Ep 19: The Proof is in the Punctum

Pep Talks for Artists

This weeks on Pep Talks, I am taking a quick dive into Roland Barthe's concept of the "Punctum" from his book "Camera Lucida," to explain why some artworks and films stick in your mind and others don't. Find out why Stanley Kubrick's choice of music for scoring "2001: A Space Odyssey" & Ingrid Bergman's turn as a boxing nun made both of these films punctum-y and stick in my brain. Also, come hear about Barthe's personal quest to find a photo of his mother that contained her true essence, and how we as artists can try and infuse our own work with punctum-like staying properties.

Works mentioned:
"Camera Lucida" (1980) book by Roland Barthes
"The Bells of St. Mary's" (1945) film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Ingrid Bergman
"2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) film by Stanley Kubrick

Songs mentioned:
"The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II used in "2001: A Space Odyssey"
"Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss used in "2001: A Space Odyssey"
"Gesänge der Frühe" or "Songs of the Morning" (1853) by Robert Schumann, mentioned by Roland Barthes
Special thanks to P Elaine Sharpe for their contributions to this episode!

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"Also Sprach Zarathustra - Sonnenaufgang" by Richard Strauss (2010 version by Kevin MacLeod), used by permission of Creative Commons license
All other music public domain or licensed Soundstripe.com tracks

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