Lettrism

Lettrism is an avant-garde movement founded by Isidore Isou in 1940s Paris. It treats letters, speech sounds, and visual marks as materials for poetry, painting, film, and performance.

Isidore Isou: Isidore Isou was a Romanian-born French poet and artist who founded Lettrism in Paris. His theories and works established the movement’s methods and direction.
Lettrist poetry: Lettrist poetry composes with letters, phonemes, and invented vocal sounds rather than relying on ordinary words. It is the movement’s central method for freeing poetry from conventional semantics.
Paris after World War II: Paris after World War II was a center of cultural reconstruction and avant-garde activity. Isou developed Lettrism in this unsettled artistic environment.
Isidore Isou's Treatise on the Nature and Permanence of Poetry: Isidore Isou’s 1947 treatise proposes a history of poetry moving from words toward letters and sounds. It lays out the theory behind Lettrism’s proposed transformation of poetry.
Amos or Introduction to the Metagraphology: Amos or Introduction to the Metagraphology is a 1950 Lettrist film by Isidore Isou. The film combines conventional footage with interventions that disrupt its images and soundtrack.
Letterism: Letterism is an artistic practice centered on letters as visual forms, distinct from Lettrism’s broader use of sound and signs. The similar names can obscure Lettrism’s expanded treatment of sound and language.
Lettrist painting: Lettrist painting uses letters, signs, and marks as visual elements rather than simply as written language. It carries Lettrism’s treatment of the letter into visual art.
Dada: Dada was an international avant-garde movement that challenged artistic conventions through absurdity and experimentation. Its anti-conventional spirit forms a precedent for Lettrism’s attacks on inherited forms.
Lettrist International: The Lettrist International was a Paris-based group formed in 1952 by dissident Lettrists, including Guy Debord. Its break with Isou’s circle carried Lettrist origins toward a more political avant-garde.
Venom and Eternity: Venom and Eternity is a 1951 film by Isidore Isou that challenges conventional cinematic narration and sound. Its fragmented images and soundtrack bring Lettrist film theory into practice.

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Malcolm McLarenRelated: McLaren encountered its experimental art through his studies and London’s avant-garde circles.