Drawing blanks: word and image at the Expositions des Incohérents

Kerr, G. (2022) Drawing blanks: word and image at the Expositions des Incohérents. Dix-Neuf, 26(2), pp. 57-73. (doi: 10.1080/14787318.2022.2083924)

Abstract

In the early 1890s, Jules Lévy organised a series of artistic exhibitions under the title of Les Arts Incohérents. Affiliated with Montmartre cabaret culture, the events lampooned the conventions of the Parisian salons and the conventions and institutions of the fine arts. This article explores the importance of the figure of the blank in a selection of art exhibited by the Incohérents. Adopting a word-and-image-based approach, and drawing on theories of comedy and laughter, the article shows how the Incohérents' incipient avant-gardism interrogates the limits of the different arts and points to a novel inflection of humour in the period.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Kerr, Dr Greg
• Authors: Kerr, G.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > French
• Journal Name: Dix-Neuf
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1478-7318
• ISSN (Online): 1478-7318
• Published Online: 17 June 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Dix-Neuf 26(2): 57-73
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence