A Mosaic Made of Time: The Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky

''What is art? Like a declaration of love: the consciousness of our dependence on each other. A confession. An unconscious act that nonetheless reflects the true meaning of life—love and sacrifice.''

-Andrei Tarkovsky

When we think of art, we often associate it with individual expression; however, for Tarkovsky, art is not merely a self-centered form or isolated act; it is an acknowledgment of interdependence.

''My discovery of Tarkovsky's first film was like a miracle. Suddenly, I found myself standing at the door of a room the keys of which had, until then, never been given to me. It was a room I had always wanted to enter and where he was moving freely and fully at ease... Tarkovsky is for me the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of the film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream.'' Swedish director Ingmar Bergman said for the cinema of Tarkovsky.

Although he only made seven films in his career, these films left a remarkable mark in the history of cinema. His films are not merely art; they are his letters that he adorned with embroidery of religion, love, existence, and most importantly, time.

He divides cinema mainly into two categories of artists: the ones who recreate the world in which they live and those who create their world, which are mostly poets.(1982, Rome) He includes cinema's important names such as Bergman, Bresson, Dovzenko, Mizoguchi, Buñuel, and Kurosawa in the second category. His films evoke deep feelings and make you find yourself in a dream—a forgotten memory from the past or the future but somehow familiar.

“I am only interested in the views of two people: one is called Bresson and one called Bergman,” Tarkovsky said. However, despite his admiration for these prominent directors, he created his own unique way of filmmaking. Because he believed it would be impossible to imitate someone's style and told them he tried to avoid it. (Rome,1982) But this does not necessarily mean one should isolate themselves from the environment. The artist can't be completely detached from their surroundings.

''Cinema is a mosaic made of time.'' he expressed. (Rome,1982) Most filmmakers treat time as a sequence—one event leading to the next. These are not just images; they are experiences. For that reason, Tarkovsky meticulously sculpts time and stretches it to capture the essence of moments. Sometimes the dripping of water and sometimes wind brushing through bushes, as they are speaking and trying to tell you something.

He believed that the meaning of life lies in elevating our spiritual level in the time we were given to live. (From the document Andrei Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer.) He also used this perspective in his films. He often questioned our connection to nature and ourselves by using visual motifs and symbols. Tarkovsky's characters are always after an answer and search for truth, beauty, or peace.

His way of filmmaking completely differs from conventional cinema. He uses past and present in the same frame, collecting childhood, adulthood, or our dreamlike visions together. Although some people argue that the viewer is not given clear answers, it is in human nature not to be simple, and this ambiguity is what makes his cinema so immersive and unique. Tarkovsky's cinema is not meant to be fully understood—it is meant to be felt differently by each person. His films invite us to emotional and spiritual inquiry. Rather than giving us the answers, he offers us a mirror.

“An artist never works under ideal conditions. If they existed, his work wouldn’t exist, for the artist doesn’t live in a vacuum. Some sort of pressure must exist. The artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect, as man wouldn’t look for harmony but would simply live in it. Art is born out of an ill-designed world.” He states art is born out of an ill-designed rather than a perfect one. and one would only look for harmony in imperfection.

In the tapestry of Andrei Tarkovsky's cinema, we explore the human experience. His films, which are full of symbols and metaphors, reflect the essence of life as it is without changing its sincerity because the world we live in and know is not one-layered and perfect, so we cannot expect cinema to be so. Its beauty lies in its flaws.