The Game of Graces

Games come in and out of fashion. We learn of those that have perished through archaeological remains, whether written or painted. "The Game of Graces" (1878) is a rare animation contemporary with the heyday of the eponymous game, both now relics in their own right. Émile Reynaud offered a snippet of life in his time, allowing viewers to understand the details of a particular practice without the need for historians to speculate on its action. He also created a visual work that uses symmetry to produce the illusion of asymmetry through the shifting perspective of hoops flying through the air. In doing so, he inadvertently proved that moving pictures are as capable of generating illusions through honest representations of reality.