Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film Side by Side
The development of motion pictures started in the 1860s with image machines such as the zoetrope. As the images inside a spinning cylinder are viewed through a small hole, the image blur together producing the illusion of motion. As film and associated cameras developed, still photographs were displayed in a series, at a speed to create movement.
By 1890, early versions of the motion picture camera and projector were in use. The oldest known surviving frame of film is from Roundhay Garden Scene by Louis Le Prince from 1888.
The public became enamored with the early silent films and by the early 1900s, early films such as Georges Méliès Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) began telling stories in a series of scenes.
Usually the silent films were accompanied by an organist or orchestra, playing music scores composed specifically for the film.
In the 1920s, filmmakers developed ways to add a soundtrack to their film and “talkies” hit the screen. The first feature-length talking film was The Jazz Singer in 1927.
The Phillips Collection is displaying the first exhibition to explore these early 20th century experimental film clips side-by-side with American realist paintings of similar images.
Using 44 monitors to play 55 film clips from filmmakers such as Thomas Edison and the pioneering Lumière Brothers, you can compare these early films to similar scenes in paintings, illustrations, and posters by American artists.
Moving Pictures: American Art and Early Film
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st Street, NW, between Q and R Streets, ½ block off of Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC 20009
Hours – Tuesday–Saturday 10:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m., Thursdays until 8:30 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and major holidays.
Tickets – Are available online and are $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors (62+) and students, free for 18 and under.
Neares Metro subway station - Dupont Circle – Red line, use the Q Street exit.
Parking – Street parking in the area can be a bit challenging at times, but I usually have great parking karma within a couple blocks. Several public parking garages close if needed.
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