ABSTRACT

With its sequences of projected images, accompanied by narration and often by music, the optical lantern as a communication medium proved to be effective for Christian evangelism, especially through life model slides. The religious life model slide sets or ‘scenes d’après nature’, produced by the Catholic publisher Maison de la Bonne Presse from 1908, hold a particular place in the cultural and media history of France and other Francophone countries. Through these slides, the staff of the projection service at Maison de la Bonne Presse sought to unite religiosity and artistry, truth and beauty. Based on primary sources and materials such as paintings, photographs and collages, not used in any previous study, I examine the different phases of the distinctive production process of the majority of these artistic life model slides, so as to more fully interpret their aesthetic and expressive qualities. Building on a media archaeological approach, I demonstrate how pictorial, photographic, and theatrical techniques were combined to create realistic visual representations of Christian stories for religious propaganda. Not only were these life model slide sets exceptional in their manner of production, combining contemporary techniques of photomontage with traditional Christian iconography, but their material history provides a remarkable illustration of the versatility and the richness of the optical lantern medium.

摘要

凭借其投影图像的序列，伴随着旁白和音乐，光灯作为一种传播媒介被证明对基督教传福音是有效的，尤其是通过生活模型幻灯片。宗教生活模型幻灯片组或“场景 d'après 自然”' 由天主教出版商 Maison de la Bonne Presse 于 1908 年出版，在法国和其他法语国家的文化和媒体史上占有特殊的地位。通过这些幻灯片，Maison de la Bonne Presse 放映服务的工作人员试图将宗教信仰与艺术性、真理与美感结合起来。基于以往研究中未曾使用的绘画、照片、拼贴等一手资料，我考察了大部分这些艺术生活模型幻灯片的独特制作过程的不同阶段，以便更充分地诠释它们的审美和表现力。基于媒体考古学方法，我展示了如何将绘画、摄影和戏剧技术相结合，为宗教宣传创造基督教故事的逼真视觉表现。