简介：TheAmericanminimalistpoetRobertLax(1915-2000)ispraisedforhisoriginalityandspirituality.HewasacompanionofthepainterAdReinhardtandthereligiousphilosopherandmonkThomasMerton,whohadastronginfluenceonthepoetsofthebeatgeneration.AfterdecadesofanomadiclifebetweenAmericaandEurope,workingasascreenwriterinHollywood,asafilmcriticinNewYorkandasaclowninanItalianitinerantcircus,hehaslivedwithdrawnfor30yearsontheGreekislandofPatmos.Inhispoetry,RobertLaxpursuesamaximumcompressionoflanguage-tothepointwhereonlyindividualwordsandsyllablesremainwhichrepresenttheessenceoflanguage.Hisartisticconceptofreduction,inwhichapausebecomesasimportantasthethingssaid,makesLaxakindredspiritoftheAmericancomposerJohnCage.Thepresentfilmsaretheoutcomeofalong-standingfriendshipbetweenRobertLaxandthefilmmakersNicolasHumbertandWernerPenzel. Likefewotherfilm-makerswhoseworkisoflastingvalidityforus,NicolasHumbertandWernerPenzelaremastersoftheartofhandlingcoincidence.Theirworkrevealstwomainaspects.Thefirstisthat,inconcentratingonaparticularsubject,theyenterentirelyintothesituationaboutthem.Inthatway,theirowntimeissynchronizedwiththatofthepeopletheyencounter.Behindthisisadesiretoachieveaheightenedsenseofperception-forthemselvesandfortheobserver.Ifoneisreceptivetorealityandwhatchancethrowsinone'sway,itwillbepossibletocrystallizeoutvalid,recognizablesignsfromthemassofimagesandsoundsthatsurroundusandtomakethosesignsvisible.Inasecondstage,thetwoartistsorganizethematerialintoanarrativeformthatsweepsusalongwithitlikeamusicalcompositionwithitscaesuras,harmoniesandcounterpoint,andthattransformsthefilmsintoislandsoftime:asenseoftimebeyondthenormalsenseoftime. Thisartisticstanceincorporatesapoliticalstanceaswell.Togetherwithacircleoffriendsandassistantswhichhasevolvedovertheyears,NicolasHumbertandWernerPenzelhavecreatedakindofcinemaofresistancewiththeirfilms:aresistancetothemonotonyoftheimagesandsoundsthatsurroundus.Todothis,nodeclarationofwarisnecessary.Theysubvertthesysteminamoresubtleway,usingartisticmeans.Intheirapproachtotime,inwhichtheycreateastatesomewherebetweendaydreamingandintenseobservation,inthewaytheyareabletorollbackthelayersofrealitylikemagicians,theyleadusinauniqueandmarvellouswaytoaworkthatexistsinitsownright.Theyleadustotheveryheartofmoderncinema.…