A Room with a View - Untitled Film Still #15

A Room with a View

A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #15, 1978 
"Don't you agree that, on one's first visit to Florence, one must have a room with a view?" - Lucy Emerson As we approach the end of our journey, you may notice a slight change (spoil alert). Yes, Lucy's surname has changed to Emerson. Not only has her identity changed slightly, but her attitude has developed into one of easygoing grace. As she and George honeymoon in the pensione they first met, a young girl and her chaperon complain of the situation that Lucy herself once faced: a room without a true Florentine view. The newlyweds offer up their own room, complete with a vista of the Arno, bringing Lucy's experience to a full circle. Thus, this once stubborn teenager has now transformed into a generous young lady. Along the same lines lies Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #15, a self-portrait of "the tough girl with a heart of gold," according to the Guggenheim. Sherman creates an intimate moment of a model (herself) appreciating the scene outside while the audience relishes their own view. Her melodramatic photograph of feminine stereotypes serves as a critique of society, much like A Room with a View. With this underlying sentiment in mind, my collection comes to a close. If society ever gets you down, I would highly recommend contemplating life while admiring a view or getting lost in the wonderful world of art. Then again, you could just curl up with a fluffy blanket and watch A Room with a View on Netflix...
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A Room with a View - Garden at Sainte-Adresse

A Room with a View

A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

Claude Monet, Garden at Sainte-Adresse, 1867
"He doesn't know what a woman is. He wants you for a possession, something to look at, like a painting or an ivory box. Something to own and to display." - George Emerson In A Room with a View, Lucy Honeychurch must decide between the pompous Cecil Vyse and the philosophical George Emerson. Cecil's intellectual prowess and dainty nature aren't exactly turn-ons when compared to George's romantic gestures. Will Lucy conform to societal expectations or follow her rebellious heart? This turmoil dictates the majority of the film, which highlights the rather superficial values of the Edwardian upper class. Just 40 years before A Room with a View takes place, Monet painted the lovely Garden at Sainte-Adresse. The pre-Giverny portrait of his family summering in northern France illustrates the lives of the affluent. Although Monet portrays the delightful garden and its sea-view, he uses them primarily as a stage for a domestic scene. His subjects do not interact so much as they sit on display. This is the portrait of Lucy's possible future with Cecil.
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A Room with a View - Girl at Sewing Machine

A Room with a View

A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

Edward Hopper, Girl at Sewing Machine, 1921
"I don't care what I see outside. My vision is within! Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!" - Mr. Emerson Yet again, Mr. Emerson provides dramatic insight while dealing with a delicate situation. His passion and conviction give a reality check to the decorum-obsessed characters in the Edwardian era film. While his peers remain focused on the outward appearance of things (i.e. the view outside a hotel room), Mr. Emerson chooses to develop his own self, his very soul. Perhaps Edward Hopper incorporates this sentiment in his works, especially those like Girl at Sewing Machine. A vast number of Hopper's paintings feature empty rooms in the city with lonely subjects washed in the bright light of a window. In the harsh world of a bustling metropolis, Hopper's characters must turn inwards to preserve their personal oases. Girl at Sewing Machine epitomizes this attitude—that one should rely on their vision within when stuck in the middle of a concrete jungle.
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A Room with a View - Eugene Manet on the Isle of Wight

A Room with a View
A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

Berthe Morisot, Eugene Manet on the Isle of Wight, 1875 
"My father says there is only one perfect view, and that's the view of the sky over our heads." - George Emerson Much of A Room with a View takes place outside, whether the characters are exploring the sights of Florence, bathing al fresco in the English countryside, or playing an intense game of badminton. The Emersons' love of nature contrasts the societal expectation for women to stay indoors, which further emphasizes their free-spirited approach to Edwardian standards. Interestingly enough, Edouard Manet, a key leader of the Impressionist movement, did not share this same affection for the outdoors...at first. Natural light drives Impressionism, infiltrating every piece and dictating each artist's style. Berthe Morisot embraced this idea by practicing plein air painting, or painting "in the open air." She eventually convinced her colleague and friend, Manet, to take up the technique and enter the outdoors. However, it appears that Manet prefers the comfort of the indoors in Morisot's Eugene Manet on the Isle of Wight. At least he can discreetly stalk the lovely ladies passing by, which might be the view he prefers.
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A Room with a View - Woman at a Window

A Room with a View

A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

Caspar David Friedrich, Woman at a Window, 1822


"Women like looking at a view. Men don't." - Mr. Emerson Wise words from Mr. Emerson, the film's wacky yet astute patriarch. He utters them at the very beginning, while Charlotte Bartlett, Lucy Honeychurch's cousin and chaperon, complains about their room's lack of a view. For the reason stated above, Mr. Emerson offers up his and his son George's suite, thereby solving the horrendous problem and triggering a romance between Lucy and George. In the time of both Caspar David Friedrich's paintings and the Edwardian era of A Room with a View, this kind gesture would have held special significance. As evidenced by Friedrich's other works, men spent much more time out of doors than their female counterparts. While they experienced nature firsthand, women were often confined to the comfort of their domiciles, meaning much of their interaction with the outdoors was through glass panes. Windows in paintings such as Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window or Woman at a Window offer unique perspective from women viewing the outside world through comparatively tiny peepholes, much like Lucy Honeychurch's attempt to step out of her sheltered lifestyle.
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A Room with a View - View of the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

A Room with a View
A Room with a View
Examining the Film through an Art Historian's Lens
Curated by Melissa Martin

To preface: I did not intend for the title of my collection to relate directly to the 1986 film. However, after re-watching A Room with a View, I thought it might provide a nice story to weave into the paintings. Please join me for a journey through the Academy-Award winning masterpiece and accompanying artwork.

Jacques-Louis David, View of the Jardin du Luxembourg, 1794

"Smell! A true Florentine smell. Inhale, my dear. Deeper! Every city, let me tell you, has its own smell." - Eleanor Lavish
Not only does each city have its own scent, its own character, but it has its own unique history. Though David's historical paintings formed his reputation, he occasionally ventured outside of his typical style, one prime example of this being View of the Jardin du Luxembourg. The main aspect that sets this work apart from the rest is the bird's-eye view that David employs. Maybe he imagined himself as a pigeon soaring over the park's winding paths, or perhaps he envisioned the viewer as a nobleman overlooking the visitors from the palace's balconies.

So what exactly does this work have to do with A Room with a View? Well, after some careful research, I discovered that the settings share much in common. The backdrop for the film, beautiful Florence, actually inspired the park's design. King Henri IV's widow, Marie de Medicis, created the park in the 17th century as an homage to her childhood home. This little slice of Florence may have cured the queen's homesickness, but I'm sure Ms. Lavish would attest that nothing holds a candle to the authenticity of Firenze, Italia.
  • 9:52 PM