He first published "La Naissance d'un sixième art" (The Birth of a Sixth Art), arguing that cinema was a synthesis of the five traditional arts: architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and poetry.
Canudo believed film was a "divine impulse" that married the precision of science (the camera/projector) with the ideals of art.
The document titled represents one of the most significant turning points in cultural history. Written by Italian theoretician Ricciotto Canudo, this manifesto is the reason why today we universally refer to cinema as the "Seventh Art" . The Evolution of the Manifesto Manifesto Das Sete Artes Ricciotto Canudo.pdf
The manifesto fundamentally raised the "intellectual level" of filmmaking. By providing a formal aesthetic background, Canudo encouraged other artists—painters, poets, and musicians—to view the screen as a legitimate canvas for creative expression. ART WITHIN THE 7TH ART - Art Madrid'26
He updated his theory to include Dance as the sixth precursor, officially crowning cinema as the Seventh Art . The Classification of the Seven Arts He first published "La Naissance d'un sixième art"
Canudo organized the arts into two distinct categories, which he believed cinema perfectly united: Rhythms of Time (Rhythmic Arts) 1. Architecture 2. Sculpture 5. Poetry / Literature 3. Painting
In the manifesto, Canudo defends cinema not as a mere commercial product or scientific curiosity, but as a "Total Art". ART WITHIN THE 7TH ART - Art Madrid'26
The ultimate synthesis that combines the visual/spatial permanence of the plastic arts with the temporal/rhythmic movement of the rhythmic arts. Core Theoretical Contributions
He famously defined cinema as "plastic art in motion," emphasizing its ability to use light and movement to create a new form of aesthetic experience.