Photography has always been a medium to preserve moments and memories, but for some artists, it serves as a source of inspiration and a window into the past. One such artist is the renowned filmmaker Wes Anderson, known for his distinct and visually captivating cinematic style, which draws upon the work of French photographer Jacques Henri-Lartigue to infuse his films. While the two artists work in different visual mediums, Henri-Lartigue's photographic compositions and Anderson's cinematic worlds share distinct visuals capturing a sense of joy and playfulness.
One of the most striking elements of Henri-Lartigue's work is his fondness for shooting everyday life as if it were a cinematic scene. His use of composition, perspective, and framing often transformed mundane occurrences into captivating visual narratives. When exploring Anderson's filmography, one can see the clear influence of Henri-Lartigue. The symmetry and meticulous attention to detail in Anderson's frames mirror the composition and visual storytelling of Henri-Lartigue's photographs. Anderson's characters often exist in worlds that are reminiscent of the past, and his use of costume and set design draws from the same well of inspiration as Henri-Lartigue. We can even see Anderson literally place Henri-Lartigue's photographs into the scene.
In the video above, brought to us by Alex Kilbee on his YouTube page, The Photographic Eye, we can see this fusion of photography and cinema. Jacques Henri-Lartigue's influence on Wes Anderson is a testament to the timelessness of visual storytelling. Both artists share a profound love for the aesthetics of the past, celebrating the beauty of ordinary moments and capturing them in a way that transcends time. Henri-Lartigue's photographs are windows into the past, and Anderson's films are captivating worlds that never existed but feel as if they could have.
