Nosferatu and Murnau: pictorial influences

Abstract

One of the most defined sides of F.W. Murnau’s films is the influence of the art of painting in them, both in the assumption of known examples and in the use of pictorial composition. Nonetheless, there hs not been a systematic approach to the painting-derived fonts that he used for composing scenes, or to the building of his own cinematographic language in aesthetic terms. In this essay, we will study this very part of Murnau’s art, but focusing in one of his masterpieces: Nosferatu. We will try to demonstrate if there is any real and conscious seek for a rational model transcription, or if on the contrary, there are only vague, irresoluble, coincidences. Besides, and beyond the identification of specific pictorial examples used by Murnau, the characteristics of these artistic movements and schools will be taken into account to confirm if they are also present in the aesthetic background of the style transcription.