Paul

shar i t s
by
st uar t l i ebman
Paul shar i t s
by st uar t l i ebman
Four t eent h i n a ser i es of monogr aphs wr i t t en f or t he
ser i es Fi l mmaker s Fi l mi ng, co- sponsor ed by Fi l mI n The
Ci t i es andWal ker Ar t Cent er .
Paul shar i t s
Mor et han t enyear s havepassedsi ncePaul Shar i t s neat l y
t r anscr i bedt hr eeshor t sect i onf r omWi t t genst ei n' s "Remar ks
on t he Foundat i ons of Mat hemat i cs" i nt o t he hect i c
assembl age of not es f or hi s f i l m S: t r eam: S: S: ect i on: S: ec-
t i onSS: ect i oned,
1 1 65 What , t hen- does i t j ust t wi st andt ur nabout wi t hi n
t hese r ul es?- I t f or ms ever new r ul es: i s al ways
bui l di ng new r oad f or t r af f i c; by ext endi ng t he
net wor kof t heol d ones.
1 1 66 But t hen doesn' t i t need asanct i on f or t hi s? Cani t
ext end t henet wor k ar bi t r ar i l y? Wel l , I coul dsay: a
mat hemat i ci an i s al ways i nvent i ng newf or ms of
descr i pt i ons . Some, st i mul at ed by pr act i cal need,
ot her s, f r omaest het i c needs, - andyet ot her s i n a
var i et y of ways. And her e i magi ne al andscape
gar dener desi gni ng pat hs f or t he l ayout of a
gar den; i t may wel l bet hat hedr aws t hemon a
dr awi ngboar dmer el y as or nament al st r i ps wi t hout
t he sl i ght est t hought of someone' s wal ki ng on
t hem.
1 1 67 Themat hemat i ci ani s ani nvent or , not adi scover er.
Thesequot at i ons, pr esent ed wi t hout comment , est abl i sh
aspaceof t r anqui l specul at i onami dt hecor r oded, punni ng
pr oser ecount i ng Shar i t s' r andomt hought s andmyr i adanx-
i et i es . Despi t e t hei r i sol at i on, however , t hey ar edr awn i nt o
t hedynami c of an evol vi ng dr amawhoset hemei s f ami l i ar
even i f i t s t er ms andi t s set t i ng ar enew. Anar t i st st r uggl es t o
est abl i sh hi s voi cei n anhi st or i cal l andscapedef i nedby t he
power f ul r epr esent at i ves of an admi r edt r adi t i on. Al t hough
t hedr amahas beenr eenact edcount l ess t i mes i nt hewor k
andi nt i mat et hought s of st r ong cr eat i vear t i st s, t hei nt er est
andpoi gnancy of Shar i t s' st r uggl ei s di mi ni shed nei t her by
t heexi st enceof pr ecedent s nor by hi s i nabi l i t y t of or mul at e
t het hemeexpl i ci t l y,
1 .

Thesequot at i ons wer eomi t t edf r omt henot es f or t hef i l mpubl i shedi n
"Fi l mCul t ur e" 65- 66. Theor i gi nal not es ar ei n t hef i l e of Ant hol ogy Fi l m
Ar chi ves, NewYor k Ci t y.
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At the root of the dramal i es what the l i teraryc ri ti c Harol d
Bl oomc al l "the anxi etyof i nf l uenc e, " the ac ute s ens e of
bel atednes s an arti s t experi enc es whenc onf ronti ng thebri l -
l i antl yc reati veac hi evements of avi tal arti s ti c tradi ti on. ' The
arti s t s truggl es to es tabl i s h grounds f or hi s owndi f f erenc e s o
that he c anpurs uec reati vework wi thout theoppres s i vef ear
that, i n TS. El i ot' s words , "everythi ng that c an be done has
been done.
"3
I n di f f erent c onf i gurati ons , the ani mus and
purpos e of thi s anxi etyi s woven i nto the f abri c of Shari ts '
texts . I ts pres enc ec anbe s ens edi n the Wi ttgens tei n quota-
ti ons f or theyi mpl i c i tl ypropos eapol emi c , l es s agai ns t the
mas terworks of the avant- garde f i l mtradi ti on than agai ns t
the c ategori es f romwhi c h theydrewthei r s trength: i c oni c
i magery, narrati ve, the repres entati on of the s el f , Fors everal
years , thef i rs t of hi s arti s ti c maturi ty, model s deri vedf romthe
di s c ours es of mus i c ( s eri al i s m) andart c ri ti c i s m( G reenber-
gi an moderni s m) s us tai ned Shari ts i n hi s attempt to di s -
tanc e hi ms el f f romthes e c ategori es . Now, i n the years
between 1968 and1970, a"pi votal l ytrans i ti onal " moment
of "pers onal andaes theti c trans val uati ons " i n hi s c areer,
Shari ts neededan even moreabs trac t andri gorous model
f or the pure c i nemaof uni quel yc i nemati c materi al s , pro-
c es s es andi deas he as pi redto c reate. Enc ouragedbythe
exampl e of Wi ttgens tei n' s mathemati c i an, Shari ts i ntens i -
f i ed hi s s earc h f oras et of pri mec i nemati c s i gns as abs trac t
ands el f - ref erenti al as numbers whi c hc oul dbe ref as hi oned
andrec ombi nedbyproc edures model l edaf terthearbi trary
f ormal protoc ol s of mathemati c al s pec ul ati on. Fromthes e
premi s es , Shari ts generatedthe radi c al l ydi s ti l l eds pac eand
ti me of mas terworks di s ti ngui s hedf or thei rf ormal el eganc e
andbythe newhori zons of theoreti c al s pec ul ati on they
open.
Shari ts i s oneof themos t s i gni f i c ant arti s ts of agenerati on
of Ameri c an f i l mmakers who c ame to c i nemai n the 1960s
when two dec ades of i ndependent ef f orts hadf i nal l yes tab-
l i s hedthe i deaof atradi ti onof avant- gardef i l mmaki ng. The
earl y 1960s was aperi od of as toundi ng andunprec end-
Sc ratc h notati ons f or S: tream: S: S: ec ti on: S: ec ti on: S: S: ec ti oned( 1968-
2. Harol dBl oom, ' The Anxi etyof I nf l uenc e" ( NewYork: Oxf ordUni vers i ty
71)
Pres s , 1973) . Foramorec ompl etec ons i derati on of thehi s tori c al ori gi ns
of thi s anxi ety, s ee W. J ac ks on Bate, "The Burden of the Pas t andthe
Engl i s h Poet" ( NewYork: Norton, 1972)
3. T. S. El i ot, "What i s aCl as s i c 7' "On PoetryandPoets " ( NewYork: Noon-
Page 2
day, 1961) , p. 58.
Page 3
ented growth f or the avant- garde f i l m movement i n the
Uni tedStates . Derenhaddi ed i n 1961, andSi dney Peterson
andJ ames Broughtonhadstoppedmaki ngf i l ms f or vari ous
personal or economi c reasons. Another earl y exponent of
the tradi ti on, Kenneth Anger, however, broke a decade-
l ong si l ence and beganto makef i l ms i n the Uni ted States
agai n. Robert Breer al so returnedf romEurope. Markopol ous,
Brakhage, andHarry Smi th createdthei r l ongest andmost
ambi ti ous f i l ms . There were al so i mportant newdebuts by
J ackSmi th, KenJ acobs, J onas Mekas, andAndyWarhol . The
strong f i l mmakers of Shari ts' generati on- Frampton, Lan-
dowandSnow, andsomewhat l ater, Noren, Sonbert, and
Gehr- cameto maturi ty i n f ul l , andconspi cuousl y uneasy
awareness of thesedi verseandi mpressi ve achi evements .
Borni n 1943, Shari ts encounteredtheworkof earl i er avant-
gardef i l mmakers at l east as earl yas 1962whenhef ounded
the Denver Experi mental Fi l m Soci ety whi l e sti l l astudent of
pai nti ng at theUni versi ty of Denver . Unti l 1965, hemadef i l ms
that echoedal ready establ i shed themati c andf ormal i di -
oms. Therawbl ack andwhi te sol i psi sm andthetemporal
dynami cs respecti vel y characteri sti c of "trance" and"l yri -
cal " f i l ms seems to have presi ded over hi s attempt to
recreate "personal f eel i ngs, stress moods, anxi ety-
experi ences of bl eakness, non- l i near, temporal suspensi on,
l oss of ' obj ecti ve' mi nd set ( grey, grai ny, cl austrophobi c-
hi ghl y f i l mi c, a bl ack and whi te l andscape).
"4
I wri te
"seems" becausethese f i l ms- amongthem Event, Wi nter
course, andI l l umi nati on Acci dent- no l onger exi st.
Wi th asi ngl eexcepti on, Shari ts destroyedal l of themi n 1966
"i n arage of non- narrati ve commi ttment . "
Shari ts' destructi ve "rage" di d not resul t sol el y f rom an
uncontrol l abl e emoti onal i mpul se, andi t was not di rected
onl y agai nst narrati veas astructural pri nci pl ei n f i l ms. I t was
equal l y provoked by consi derabl e ref l ecti on about f i l m as
an aestheti c medi umandhi s obj ecti ons extended to the
enti re range of ci nemati cdi scourse. Even theavant- garde
was not exemptedf romhi s cri ti ci sm.
Af ter several years of "experi ments" wi thf i l m, i n 1965,
i di scovered that "Ci nemati c" was an "expressi on"
meani ng more than "creati ve edi ti ng" ( i . e. space-
4.

Paul Shari ts, "Movi e Cookbook, "( 1966), "Fi l m Cul ture" 65- 66 ( Wi nter
1978) : 109.
Page4
ti me mani pul ati on and/ or i magi sti c- metaphori c
i nventi veness) or "sensi ti ve camera control " ( i . e.
expressi ve camera movement, f rami ng, composi -
ti onal tonal i ty, et al ) because i n each of these
i nstances, "Ci nemati c" meant "ci nemati c treat-
ment" of anon- f i l mi c "subj ect . " So, i beganto l ookto
theactual materi al s- processes of my medi um, i nthe
most basi c- obvi ous modal i ti es, f or "subj ect" matter
andf or appropri ate overal l structural pri nci pl es . - '
Thetheoreti cal i ssues at stake i n these remarks arel ess
consi derabl e, but i t i s the manner i n whi ch Shari ts def i nes
hi msel f wi th respect to theavant- gardef i l mtradi ti on that I
want to consi der f i rst . Hi s tonei s curi ousl y aggressi ve. Shari ts
wri tes as i f earl i er vanguard f i l mmakers f ai l ed to graspthe
true nature of the "ci nemati c" whi ch he poses as acondi -
ti on of any cl ai m to aestheti c seri ousness. The "creati ve
edi ti ng" andi nnovati vecameramovementwhi chprovi ded
the f oundati ons of f ormal l y advancedf i l m practi ce i n the
Uni ted States f romthe 1940s throughthemi d- 1960s ( that i s,
f romtheearl y workof Maya DerenthroughStan Brakhage' s
l yri cal andmythopoei cf i l ms) arecharacteri zedmerel y as so
many "treatments" of i nappropri ate subj ects. Theef f orts by
many f i l mmakers- preemi nentl y Deren, Markopol ous, and
Brakhage- to ground thei r ci nemati c practi ce i n theori es
def i ni ng the strategi es and structural pri nci pl es they
bel i eved uni que to the medi umare not menti oned.
Hi s readi ng- or rather, mi sreadi ng- of avant- gardef i l m
hi story i s so caval i er andunf ai r, i n f act, as to suggest the
exi stence of some underl yi ng ani mus. Thi s ani mus has
recentl y beengi ven aname: i t i s the"anxi ety of i nf l uence, "
andi ts def ensi veai mi s toestabl i shf or Shari ts aspaceapart
f rom the tradi ti on i n whi ch hi s ownori gi nal i ty canf l ouri sh.
Thi s anxi ety i s present even whenShari ts ostensi bl y prai ses
theachi evements of earl i er f i l mmakers. Consi der hi s assess-
ments of thef i l ms of BrakhageandWarhol , Fi rst presented
publ i cl y i n 1970i n hi s i mportant l ecture "Words Per Page",
Shari ts' comments ref l ect concerns whi ch he has been
grappl i ng wi th si nce 1965.
Stan Brakhage' s massi ve work i s tooexpansi ve i n i ts
5. Shari ts, "- UR( i )N( ul )LS: TREAM: S : SECTI ON: S : SECTI ON: S : S: ECTI ONED( A)-
( l ysi s)J O: ' 1968- 1970, " "Fi l m Cul ture" 65- 66 ( Wi nter 1978) : 13.
Page 5
i mpl i cat i ons andr i chness t o di scuss her e except t o
ment i on t hat hi s use of t he camer a as abehavi or al
ext ensi on, hi s f or cef ul modul at i on of di sj unct i ve,
"di st r act i ve""mi st akes" ( bl ur s, spl i ces, f l ar es, f r ame
l i nes, f l ash f r ames) and hi s decomposi t i on-
r econst i t ut i on of "subj ect s" i n edi t i ng, because of
t hei r ci nemat i cal l y sel f -r ef er ent i al qual i t i es ( t hey
r eveal t he syst emby whi ch t hey ar e made) , br i ng
ci nema up t o dat e wi t h t he ot her advancedar t s.
And, i n anot her manner , Andy War hol has demon-
st r at edi n hi s ear l ywor k t hat pr ol ongat i ons of subj ect
( r edundant , "nonmot i on" pi ct ur es) , because t hey
def l ect at t ent i on f i nal l y t o t he mat er i al pr ocess of
r ecor di ng-pr oj ect i ng ( t o t he successi on of f i l m
f r ames, andby way of consci ousness of f i l mgr ai n,
scr at ches, anddi r t par t i cl es, t o t he sense of t he f l ow
of t he cel l ul oi dst r i p) , i t i s per haps as r eveal i ng of t he
"nat ur e of ci nema" as i s consi st ent i nt er r upt i on of
"nor mat i ve" ci nemat i c f unct i ons . ( Emphasi s i n
or i gi nal . )
Despi t e t he appar ant gener osi t y andl audat or y t one of
t hi s t r i but e, t he t ext i mpl i ci t l y ar gues t hat Br akhage and
War hol di dnot pur sue t he i mpl i cat i ons of t hei r i nnovat i ons
ei t her f ar enough or wi t h suf f i ci ent r i gor . Thei r sel f -r ef er ent i al
gest ur es andt aut ol ogi cal decl ar at i ons of f i l mi c mat er i al s
wer e a begi nni ng, but onl y a begi nni ng. I t i s as i f t hey
pr oceededcor r ect l y upt o acer t ai n poi nt , but t henswer ved
away when t hey shoul dhave movedpr eci sel y i n t hedi r ec-
t i on t hat Shar i t s aspi r es t o move. ' Thr ough t hi s spect acul ar
act of mi spr i si on, al l f i l ms, even t hoseof admi r edpr ecur sor s,
become ant i ci pat i ons of t he ci nema Shar i t s hi msel f wi l l
make. Hi s f i l ms, hi s t ext s br oadl y hi nt , wi l l be cr uci al l y di f f er -
ent because t hey wi l l bet he f i r st t oexpl oi t t he mat er i al sand
pr ocesses of t he medi umcor r ect l y. Hi s wi l l be compl et el y
andaut hent i cal l y ci nemat i c : t he f i r st f i l ms. '
I n 1965, as Shar i t s became i ncr easi ngl y di ssat i sf i edwi t h
6.

Shar i t s, ' Wor ds Per Page, " .. Fi l mCul t ur e" 65-66 ( Wi nt er 1978) : 34. Shar i t s'
r eadi ng of t hei r wor k st r i kes meas ext r aor di nar i l y r educt i ve, st i l l anot her
si gn t hat a cr eat i ve mi spr i si on i s at wor k.
Page 6
Har ol dBl oomhascal l edt hi s t ype of mi sr eadi ng "cl i namen. " Op. ci t . , p.
14
t he f i l ms of ear l i er f i l m ar t i st s as wel l as wi t h hi s own, he
became awar e of a par t i cul ar concept i on of t he pur pose
andval ue of moder n vi sual ar t whose f or emost exponent
was t he ar t cr i t i c, Cl ement Gr eenber g. I n hi s ar t i cl e, "Moder -
ni st Pai nt i ng, " whi ch he publ i shedi n 1965, Gr eenber g def i ni -
t i vel y f or mul at edt he f undament al pr emi se of hi s i nf l uent i al
t heor y of moder ni sm. "Each ar t , " he wr ot e,
hadt o det er mi ne t hr ough t he oper at i ons pecul i ar
t o i t sel f , t he ef f ect s pecul i ar andexcl usi ve t o i t sel f . By
doi ng t hi s, each ar t woul d, t o besur e, nar r owi t s ar ea
of compet ence, but at t hesamet i me i t woul dmake
i t s possessi on of t hi s ar ea al l t he mor e secur e. I t
qui ckl y emer gedt hat t he uni que andpr oper ar ea
of compet ence of each ar t coi nci dedwi t h al l t hat
was uni que t o t he nat ur e of i t s medi um. The t ask of
sel f -cr i t i ci smbecamet o el i mi nat ef r omt heef f ect s of
eachar t any andever yef f ect t hat mi ght concei va-
bl y be bor r owedf r omor by t he medi umof anyot her
ar t . Ther ebyeachar t woul dber ender ed"pur e, " and
i n i t s "pur i t y" f i nd t he guar ant ee of i t s st andar ds of
qual i t y as wel l as of i t s i ndependence. "Pur i t y"
meant sel f -def i ni t i on, andt he ent er pr i se of sel f -
cr i t i ci sm i n t he ar t s became one of sel f -def i ni t i on
wi t h a vengeance.
Because of Gr eenber g' s i nf l uence i n cer t ai n "advanced"
cr i t i cal ci r cl es, t hequest f or pur i t ywas i nst i t ut i onal i zedas t he
f or ce ani mat i ng moder n ar t ' s hi st or y, andsel f -def i ni t i on
became t he cent r al st andar dof val ue agai nst whi ch con-
t empor ar y aest het i c achi evement hadt o be measur ed.
8

My pur pose i n consi der i ng t he anxi et y of i nf l uence at such l engt h i s
nei t her t o di spar age t he mer i t s of hi s t heor et i cal cl ai ms, nor t odi mi ni sh
t he ext r aor di nar y beaut y of hi s f i l ms . I t hi nk i t i s al so cl ear t hat Shar i t s
f oundmuch i n Br akhage' s andWar hol ' s f i l ms t hat i nf l uencedhi mi n
t he convent i onal sense we uset he t er m. Thei r exampl econf i r medt he
possi bi l i t y of a f or mal vocabul ar y basedon ci nemat i c mat er i al s. I
suppose t oo t hat Shar i t s must be bel i evedwhenhe emphasi zes t hat
he di scover ed t he ant i mony of st asi s andmot i on so cent r al i n hi s
mat ur e wor k i n t he opposi t i on of si ngl e f r ame andf l owi ng st r i p he
bel i eves t o be embodi edi n War hol ' s l ong-t ake st yl e. I want onl y t o
suggest some of t he hi dden exchanges, of t en as per ver se as t hey ar e
di sci pl i ned, t hat under l i e t he hi st or i cal devel opment s i n a mat ur e ar t
f or m.
9.

Cl ement Gr eenber g, "Moder ni st Pai nt i ng, " r epr i nt edi n "The NewAr t , "
ed. Gr egor y Bat t cock ( NewYor k: Dut t on, 1966) , p. 102. -
Page 7
Anal yt i cal St udi es I I Unframed Li nes (1971- 76) Fi nal i mage.
Page 8
N: O: T: H: I : N: G(1968)
Epi sodi c Generat i on (1, 976)
Page 9
Greenberg' s t heory of moderni st art i nt ensi f i ed Shari t s' di s-
af f ect i on wi t h t heworks he model l ed af t er t hose of ot her
f i l mmakers andencouraged hi mt o def i net he"ci nemat i c"
as a ki nd of cat egori cal aest het i c i mperat i ve. Work on hi s
f i l ms,

Ray GunVi rus,

Word Move, Razor Bl ades, and
Peace Mandal a/ EndWar,

compl ement ed by ext ensi ve
research i n t he phenomenol ogy of ci nemat i c percept i on,
enabl ed hi mt o f ormul at e a programmat i c st at ement f or
t he Fourt h I nt ernat i onal Experi ment al Fi l m Fest i val at
Knokke- Le- Zout e i n 1967.
I wi sh t o abandon i mi t at i on and i l l usi on and ent er
di rect l y i nt o t he hi gher drama of : cel l ul oi d, t wo
di mensi onal st ri ps, i ndi vi dual rect angul ar f rames;
t he nat ure of sprocket s and emul si on; proj ect or
operat i ons, t het hreedi mensi onal ref l ect i ve screen
surf ace; t he ret i nal screen; opt i c nerveandi ndi vi d-
ual psycho- physi cal subj ect i vi t i es of consci ousness.
I nt hi s ci nemat i c drama, l i ght i s energy rat her t han a
t ool f or t herepresent at i on of non- f i l mi c obj ect s; l i ght
as energy i s rel eased t o creat e i t s own obj ect s,
shapes andt ext ures . Gi vent hef act of ret i nal i nert i a
andt hef l i ckeri ng shut t er mechani smof f i l mproj ec-
t i on, onemaygenerat e vi rt ual f orms, creat e act ual
mot i on ( rat her t han i l l ust rat e i t ) , bui l d act ual col or-
space ( rat her t han pi ct ure i t ) , and be i nvol ved i n
act ual t i me ( i mmedi at e presence) . 10
Shari t s f ormul at ed t hi s l uci dprogramt oest abl i sht hel i mi t s
and t o i sol at e t he uni que expressi ve pot ent i al of hi s
medi um. Li ke t he moderni st pai nt ers whoexpl ore t hecan-
vas' surf ace andshapei n t hebel i ef t hat t heseparamet ers
const i t ut e t heessent i al t erms of pai nt i ng' s di scourse, Shari t s
proposes t o useas t hepri mevehi cl es of hi s aest het i cs st at e-
ment s onl y t hepercept ual processes andf ormal el ement s
whi ch const i t ut e ci nema. Hi s f i l ms, t heref ore, expl oi t t he
dynami cs of ret i nal responset o modul at ed l i ght andcol or,
and t hey el evat e t he normal l y i nvi si bl e mat eri al s of f i l m-
sprocket hol es, t hef l at screen, t he i ndi vi dual f rames, et c. -
i nt o t hepri nci pal obj ect s of vi si on. Devel opedand ref i ned
wi t h ast oni shi ng resol ut eness and i nvent i veness, t hi s pro-
10 . Shari t s, "Not es on Fi l ms/ 1966- 1968. ' ""Fi l m Cul t ure" 47 ( Summer
1969) : 13.
Page 1 0
f
grami nf orms al l t hework Shari t s has produced duri ng t he
l ast f i f t een years.
Decl arat i ve Mode,

a t wo- proj ect or, si ngl e- screen
"f l i cker" f i l m, i l l ust rat es t heremarkabl e cont i nui t y of Shari t s'
concerns. Commi ssi oned f or t he Bi cent enni al Year' s cel e
brat i onof Ameri canval ues, Decl arat i veMode ext endst he
expl orat i ons of "t he f act of ret i nal i nert i a and t hef l i ckeri ng
shut t er mechani smof f i l m proj ect i on", whi ch Shari t s had
begun nearl y a decade bef ore i n such works as Peace
Mandal a/ End War andT: O: U: C: H: I : N: G. The"f l i cker ef f ect "
f or whi cht hesef i l ms arenamedi s an i nt ri nsi c but ordi nari l y
unnot i ced f eat ure of t he phenomenol ogy of f i l mvi ewi ng.
Fi l ms creat e t he i l l usi on of obj ect s movi ng on screen by
proj ect i ng a rapi dl y pul si ng ( f l i ckeri ng) beamof l i ght
t hrough a seri es of st i l l f rames t hat aret ransport ed i nt ermi t -
t ent l y past t hel i ght source. " Each f ramecont ai ns a phase
of anact i on ( ei t her phot ographedor ani mat ed) andt hese
phases must be coordi nat ed ( f or exampl e, t hey must be
consecut i vel y ordered) so t hat , when proj ect ed, t hey f use
i nt o t heperci eved i mageof anobj ect movi ngcont i nuousl y
t hrough a st abl e set t i ng. "
I n hi s f l i cker f i l ms, Shari t s di srupt s t hi s process. He repl aces
t he consecut i ve phases of act i on wi t h sol i dl y col ored or
bl ack or whi t e f rames. The ef f ect i s l i t eral l y dazzl i ng. The
vi ewer sees of t en vi ol ent burst s of l i ght whose col or and
i nt ensi t y are f unct i ons of t he speed at whi ch t he col ored
f rames and t he compl ement ary col ors of spont aneousl y
i nducedaf t eri mages change. Theosci l l at i ng col ors not onl y
f oreground t he pul si ng l i ght beam, t hey al so ref l exi vel y
remi nd t hevi ewer of t hephysi cal l i mi t s of t hef rameandof
t he surf ace on whi ch f i l ms are proj ect ed. When col ors
change sl owl y, a f l at , undi f f erent i at ed f i el d f i l l s t he ent i re
i mage. As t he speed i ncreases, however, randomshapes
appear t hat seemei t her t o si nk i nt o ani l l usory dept hor t o
11 .

The l ens must al so be properl y f ocused. For moredet ai l ed di scussi ons
of t hese i ssues, seeJ osephandBarbara Anderson, "Mot i onPercept i on
i n Mot i on Pi ct ures, " and Bi l l Ni chol s andSusanJ . Lederman, "Fl i cker
and Mot i on i n Fi l m, " i n "The Ci nemat i c Apparat us. " eds. Teresa de
Lauret i s and St ephen Heat h ( NewYork: St Mart i n' s Press, 1980 ) , pp.
76- 95. andpp. 96- 10 5 respect i vel y.
12 . The percept i onof camera movement has been di scussed by Davi d
Bordwel l , "Camera Movement andCi nemat i c Space, " "Ci ne- Tract s" 2
( Summer 1977: 19- 25. )
Page 11
pr oj ect i nt o t he audi t or i umspace. Adynami c, pur el y opt i -
cal space, shi f t i ng bet ween t wo and t hr ee di mensi ons,
whi ch i s char act er i st i c of our per cept i on of t he space i n al l
f i l ms, i s cr eat ed. ' 3
I n

Decl ar at i ve Mode,

Shar i t s exagger at es al l t hese
ef f ect s by super i mposi ng one f l i cker f i l mwi t hi n t hef r ameof
anot her . The col or changes cause t he spat i al r el at i onshi ps
of t he t wo f i el ds t o var y dr amat i cal l y. When t he col or of t he
i nner f i el d abr upt l y mat ches t hat of t he f r ami ng f i el d, f or
exampl e, i t r adi at es r api dl y t o t he l i mi t s of t he out er scr een.
At ot her t i mes, t hesequence i s r ever sed as t heout er r ect an-
gl e col l apses i nt o t he smal l er f r ame. Cont r ast i ng col or s on
t he i nner and out er scr een al so cr eat e t he i l l usi on of a
t r uncat ed pyr ami d bul gi ng f or war d or backwar d. As t he
speedi ncr eases, f i l mi mageandscr een sur f ace f use i nt ot he
i l l usi on of at aut membr anef l exi ng i n ar hyt hmt hat suggest s
a hear t beat i ng exci t edl y.
Shar i t s or i gi nal l y pl anned a soundt r ack t o accompany
Decl ar at i ve Mode. Acomput er wast o have been usedt o
const r uct var i at i ons andj uxt aposi t i ons of phonemes and
t hen mor phemes f r omaspoken t ext of t he "Decl ar at i on of
I ndependence. " Event ual l y t he ent i r e unmodi f i ed t ext
woul dhavebeen hear d. Thef i l mi s nowdi st r i but edwi t hout a
soundt r ack, andany expl i ci t r el at i onshi p t o J ef f er son' sdec-
l ar at i on i s no l onger appar ent . We seeonl yavi sual st r uct ur e
whi ch, accor di ng t o Shar i t s, gr adual l y moves
f r oma measur ed poi se t owar ds an ecst at i c l evel of
col or - l i ght pul sat i on (endi ng i n mi cr o- osci l l at i ons
ar ound 5cycl es per second, whi ch i s at once t he
pr i mar y f ade- wave cycl e possi bl e i n sound speed
16mmf i l m and i s al so a r hyt hmassoci at ed wi t h
cer t ai n neur on pul ses dur i ng expansi ve, i nspi r a-
t i onal st at es of consci ousness) . "
Even t he r hyt hmi c st r uct ur e al one, however , sust ai ns Shar i t s'
13

The psychol ogi st Hugo Munst er ber g was t he f i r st f i l mt heor i st I am
awar e of who char act er i zed t he per cept i on of ci nemat i c i mages i n
t hi s manner . "The Fi l m: APsychol ogi cal St udy" (1916, r epr i nt edi t i on
NewYor k: Dover , 1970) , pp. 18- 24.
14.

Shar i t s, unpubl i shed pr oposal f or Bi cent enni al Fi l mPr oj ect , 1976, ci t ed
i n not es f or a scr eeni ng at t he Museumof Ar t , Car negi e I nst i t ut e on
Sept ember 20, 1977.
Page 12
pur pose i n maki ng Decl ar at i ve Mode: t o cel ebr at e t he
gr andscal eof sent i ment i nscr i bed i n J ef f er son' sr i ngi ng dec-
l ar at i on of human l i ber t y. ' 5
I n hi s 1967 st at ement , Shar i t s emphat i cal l y r ej ect ed any
"i mi t at i on andi l l usi on" of r eal i t yi n ci nema. Hedi dnot mean
t o excl ude r epr esent at i onal i mages ent i r el y, however , and,
i n f act , such i mages have of t en pl ayedi mpor t ant r ol esi n hi s
f i l ms. I n Peace Mandal a/ EndWar , f or exampl e, si ngl e- f r ame
shot s of acoupl e maki ng l ove mot i vat e t he gr adual shi f t s i n
t he f l i cker i ng col or pat t er ns sur r oundi ng t hem.
S : TREAM: S: SECTI ON: S : ECTI ON: S: S : ECTI ONED used
super i mposed i mages of a st r eamf l owi ng over r ocks as an
echo of t he met aphor of f i l mas a "st r eam" dammed by
spl i ces he pr oposes. As t hese exampl e suggest , Shar i t s has
al ways i nsi st ed t hat r epr esent at i onal i mager ybet r ansl at ed
i nt o t he opt i cal t er ms andst r uct ur al modesof hi s medi um,
andt he ef f ect of t hi s t r ansl at i on has been t o subver t any
i l l usi on of r eal i t y t he i mages mi ght suggest .
Af t er a hi at us of near l y si x year s, r epr esent at i onal i mages
r eappear ed i n Shar i t s' wor k i n t he t wover si ons of Epi l ept i c
Sei zur e Compar i son andi n Tai l s, bot hcompl et edi n 1976.
Onl y t hr ee mi nut es l ong, Tai l s i s Shar i t s' shor t est , but oneof
hi s most , beaut i f ul wor ks. Thi s decept i vel y si mpl e f i l m i s
di vi ded i nt o ei ght sect i ons. I n each, an i coni c i mage
appear s, The second, f i f t h, and sevent h sect i ons pr esent
i mages of peopl e (r espect i vel y anudewoman, awoman i n
af eat her boa, andachi l d) . The i dent i t i es of t he ot her sub-
j ect s ar e l ess cl ear , but I di scer n consecut i vel y a bl ur r ed
i mage of agr een f i el d, a r ephot ogr aphed f i l mst r i p, anoc-
t ur nal f i r e, ashot t hr ought he wi ndowof amovi ng t r ai n, and,
f i nal l y, anot her f i l mst r i p.
16
Thef i l mal l ows j ust enought i me f or
t hese i mages t o bedeci pher edbef or et heyar eswept away
i n a f l ar e of l i ght as t he f i l mseems t o r un of f t he pr oj ect or
l eavi ng t he scr een f i l l ed wi t h pur e whi t e l i ght .
15.

Ther e i s of t en awi de gapbet ween t he accessi bl e meani ng of Shar i t s'
f i l ms and t he pr i vat e si gni f i cance t hey appear t o have f or hi m. For
exampl e, hi sdi ar i es andnot es f or "Decl ar at i ve Mode" suggest t hat t he
col or f l i cker s of i ndi vi dual sect i ons r epr esent hi sexper i ence on par t i cu-
l ar days i n Hydr a and Mont i cel l o.
16.

Most of Shar i t s' mor e i nt i mat e t ext s- hi s j our nal s, di ar i es, andl et t er s-
suggest t hat eachsubj ect r epr esent ed i n t he f i l m' s i mages- nat ur e,
j our neys, chi l dr en, women, bur ni ng, and st r i ps of f i l mr unni ng acr oss
t he scr een- ar e obsessi ve sour ces of wonder f or hi m.
Page 13
Tai l s (1976)
Page 14
The punni ng t i t l e pr ovocat i vel y suggest s t hat t hese
i mages, i cons of ani ndef i ni t epast t i me, mayr epr esent t he
phases of a nar r at i ve, al bei t a hi ghl y el l i pt i cal one. " Shar i t s
i nvokes t hi s possi bi l i t y, however , t o open a sophi st i cat ed
pol emi c about t hei ncompat i bi l i t y of nar r at i vet i meandan
aut hent i cal l y ci nemat i c t empor al i t y. I n or der t o const r uct
t he" r eal " t i meof a nar r at i vei n f i l m, i ndi vi dual i mages must
be f ocused t owar ds a t ot al i zi ng t empor al hor i zon t hat
est abl i shes t hei r si gni f i cance as a moment of anor der ed
sequence of event s . The " t ai l " const i t ut es t he t al e, so t o
speak.
Tai l s i r oni cal l y par odi es t hesei deas . Ther ef l exi vemar ker s
of " r eel t i me, " t hegl or i ousl y l umi nous f l ar es t er mi nat i nga
r eel of exposed f i l m, composet hepr i mar y st r uct ur eof t he
f i l m. They er upt i nt o t her eal t i meof t hesi ngl e l ongt akes i n
eachsect i ont o cor r upt t hei l l usor y pr esenceof t hedepi ct ed
subj ect s, and t o set upa pl ay bet weent hepast i ness of t he
i mageand t heemphat i c pr esenceof i t s ci nemat i c i nscr i p-
t i on. Thebr i l l i ant l y l i t scr eent hat f ol l ows eachf l ar ecr eat es a
gapbet weeni mages t hat ef f ect i vel y i nhi bi t s any i nf er ence
of a causal net wor k uni t i ngt hem. Depr i ved of anor i ent i ng
t empor al i t y, each i magemust ber ead as a sel f - cont ai ned
monad t o beexper i enced i n i t s f ul l t empor al i ndet er mi nat e-
ness unt i l i t bur st s i nt o l umi nous cl i max . Shar i t s under scor es
hi s pol emi cal poi nt by concl udi ng Tai l s wi t h a wi t t y r hyme.
As t hel ast r ephot ogr aphed i magebegi ns t o f l ar e out , t he
f i l mr ecor di ngt hi s i mageal so f l ar es out , super i mposi ngyet
anot her l ayer of t i meont o t hosei nscr i bed wi t hi n t hef i l m.
Bot h t he si ngl e- scr een and f our - scr een ver si ons of Epi -
sodi c Gener at i on engaget het opi c of i mager y and t em-
por al i t y i n ci nema, al t hough at an even hi gher l evel of
abst r act i on. Bot h wor ks ar e composed of t he samef our
sect i ons . Thesect i ons ar eappr oxi mat el yei ght mi nut es l ong,
and each pr esent s an or i gi nal speci men f l i cker f i l msub-
j ect ed t o successi vest ages of r ephot ogr aphy. I nsect i on' A"
a cent r al band of col or ed f r ames i s f l anked by a r owof
spr ocket hol es on onesi deand by t hemodul at ed bl ack
and whi t econt our s of anopt i cal sound t r ack ont heot her . A
scr at ched l i ner uns acr oss t hecol or f r ames . I n Sect i on " B, "
t wo newr ows of spr ocket hol es ar eadded at t heedges of
17.

I t maybepossi bl et o r ead t hesei mages as a r ar ef i ed r epr esent at i onof
event s i n Shar i t s' l i f eas hedi scusses i t i n " Post scr i pt As Pr ef ace. .. .. Fi l m
Cul t ur e" 65- 66 (Wi nt er 1978): 2- 3.
Page15
t hef r ameandt her emai ni ng el ement s appear somewhat
condensedt owar dt hecent er of t hei mage. Af r esh scr at ch
i s cut i nt ot hesur f aceof t henewi mage. Sect i on"C" con-
t i nues t hi s pr ocess, but ot her ki nds of changes r esul t i ngf r om
t he r ephot ogr aphy ar e i nt r oduced. The r ed, bl ack, and
gr eencol or s appear mor esomber , andt hej aggededgesof
t he soundt r ack andscr at ch mar ks becomesmoot her . By
t hel ast sect i on, "D, " t hei magehas becomeadense, unst a-
bl e conf i gur at i on of bl ur r i ng spr ocket hol es, yel l owst r i pes,
andbands of synt het i c col or s. At cer t ai nspeeds, event he
l i near or i ent at i onof t heel ement s di si nt egr at es as moment -
ar i l y pr ecept i bl e r egul ar i t i es i n di r ect i on, col or , or shape
cr eat enewvi sual pat t er ns.
Thesoundt r ack i s subj ect edt oaser i es of t r ansf or mat i ons
anal ogous t o t hoseof t hevi sual t r ack. Adi dact i c t ext di s-
cussi ng t hepr oduct i onof soundt hr oughanopt i cal sound
syst emi s i ni t i al l y hear d. Thi s t ext i s pr ogr essi vel ycondensed
byacomput er , andbyt het hi r dcondensat i on, onl yr andom
wor ds canst i l l bei dent i f i ed. Byt hef our t h st age, t het ext i s so
accel er at edt hat i t s meani ngdi ssol ves i nt o ar hyt hmi cal l y
undul at i ng aur aof sound.
Al t hough t heyuset hesameel ement s, t heexper i enceof
t het wover si ons of Epi sodi c Gener at i on i s ast oni shi ngl y
di f f er ent . I n t hesi ngl e- scr eenver si on, t hesect i ons ar epr es-
ent edconsecut i vel y. Thi s or der i ngest abl i shes ani nexor abl e,
l ogi cal movement t owar dsomef ut ur e moment whent he
i magewi l l beso congest edt hat t hei ni t al conf i gur at i onof
el ement s- i ndeed, t heel ement st hemsel ves- wi l l nol onger
bei dent i f i abl e. Whent hef our sect i ons ar eset si debysi de
andpr esent edsi mul t aneousl yi nendl essl yr epeat edcycl es,
as t hey ar ei n t hef our - scr een "l ocat i onal " ver si on, t hepr o-
gr essi vet empor al t hr ust of t hesi ngl e- scr eenver si oni s l ost . ' 8
Occasi onal l y, whent heal i gnment s, speed, anddi r ect i ons
of movi ng el ement s moment ar i l y mat ch, t hescr eens f use
i nt oauni t yandt heent i r ewal l seems t o l eadt heeyef r om
t hepast t owar dt hef ut ur e as t hecomposi t i onal el ement s
movef r oml ef t t o r i ght . Abr upt decel er at i ons or evenmi nor
shi f t s i n posi t i on, however , suf f i cet o suspendt hi s t ot al i zi ng
18 .

Ot her changes i n pr esent at i onal f or mat i ncl udet her ot at i onof t he
i mages ni net ydegr ees t ot hel ef t sot hat t hespr ocket hol es appear at
t het opandbot t om, r at her t hanat t her i ght andl ef t si des of t hef r ame.
The"l ocat i onal " ver si onof "Epi sodi c Gener at i on" i s al so pr oj ect edby
pr oj ect or s st andi ng wi t hi nt hespaceof t hewor k. One' s exper i enceof
t hewor k i s f ar mor ecompl ex t hanmybr i ef descr i pt i oncansuggest .
Page16
movement . As t hesepar at ei dent i t yof t hei ndi vi dual scr eens
i s r eaf f i r med, t hei mpr essi onof auni f yi ng t empor al vect or i s
shat t er edi nt ot heexper i enceof f our i ncompat i bl et empor -
al i t i es t hat ar esi mul t aneousl y pr esent .
Per meat edbyt hedi r ge- l i ke buzz of t hesoundt r acks, t he
r oomi s asi t e of dynami c act i vi t y i n whi ch r hymi ng and
di ssonant pat t er ns, movement s andcount er - movement s,
const i t ut e, di ssol ve andr econst i t ut e an i nf i ni t e var i et y of
si gni f i cant conf i gur at i ons. Thevol at i l eper mut at i ons of ci ne-
mat i csi gns cr eat easpaceof pur epot ent i al t hat uncanni l y
r ecal l s t hedr amat i c ar ena Paul Val er y i magi nedas t he
spaceof consci ousness i t sel f . "Wi t hi nt hemi nd, " hewr i t es,
adr amat akes pl ace. Dr ama, advent ur e, agi t at i on,
anywor ds of t hesor t canbeusedpr ovi ded t hat
sever al of t hemar eused t oget her , so t hat onei s
cor r ect ed byanot her . . . . Theact or s i n t hedr ama
ar ement al i mages, andi t i s easyt ounder st andt hat ,
i f weel i mi nat et hepar t i cul ar f eat ur es of t hei mages
andconsi der onl yt hei r successi on, f r equency, per i o-
di ci t y, var yi ng capaci t yf or associ at i on, andf i nal l y
t hei r dur at i on, wear esoont empt edt o f i ndanal o-
gi es i n t heso- cal l ed mat er i al wor l d, t o compar e
t hemwi t h sci ent i f i c anal yses, t opost ul at eanenvi r -
onment , t oendowt hemf i r st wi t h cont i nui t y, vel oci -
t i es, pr oper t i es of di spl acement , t henwi t h mass and
ener gy. Ther euponwemayr eal i zet hat manysuch
syst ems ar epossi bl e, t hat anyonei n par t i cul ar i s
wor t h nomor et hananot her . . . .
19
That such an abst r act wor k gener at ed by quasi -
mat hemat i cal pr ocedur es i nsi st s onbei ngr eadas amet a-
phor f or t hemi ndr eveal s t hepower of t heavant - gar def i l m
t r adi t i on. Shar i t s' at t empt t oevadet hebur denof i t s i mpr es-
si veaccompl i shment s byi nvent i ng newf or mal codes and
st r at egi es has, i r oni cal l y, madehi mi nt ooneof t hat t r adi -
t i on' s cent r al f i gur es.
19.

Paul Val er y. "I nt r oduct i ont o t heMet hodof Leonar dodoVi nci , " "Leo-
nar d Poe Mal l ar me, " t r ansl at ed by Mal col mCowl ey andJ ames R.
Lawl er ( Pr i ncet on Bol l i ngen, 1972) pp. 10- 11 .
Page17
paul s har i t s : f i l mogr aphy*
SEARSCATALOGUE (b&w, 2- s cr een per f or mance wor k,
1964)
RAYGUNVI RUS(1966) 14 mi nut es , col or , s ound
WORDMOVI E/ FLUXFI LM 29 (1966) 33/ 4 mi nut es , col or ,
s ound
PI ECEMANDALA/ ENDWAR(1966) 5mi nut es , col or , s i l ent
RAZORBLADES (2- s cr een, 1965- 68) 25 mi nut es , b/ w&
col or , s t er eo s ound
N: O: T: H: I : N: G(1968) 36 mi nut es , col or , s ound
T, O, U, C, H, I , N, G(1968) 12 mi nut es , col or , s ound
S: TREAM: S: S: ECTI ON: S: ECTI ON: S: S: ECTI ONED(1968- 71) 42
mi nut es , col or , s ound
I NFERENTI ALCURRENT(1971) 8 mi nut es , col or , s ound
AXI OMATI C GRANULARI TY (1973) 20 mi nut es , col or ,
s ound
ANALYTI CALSTUDI ES I I I : COLORFRAMEPASSAGES(1973-
74) 29mi nut es , col or , s i l ent , 16 f ps
COLOR SOUNDFRAMES (1974) 261/ 2 mi nut es , col or ,
s ound
APPARENTMOTI ON(1975) 30 mi nut es , col or , s i l ent , pr o-
j ect s i l ent s peedonl y
ANALYTI CALSTUDI ESI : THEFI LMFRAME(1972- 76) 25mi n-
ut es , col or , s i l ent
DECLARATI VE MODE (2- s cr een pr oj ect i on, 1976- 77) 40
mi nut es , col or , s ound.
ANALYTI CAL STUDI ES I I : UNFRAMEDLI NES (1971- 76) 25
mi nut es , col or , s i l ent
ANALYTI CALSTUDI ES I V (1973- 76)
EPI SODI CGENERATI ON(s i ngl e- s cr een ver s i on, 1976) 30
mi nut es , col or , s ound
EPI LEPTI CSEI ZURE COMPARI SON(s i ngl e- s cr een ver s i on,
1976) 30 mi nut es , col or , s ound
TAI LS (1976) 3 mi nut es , col or , s i l ent
TI RGUJ I U(2- s cr een per f or mance wor k, 1976)
SOUNDSTRI P/ FI LMSTRI P (2- s cr een per f or mance ver s i on,
1972- 81)
FI VE MEXI CANPYRAMI DS (wor k i n pr ogr es s )
PASSAGES(wor k i n pr ogr es s )
POI SON(wor k i n pr ogr es s )
Page 18
l ocat i onal f i l mpi eces
SOUNDSTRI P/ FI LMSTRI P (1971)
SYNCHRONOUSOUNDTRACKS(1973- 74)
VERTI CALCONTI GUI TY(1974)
DAMAGEDFI LMLOOP (1973- 74)
THEFORGETTI NGOFI NTENTI ONANDI MPRESSI ONS(1974)
SHUTTERI NTERFACE (1975)
DREAMDI SPLACEMENT(1975- 76)
EPI LEPTI CSEI ZURE COMPARI SON(1976)
EPI SODI CGENERATI ON(1979)
*The mos t ext ens i ve f i l mogr aphyof Paul Shar i t s appear s
i n " Fi l mCul t ur e" 65- 66 (Wi nt er 1978) : 115- 124.
paul s har i t s : s el ect ed bi bl i ogr aphy*
ar t i cl es by paul s har i t s
" Red, Bl ue Godar d, " " Fi l mQuar t er l y" (Summer 1966) .
" Movi e Cookbook, " " Fi l mCul t ur e" 65/ 6 (Wi nt er 1978)
" Not es on Fi l ms , " " Fi l mCul t ur e" 47 (Summer 1969)
" Bl ank Def l ect i ons : Gol den Ci nema, " " Fi l m Cul t ur e"
48/ 49 (Wi nt er / Spr i ng 1970) .
" Wor ds Per Page, " (1970) " Af t er i mage" 4 (Aut umn
1972) .
" Epi l ept i c Sei zur e Compar i s on, " " Ni agar a Magazi ne"
(Summer 1976) .
" ACi nemat i cs Model f or Fi l mSt udi es i n Hi gher Educa-
t i on, " " Quar t er l y Revi ewof Fi l mSt udi es " 1: 4 (November
1976) .
" - Ur (i ) N(ul ) LS: DREAM: S: S: ECTI ON: S: ECTI ON: S: SEC-
TI ON: S: S: ECTI ONED(A) - (l ys i s ) J O: ' 1968- 70' , " " Fi l mCul t ur e"
65- 66 (Wi nt er 1978) .
" Pos t s cr i pt as Pr ef ace, " (1973) " Fi l mCul t ur e" 65- 66(Wi n-
t er 1978).
" Exhi bi t i on/ Fr ozen Fr ames , " (1974) " Fi l mCul t ur e" 65- 66
(Wi nt er 1978) .
" Hear i ng: Seei ng, " (1975) " Fi l mCul t ur e" 65- 66 (Wi nt er
1978) .
Page 19
"Ci nema as Cogni t i on, " (1975) "Fi l mCul t ure" 65- 66
(Wi nt er 1978) .
"St at ement Regardi ng Mul t i pl e Screen/ Sound ' Loca-
t i onal ' Fi l mEnvi ronment s- I nst al l at i ons, " (1976) "Fi l mCul -
t ure" 65- 66(Wi nt er 1978) .
"' hi ' hayyeh f ol ks, st ep" on"&" t ransverse"yr present "
posi t i on, " "Fi l mCul t ure" 65- 66(Wi nt er 1978).
"Comedyi n Abst ract Art , " (f ort hcomi ng) .
i nt ervi ewwi t h paul shari t s
"Paul Shari t s/ Li nda Cat hcart , " i n "Paul Shari t s: Dream
Di spl acement and Ot her Proj ect s. " Buf f al o: Al bri ght -
KnoxGal l ery, 1976. n. p.
art i cl es about paul shari t s
Cornwel l , Regi na. "Paul Shari t s: I l l usi onandObj ect ""Art -
f orum" (Sept ember 1971) : 56- 62.
Krauss, Rosal i nd. "Paul Shari t s: St op Ti me, " "Art f orum"
(Apri l 1973) : 60- 61.
- - - - - - - - - Paul Shari t s, " i n "Paul Shari t s: DreamDi s-
pl acement and Ot her Proj ect s. " Buf f al o: Al bri ght - Knox
Art Gal l ery, 1976. n. p.
Li ebman, St uart . "Apparent Mot i onandFi l mSt ruct ure:
Paul Shari t s' "Shut t er I nt erf ace, " "Mi l l enni umFi l mJ our-
nal " 1: 2 (Spri ng- Summer 1978) : 101- 109.
Mi chel son, Annet t e. "Paul Shari t s andt heCri t i que of
I l l usi oni sm: AnI nt roduct i on, " i n"Proj ect ed I mages. " Mi n-
neapol i s: Wal ker Art Cent er, 1974.
"Shrader, Paul , "Sensi bl e NewTrends i n Experi ment al
Fi l ms, " "Los Angel es Ti mes, " 9Sept ember 1971.
Si t ney, P. Adams, "The Achi evement of t heAmeri can
Avant - Garde, " i n "ThePl easureDome: Ameri canExperi -
ment al Fi l m1939- 1979. " St ockhol m: ModernaMuseet ,
1980, pp. 21- 35.
"Vi si onary Fi l m. " NewYork . Oxf ord Uni versi t y
Press, 1974, pp. 425- 427.
Wol l en, Pet er. "' Ont ol ogy' and ' Mat eri al i sm' i n Fi l m, "
"Screen" (Summer 1976) : 7- 23.
' At horough l i st i ng of al l art i cl es byandabout Shari t s
t hrough 1978 appears i n "Fi l mCul t ure" 65- 66 (Wi nt er
1978) : 130- 133.
Page20
Thi s monograph i s madepossi bl e by grant s
f romt heMi nnesot aSt at eArt s Boardf romf unds
appropri at ed by t heMi nnesot aSt at eLegi sl a-
t ureandf romt heNat i onal Endowment f or t he
Art s.