The Divine Geometry of Proto-Animation: Émile Reynaud's ‘The Magic Rosette’

Animation sits at the heart of the history of moving pictures. Prior to the 19th century, all attempts at displaying images in motion were essentially drawn images in sequence. The true precursors to the craft, however, appeared in 1833 with the first stroboscopic device by Joseph Plateau, later known as the Phenakistoscope[1]. Numerous other toys followed suit, finally maturing with William Ensign Lincoln and Milton Bradley's Zoetrope in the 1860s[2]. The Zoetrope allowed the projection of moving images to a single spectator at a time, except that movement was always interrupted by the blind spot of the device. The apparatus exploited the illusion of motion provided by the stroboscopic effect and supported by the ability of the human eye to retain images in memory[3].

It is tempting to credit the scientists above and their fellow contemporaries[4] working in the field with the invention of animation, however, that honour has to be bestowed onto Émile Reynaud. His Praxinoscope improved on the previous Zoetrope-like machines by replacing the stroboscopic disc at the base of the toy with a circular basin. "A twelve-sided prism was chosen, with an ordinary mirror attached to each face. The center of this prism [was] fixed to the center of a kind of circular basin. [...] A strip of heavy paper, bearing a series of equidistant images, [was] easily placed on the inner vertical wall of this basin"[5], allowing the images to burst into life in the projected mirrors, uninterrupted by any other obstruction. The spectacle could also be enjoyed by multiple people simultaneously, as they sat around the toy. In practice, the Praxinoscope offered the first genuine exhibition of images in motion with a strip called "The Aquarium" at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in May 1878[6].

To achieve the illusion of motion, the paintings follow a loop, either linear or spiral, or a combination of the two[7]. Upon the rotation of the Praxinoscope, the twelve paintings speed into action, thus generating the desired effect to the human eye. Reynaud had showcased multiple strips since 1877, all featuring living beings in various scenes in motion. The resemblance to daily reality of these moving images would have impressed contemporary audiences, with one reviewer calling it "a charming and entertaining optical toy"[8].

Amongst these works, one particular animation stands apart from the others. Featuring only geometric patterns, "The Magic Rosette" awes viewers with its depth of artistic ambition. Predominantly using the linear effect in a spiral, Reynaud drew a sequence of quatrefoils converging on a central node on a background of concentric coloured rings diverging out of the observable frame. The bidirectional movement of the elements creates a highly vivid tableau, with the rosette pulsing into life in a universe beaming with light.

Émile Reynaud was destined to become the inventor of a toy showing animated images in motion, the later invention of the Optical Theatre in the late 1880s sealing his importance in the history of cinema[9]. As the child of an engineer and an artist[10], Reynaud's education included both in-depth knowledge of natural sciences as well as painting. In the context of analysing "The Magic Rosette", this background becomes an intriguing aspect to explore.

From building steam engines at the age of thirteen to inventing new optical toys twenty years later, Reynaud's scientific and engineering credentials are easy to find. By the age of thirty, he established himself as a credible specialist giving scientific lectures in both Paris and in his ancestral home of Le Puy-en-Velay. Furthermore, his early interest in photography exposed his true passion of combining physics with art.

And art is the reason why Reynaud's work stands the test of time. Had his contribution been merely of a technical nature, his name would have been lost in the footnotes of cinematic archaeology. What these early strips show is a tremendous attention to visual detail, a deep understanding of colour, and most importantly they all display painterly skill. "The Magic Rosette" is a perfect example of all three of these aspects. The geometric details are combined with an effective use of colour combinations that elevate each movement into a vibrating spectacle.

The illusion of movement is generated through the exploration of all the geometric patterns that the Praxinoscope strips allow. This setting also provided Reynaud the opportunity to use the full canvas of the strip, thus completely liberating the moving image from the constraints of previous projection devices. The overall effect resembles the optics of the Kaleidoscope[11] and that of the Chromatrope[12], two products invented within half a century prior that would have been familiar to the French artist, and therefore we can assume they were a source of inspiration for this work. The three inventions unite here to provide a platform to a completely new medium, the world of animation.

The symbiosis of animation and kaleidoscopic optics inadvertently created an early form of representation of reality through abstractionism. The rosette is magic in the sense that it resembles a flower, and yet, it acts as a star folding onto itself. Our eyesight is focused onto the central node as both a source of implosion for the star and a source of explosion for the rings of light.

This play of colours invites interpretation and a search for meaning. For instance, the rosette could be imagined as a symbol of the human mind trying to attain unity with the divine. This is not a far-fetched idea if we consider Reynaud's background as a Catholic artist witnessing as an active spectator the industrial revolution. In a lecture from 26 April 1877, Reynaud argued: "Yes! This science truly elevates human genius. But above all, it transports us to the very heights of the visible throne of Divinity."[13]. This vision of using scientific knowledge as a passage towards fulfilment stirs up imagery similar to that imagined by Dante in the epilogue of "Paradiso": "one circle seemed reflected by the second, / as rainbow is by rainbow, and the third / seemed fire breathed equally by those two circles"[14]. The coloured rings act as the trinity towards which the magic rosette ("the scientific human genius") gravitates to unite in the central node.

The metaphor is potent, placing "The Magic Rosette" among the earliest works of art in motion. We may not have much evidence regarding the exact intention behind Reynaud's animation, however, as meaning does not reside purely within the prison of the creator's mind, the freedom for interpretations allows for readings that could elevate simple imitations of the Chromatrope into a jewel of proto-animation archaeology. In his quest to develop animation, Émile Reynaud led the way towards the possibility of developing meaning within frames trapping moving images inside them.

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References:

[1] Marey, Étienne-Jules. Movement; p. 306. New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1895.

[2] Coe, Brian. The History of Movie Photography; p. 32. London: Ash & Grant, 1981.

[3] Tissandier, Gaston. “Le Praxinoscope” in La Nature: Revue des sciences et de leurs applications aux arts et à l'industrie, Septième année, 1879, edited by Gaston Tissandier; pp. 133-134. Paris: G. Masson, Editeur, Libraire de l'Académie de médecine, 1879.

[4] Willoughby, Dominique. “Voir et concevoir le mouvement cinématographique, ou quelques destins d’une illusion” in Hybrid: Revue des arts et médiations humaines - Journal of Arts and Human Mediations, 02/2015, OpenEdition Journals permalink. Saint-Denis: Presses universitaires de Vincennes, 2015.

[5] Charton, Édouard (editor). Le Magasin Pittoresque: Quarante-septième année, 1879; pp. 228-229. Paris: Le Magasin Pittoresque, 1879.

[6] Rossollin, Edouard . L'Exposition universelle de 1878 à Paris, Groupe IV, Classe 42: Rapport sur la bimbeloterie; p. 18. Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1880.

[7] Odoux, Christelle. “Boucles et répétitions animées - Des jouets optiques à l'animation contemporaine” in Bulletin de Liaison n°47 - Septembre 2011, edited by Christelle Odoux, permalink. Haut-Doubs: Les Amis d’Émile Reynaud, 2011.

[8] Tissandier, Gaston. “Le Praxinoscope” in La Nature: Revue des sciences et de leurs applications aux arts et à l'industrie, Septième année, 1879, edited by Gaston Tissandier; p. 134. Paris: G. Masson, Editeur, Libraire de l'Académie de médecine, 1879.

[9] Lonjon, Bernard. Émile Reynaud, le véritable inventeur du cinéma; p. 176. Polignac, Haute-Loire: Éditions du Roure, 2007.

[10] Myrent, Glenn. “Émile Reynaud: First Motion Picture Cartoonist” in Film History, Vol. 3, No. 3; p. 191. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1989.

[11] Cochrane, Robert. The Treasury of Modern Biography: A Gallery of Literary Sketches of Eminent Men and Women of the Nineteenth Century; p. 232. London & Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, 1878.

[12] Robinson, David & Stephen Herbert & Richard Crangle (editors). Encyclopaedia of the Magic Lantern; pp. 65-67. London: The Magic Lantern Society, 2001.

[13] Reynaud, Émile. “Clôture du cours de sciences naturelles” in Les Cours publics au Puy-en-Velay dans la presse locale, edited by Christelle Odoux; permalink. Haut-Doubs: Les Amis d’Émile Reynaud, 2011.

[14] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy: Inferno - Purgatorio - Paradiso, translated by Allen Mandelbaum; p. 540. New York & Toronto: Everyman’s Library, Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.