Color, Cinema, and the Impressionist Moment

In the 19th century, new technologies of color transformed visual and material cultures in remarkable ways, from the vibrant impressionist palette and new fashions and wallpapers to hand-painted photographs and films. Programmed in dialogue with our Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment exhibition, this series of three film programs examines how the beginnings of cinema shaped and was shaped by the modern world of color.

Impressionism developed in a moment when the effects of newly developed synthetic colorants were being explored, celebrated, and critiqued. Taste cultures were amid a chromatic revolution that continued through the fin-de-siècle when cinema emerged. In many of the earliest examples of the moving image, colors saturate the frame with synthetic dyes that were applied by hand, as well as photographically. The screenings in this series collectively explore various techniques, styles, and modes of film coloring during the first two decades of film history to trace the long, colorful time of the impressionist moment.

With thanks to Andrew E. Simpson for his live musical accompaniment to all three programs in this series. Special thanks to Joshua Yumibe and Kim Tomadjoglou for their insights, as well as EYE Filmmuseum, Pathe Films, and the Library of Congress for permission to share the films in this series.