From the Notebook of (1999)

From the Notebook of was shot in Florence and takes as its point of departure Leonardo da Vincis notebooks and Paul Valérys essay on da Vincis process These two elements suggest an implicit comparison between the treatment of space in Renaissance art and the moving image The film marks a critical development in the artists work in that he repeatedly employs a series of rapid pans and upward tilts along the citys buildings or facades often integrating glimpses of his own face As Beavers notes in his writing on the film the camera movements are tied to the filmmakers presence and suggests his investigative gaze