Étude sur la description narrative dans les Salons de Denis Diderot

CRITIQUE D'ART ANNEXEE A LA LITTERATURE EN TANT QUE GENRE INDEPENDANT, LES NEUF SALONS OU DIDEROT A DECRIT PENDANT VINGT-TROIS ANNEES LES TABLEAUX EXPOSES AUX SALONS CARRES DU LOUVRE SOUS FORME DE LETTRE, DE RECIT ET DE DIALOGUES, ENTREMELES DE JUGEMENTS, DE DIGRESSIONS, D'ANECDOTES, FONT RESSORTIR LA VISIBILITE DE LA DESCRIPTION LITTERAIRE REPRESENTANT UNE NOUVELLE FORME D'ECRITURE OU LE DETAIL DESCRIPTIF FIGURE L'ELEMENT SUBTIL D'UN EFFET DE REEL AU SERVICE D'UN FAIRE CROIRE RETORS, D'UNE AUTRE MIMESIS. LA COMPETENCE DESCRIPTIVE DE DIDEROT SE REALISE A PARTIR DES TROIS COMPOSANTES DU SAVOIR DESCRIPTIF : LE SAVOIR-REGARDER, LE SAVOIR-PARLER, LE SAVOIR-FAIRE, CONSTITUANT A PARTIR DE LA PLASTIQUE ET DE L'ESTHETIQUE LE PROCESSUS LITTERAIRE PAR LEQUEL LE MOI JUGE LE TABLEAU EN CAUSE, TOUT EN LE DECRIVANT EN MEME TEMPS. L'ETHOS DU DESCRIPTEUR S'ADRESSE AU DESCRIPTAIRE, LECTEUR REEL, FICTIF, VIRTUEL OU IDEAL, - SON CONTACT - SUR LEQUEL IL A A AGIR. OPPOSANT INSTANCE D'ENONCIATION ET ENONCE DANS UNE REFERENCE INCESSANTE AU SOI - PROCESSUS DE FORMATION DE FORME-, L'ART DESCRIPTIF DE DIDEROT REPRESENTE TOUT A LA FOIS LA SOURCE ET L'ENJEU DESCRIPTIF DE L'ETIQUETTE LECTRICE ET SPECTATRICE. C'EST LE VOIR QUI EST EN JEU DANS LA DESCRIPTION, QU'ELLE SOIT PICTURALE OU LITTERAIRE. LA REPRESENTATION RELEVE DONC DE LA VISUALISATION, SE RENVOIE A ELLE-MEME, SE DEDOUBLE SUR ELLE-MEME, ET, VISANTA FORMULER CE QUI EST VU, ELLE EN ARRIVE A THEORISER SUR ELLE-MEME, C'EST-A-DIRE, SUR CE QUI NE PEUT ETRE DECRIT OU REPRESENTE PAR L'AUTEUR OU PAR LE PEINTRE. DE TOUS LES PROCEDES AUXQUELS DIDEROT RECOURT, LE PLUS OPERANT, PARCE QUE SANS ARTIFICE, EST CETTE REFERENCE INCESSANTE AU SOI, QUI REPRESENTE LA DOMINANTE ESSENTIELLE DE SON OEUVRE, DONT ELLE ASSURE LA PERENNITE.
AN ART CRITIC ANNEXED TO THE FIELD OF LITERATURE AS INDEPENDENT GENRE, DIDEROT DESCRIBED IN HIS NINE SALONS THE PAINTINGS DISPLAYED IN THE SQUARE SALONS OF THE LOUVRE. WRITTEN OVER A PERIOD OF TWENTY-THREE YEARS, THE LETTERS, ACCOUNTS, AND DIALOGUES THAT COMPOSE THESE WORKS, INTERSPERSED WITH JUDGMENTS, DIGRESSIONS, AND ANECDOTES, BRING TO LIGHT A LITERARY DESCRIPTION REPRESENTING A NEW WRITING STYLE, IN WHICH THE DESCRIPTIVE DETAIL SERVES AS A SUBTLE ELEMENT THAT CREATES A CUNNING MAKE-BELIEVE, ANOTHER MIMESIS. DIDEROT'S DESCRIPTIVE ABILITIES RESULT FROM THE USE OF THREE DESCRIPTIVE ELEMENTS : A CRITICAL EYE, THE ABILITY TO COMMENT, AND THE KNOW-HOW, THESE ELEMENTS BRING TO THE PLASTIC AND THE AESTHETIC THE LITERARY PROCESS BY WHICH THE SELF JUDGES THE PAINTING IN QUESTION, ALL THE WHILE FORMING A DESCRIPTION OF IT. THE ETHOS OF THE DESCRIBER FOCUSES ON THE RECIPIENT, THE REAL, FICTITIOUS, VIRTUAL, OR IDEAL READER, - HIS CONTACT - WHOM HE MUST AFFECT. FORMING AN OPPOSITION BETWEEN THE INSISTENCE OF EXPRESSION AND CONTENT IN AN INCESSANT REFERENCE TO THE SELF - THE PROCESS OF THE FORMATION OF FORM -, THE DESCRIPTIVE ART OF DIDEROT REPRESENTS SIMULTANEOUSLY THE SOURCE AND THE DESCRIPTIVE GAMBLE OF THE ETIQUETTE OF THE READER AND THE SPECTATOR. IT IS THE SEEING WHICH IS AT STAKE IN THE ACT OF DESCRIPTION, BE IT PICTORIAL OR LITERARY. THE REPRESENTATION RELIES THEREFORE ON VISUALIZATION, SITUATING ITSELF, DIVIDING ITSELF, AND IN LOOKING TO FORMULATE WHAT IS SEEN, ARRIVING EVENTUALLY AT A THEORY ABOUT ITSELF, THAT IS TO SAY, ABOUT THAT WHICH CANNOT BE DESCRIBED OR REPRESENTED BY THE AUTHOR OR THE PAINTER. OF ALL THE PROCEDURES OF WHICH DIDEROT MAKES USE, THE MOST EFFECTIVE, DUE TO ITS LACK OF ARTIFICE, IS THE INCESSANT REFERENCE TO THE SELF, WHICH REPRESENTS THE DOMINATING ESSENCE OF HIS WORK, ASSURING IT A PLACE IN HISTORY.