What do you think of when you hear the term, Impressionist? Possibly Monet's Haystacks or or the Musée de l'Orangerie in France, the permanent home for eight of his water lily murals? What is Impressionism? Characteristics of Impressionistic works include (according to Wikipedia) visible brush strokes, open composition, an emphasis on light and its changing qualities, ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and unusual visual angles.
So why are we discussing an art movement in a real wedding blog post?
Typically, real wedding features in the print edition of Weddings Unveiled and on our blog are illustrated with lots of gorgeous photography, but life (and weddings) can inspire and be reflected in many forms of art. When Andy with Portal Films sent us this highlight video of Jenny and Joel's November wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, we were so inspired by his self-defined "Impressionistic Cinematography" that we decided to post our first real wedding video feature. It's true that we've included video clips in previous real wedding posts, but this is our very first video-only real wedding post. We love Jenny's chic, sophisticated style and this clip that gives us a lovely look at the filming of weddings. The cinematography is heavenly and with its softly filtered light, constantly changing frame, interesting angles and painterly qualities, we do find it impressionistic.
In his own words, Andy says:
"The films I have been creating over the course of the past few years, or at least the style I have been striving towards, is purely impressionistic. When I say that, I mean that what I capture is not necessarily literal... love is not necessarily portrayed with a couple exchanging a kiss, nervousness is not necessarily portrayed by a bride shedding tears, joy is not necessarily portrayed by smiles and shouts. Within the films I create, I do not strive to show memories that people already have; I do not serve to replace or dilute those memories. Therefore, love is more evident within a hand caressing an arm in comfort, nervousness is more evident within the fiddling with one's hair and joy is more evident within the look the bride and groom give each other after all the cheering has passed. So when I say "impressionistic" it is not because I exchange images entirely with metaphorical replacements, but rather because I tend to show the in-between moments, the gentle details and the little interactions instead of just an "event". My work is about experiencing a feeling rather than watching history. Add to all of that the geometry of composition, the emotional relation to objects and the piecing together the flow of an edit like a puzzle and you have the reasons why I call what I do "impressionistic art films".
So why are we discussing an art movement in a real wedding blog post?
Typically, real wedding features in the print edition of Weddings Unveiled and on our blog are illustrated with lots of gorgeous photography, but life (and weddings) can inspire and be reflected in many forms of art. When Andy with Portal Films sent us this highlight video of Jenny and Joel's November wedding at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, we were so inspired by his self-defined "Impressionistic Cinematography" that we decided to post our first real wedding video feature. It's true that we've included video clips in previous real wedding posts, but this is our very first video-only real wedding post. We love Jenny's chic, sophisticated style and this clip that gives us a lovely look at the filming of weddings. The cinematography is heavenly and with its softly filtered light, constantly changing frame, interesting angles and painterly qualities, we do find it impressionistic.
In his own words, Andy says:
"The films I have been creating over the course of the past few years, or at least the style I have been striving towards, is purely impressionistic. When I say that, I mean that what I capture is not necessarily literal... love is not necessarily portrayed with a couple exchanging a kiss, nervousness is not necessarily portrayed by a bride shedding tears, joy is not necessarily portrayed by smiles and shouts. Within the films I create, I do not strive to show memories that people already have; I do not serve to replace or dilute those memories. Therefore, love is more evident within a hand caressing an arm in comfort, nervousness is more evident within the fiddling with one's hair and joy is more evident within the look the bride and groom give each other after all the cheering has passed. So when I say "impressionistic" it is not because I exchange images entirely with metaphorical replacements, but rather because I tend to show the in-between moments, the gentle details and the little interactions instead of just an "event". My work is about experiencing a feeling rather than watching history. Add to all of that the geometry of composition, the emotional relation to objects and the piecing together the flow of an edit like a puzzle and you have the reasons why I call what I do "impressionistic art films".
