Review: Moving Pictures
On a cold Saturday afternoon, I went to visit Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film, 1880–1910 at the Grey Art Gallery. The idea of the exhibition was simple at its face value. I came to the realization that the it was also a study in the gradual application of a new medium to progressively complex subjects and themes and the corresponding human appreciation of that medium from its beginning as a novelty to a more respected art form.
Each pairing of 2D works and corresponding moving image reel established the parallel approach artists of the day used to engage viewers. Artists (or studios) created moving image work that enhanced what the audience already was appreciating in 2D work of the day. Example: Remington studied motion pictures to get a better feel for the true movement of a horse. For the first time, untrained viewer could see movement as it happened rather than how an artist imagined it happened from memory.
At first, the experimentation with moving pictures was treated as pretty much a scientific endeavor. The subjects were studies of human and animal movement and skeletal behavior. It was fascinating, but serious business. Later, the camera was turned toward its subject to create “moving paintings” with the camera locked off and the subject studied as if in a cage at the zoo. Very little attention was paid to the context of the footage created. It was a dynamic medium being used to enhance an essentially static aesthetic. Environment was next. Panoramic scenes of the day captured movement with wide-eyed wonder. Downstairs brought my attention to the transition of the medium from a toy to a tool. .
The pairing that illustrated this for me best was the painting of “Holy Grail” at the Boston Public Library and the short film of the theatrical work “Parsifal Ascends the Throne.” Both have serious, historical subject matter and both approach the task with seriousness of presentation. The film is as much a work of art as the painting. The whole show on the lower level seemed to take the turn from novelty and craft to more narrative presentation. The last footage, presented as projection on the wall, even had comic entertainment value.
Overall, I felt the show succeeded in taking me along the curator’s journey from filmic archaeology through early cinema. It provided me with a stoic presentation of the early stages of one of the world’s strongest cultural influences.