The baker’s routine gestures: a professional ‘classic’?
When watching a baker kneading dough, putting loaves in the oven, taking them out and then putting them on display, we can’t help but recognise his gestures as universal, inextricably linked for us to the idea we have of his profession. And yet… for decades, bread has been produced in factories where workers no longer “put their hands in the dough” but dedicate themselves to using machines.
How is it possible that films that represent contemporary life still show images of these gestures as if they were still part of the essence of breadmaking today despite being rare in reality? And above all: How is it possible that these bakers are not perceived as relics of a bygone era, yet still seem relevant today? In both films mentioned, these professional techniques lend the protagonists a certain authority; their professional competence earns the bakers the respect or admiration of the other characters in the film.
One could even say that these routine gestures are “classics” like in literature. As the philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer has pointed out, the special feature of classics is that they last through the ages and always remain relevant — making the baker’s gestures classics. The classic dimension of these gestures is based on several factors. Firstly, on their recognisability: every spectator will quickly recognise the gesture of kneading dough, even if they have never done it themselves or watched a professional doing it. Secondly, their essentialisation: these gestures are recognised as quintessential of the trade, regardless of the omnipresence of industrial breadmaking. Finally, their valorisation: they are considered noble skills that demonstrate an admirable know-how and deserve the respect of all bread lovers.
The question that arises is this: How have the baker’s gestures become timeless classics? For other craft practices which have also been replaced by industrialisation such as tanning or weaving this was not the case. These professions haven’t found their way into commercials or movies but instead are portrayed in documentaries as a dying breed. Why is the baking profession different?
To answer this question, we have to go back to the film “Gemma Bovery” and listen to the baker, played by Fabrice Lucchini. In a scene in the bakery, Lucchini explains to the beautiful Gemma (Gemma Arterton) while she is sensuously kneading dough: “to touch bread is to touch the earth. The original crust from which life emerged”. The classical dimension of these gestures thus refers to the connectedness with the origins of bread, the direct relationship with the earth that produces the wheat and gives us life. A relationship that we do not want to give up, at least not in our imagination Despite our knowledge of the industrial fabrication of our daily bread and the fact that being a baker still means strenuous work at night for a modest wage.
Lorenzo Bonoli is Philosopher and Senior Researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) in Lausanne.
References:
Hans-Georg Gadamer (1960/1975), Truth and Method. New York : Seabury Press.
Gemma Bovery, 2014, Anne Fontaine, Fabrice Luchini, France
La Boulangerie, 2017, Award Winning Short Film, 13min, by Luke Jin
Behind the scenes of the largest industrial bakery in France, 2015, BFMTV
Fabrice Luchini in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
© Gaumont
Fabrice Luchini and Gemma Arterton in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
Fabrice Luchini and Gemma Arterton in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
© Gaumont
The baker’s routine gestures: a professional ‘classic’?
When watching a baker kneading dough, putting loaves in the oven, taking them out and then putting them on display, we can’t help but recognise his gestures as universal, inextricably linked for us to the idea we have of his profession. And yet… for decades, bread has been produced in factories where workers no longer “put their hands in the dough” but dedicate themselves to using machines.
How is it possible that films that represent contemporary life still show images of these gestures as if they were still part of the essence of breadmaking today despite being rare in reality? And above all: How is it possible that these bakers are not perceived as relics of a bygone era, yet still seem relevant today? In both films mentioned, these professional techniques lend the protagonists a certain authority; their professional competence earns the bakers the respect or admiration of the other characters in the film.
One could even say that these routine gestures are “classics” like in literature. As the philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer has pointed out, the special feature of classics is that they last through the ages and always remain relevant — making the baker’s gestures classics. The classic dimension of these gestures is based on several factors. Firstly, on their recognisability: every spectator will quickly recognise the gesture of kneading dough, even if they have never done it themselves or watched a professional doing it. Secondly, their essentialisation: these gestures are recognised as quintessential of the trade, regardless of the omnipresence of industrial breadmaking. Finally, their valorisation: they are considered noble skills that demonstrate an admirable know-how and deserve the respect of all bread lovers.
The question that arises is this: How have the baker’s gestures become timeless classics? For other craft practices which have also been replaced by industrialisation such as tanning or weaving this was not the case. These professions haven’t found their way into commercials or movies but instead are portrayed in documentaries as a dying breed. Why is the baking profession different?
To answer this question, we have to go back to the film “Gemma Bovery” and listen to the baker, played by Fabrice Lucchini. In a scene in the bakery, Lucchini explains to the beautiful Gemma (Gemma Arterton) while she is sensuously kneading dough: “to touch bread is to touch the earth. The original crust from which life emerged”. The classical dimension of these gestures thus refers to the connectedness with the origins of bread, the direct relationship with the earth that produces the wheat and gives us life. A relationship that we do not want to give up, at least not in our imagination Despite our knowledge of the industrial fabrication of our daily bread and the fact that being a baker still means strenuous work at night for a modest wage.
Lorenzo Bonoli is Philosopher and Senior Researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET) in Lausanne.
References:
Hans-Georg Gadamer (1960/1975), Truth and Method. New York : Seabury Press.
Gemma Bovery, 2014, Anne Fontaine, Fabrice Luchini, France
La Boulangerie, 2017, Award Winning Short Film, 13min, by Luke Jin
Behind the scenes of the largest industrial bakery in France, 2015, BFMTV
Fabrice Luchini in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
© Gaumont
Fabrice Luchini and Gemma Arterton in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
Fabrice Luchini and Gemma Arterton in Gemma Bovery, 2014, France
© Gaumont
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