. All works follow a similar pattern: the characters are presented in an identical perspective, always against a black background and illuminated in a hyper-real way. The spectator wonders as for the reasons behind the characters‘ unusual reactions but Viola is reluctant to offer hints and in fact does not even encourage speculations. He reaches the very core of representation without the support of an anecdote or a story.