Filmmakers as Artists

     Movies made by men are like impressionist paintings. You can step back and see the whole picture, but you can also zoom in and see every bit of work that was done. You can see the brushstrokes and the changing colors and the structured subjects and every technique that went into making it what it was.
     Movies made by women are like realist paintings. You're looking at this incredible picture but you can't see how it was done. You can't recognize every brushstroke, only its effect when they all work together. Each stroke was so lovingly added and blended in seamlessly so that it becomes invisible, working to make up the art but not existing on its own.
     I had the above thought a long time ago. Obviously it's not true in every context, but it was just a way of explaining a difference I had noticed. Of course this had to be followed up by assigning artists to some of my favorite or some of the most famous current filmmakers.

Little Women, dir. Greta Gerwig, 2019; Young Mother Sewing, Mary Cassatt, 1900.

      Greta Gerwig is Mary Cassatt. Mary Cassatt was an American painter who moved to Paris to pursue art. There she met Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro, who would become her mentors and colleagues. Her paintings focused on the private lives of women in a way that did not seek to sexualize or idealize them, and she focused most prominently on the bond between mothers and children. I feel like I don't even need to explain this one too much, but I will quote from the opening scene in the script of Lady Bird, Gerwig's solo debut feature, "a modern day romantic Mary Cassatt rip-off painting of motherhood."

Iron Bridge at Asnieres, Emile Bernard, 1887; La La Land, dir. Damien Chazelle, 2016.

     Damien Chazelle is Emile Bernard. Emile Bernard was a young impressionist, and I mean young. For context, he worked amongst men such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, and Camille Pissarro. When these men were 33, 38, 47, and 56, Emile was 18. Damien Chazelle is the youngest person ever to win the Oscar for Best Director at the age of 32. He was a Harvard grad and wannabe jazz musician. Emile Bernard was kicked out of art school. They are also both obsessed with color and place. In La La Land, the city of LA is inarguably a character, and the bright block colors add to the environment. Emile Bernard painted with notable bright blocks of color. 

The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1495-1498; The French Dispatch, dir. Wes Anderson, 2020.

    

     Wes Anderson is Leonardo da Vinci. This one may sound like a bit of a leap because Anderson's quirky and colorful style definitely contrasts with ideas of the strait-laced and biblical Da Vinci, but hear me out. A mathematician in his work, Da Vinci was obsessed with symmetry, something that Anderson is famous for. In Da Vinci's paintings with many figures, there is always an intense sense of movement, each eyeline leading to the next until the viewer is right back where they started in the center. 

Schindler's List, dir. Steven Spielberg, 1993; The Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642.

     Steven Spielberg is Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt is definitely the most famous of the Dutch masters, and painted a large variety of subjects throughout his prolific career. He is recognizable and consistent, as is Spielberg, who has been making knockout blockbusters since the 70s and is not showing any signs of stopping. 

Room in New York, Edward Hopper, 1932: The Irishhman, dir. Martin Scorsese, 2019.

     Martin Scorsese is Edward Hopper. Both are famous Americans known for portraying a response to the idealism of the 1950s, as well as highlighting loneliness in middle-class situations. Hopper often creates long distance reaching far beyond the two dimensional canvas, and Scorsese has prolific control over depth of field. 

Moonlight, dir. Barry Jenkins, 2016; The Banjo Lesson, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1893.

   Barry Jenkins is Henry Ossawa Tanner. Tanner was the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim, and in 1896 his work was accepted into the Salon, notorious for only allowing entry to graduates of the French Academie des Beaux-Arts. Tanner's paintings have a sort of melodic quality with soft strokes and intimate subject matter. There is a pastel veil over every work, like a picture printed with old film. Barry Jenkins' films are revered for their romantic qualities. Though the subject matters may be difficult, he approaches every character with such love and understanding that it feels like a song. 

The Dance Studio, Edgar Degas, 1878; Frances Ha, dir. Noah Baumbach, 2012.

    Noah Baumbach is Edgar Degas. Baumbach is an indie darling known for his semi-autobiographical films that almost always have to do with quirky characters struggling to find their place in young adulthood. That differs quite a bit from Degas's oeuvre of young dancers, but both creators have a very observational tone. They are both outsiders looking in with a sense of understanding and empathy. 

Titanic, dir. James Cameron, 1997; Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures), David Hockney, 1972.

    And finally, James Cameron is David Hockney. Before 2019's Avengers: Endgame knocked every box office precedent out of the park, Cameron held strong to both the first and second place spots on the highest-grossing-movies-of-all-time list with Avatar and Titanic. A couple years ago, David Hockney made headlines by being behind the highest sale of a painting by a living artist.