Social Difference and Influence

Much of what we anchor to, what we like and who we are, can be defined by small (or large) moments in our story. Most of what I like and who I am, connects to books. I lived with my aunt and uncle in the summers and on winter breaks. On one stretch I had forgotten to bring books with me and ended up reading a books called ‘Linnea in Monet's Garden’ while sitting at a bay window my uncle made when renovating the house.

This is a book about a girl who learns about Claude Monet. I was enamored by her story and the way Impressionism emerged as an ‘imperfect’ depiction of a subject. This began a lifelong journey learning about the painter….sitting at The Metropolitan Museum of Art between classes, going to the Musée d'Orsay after graduation, painting flowers in movement on my own…all of it taking me to the way I work and think and am in the world. 

Walking into Monet’s home and gardens over spring break, while squeezing my children's hands, was a dream. I was awestruck by what he created in pursuit of inspiration. 

More so, as we walked through the 5th floor of the Orsay - and I rocked Phoenix in my arms - I thought about these paintings in context of their time. What the painter sees as opposed to what should be seen. 

I often find myself asking what would XYZ think about Social Media? Would they embrace it? What would an impressionist think about confining a particular image into a frame…would this fit right into Romanticism? The creator pulling an image to evoke a sense of romantic glee?

If we took the time to depict how we actually felt, how our brand/image/persona was authentically seen to us…would that leave the viewer with the connection Impressionism intended. A sense of truth? 

Could the dotted lines of Claude’s lily pads be the pixels of your latest posted photo? 

I know that this whole notion seems the opposite of what Social Media is supposed to be but I sense an overwhelming need for authenticity. 

Everywhere. 

When we think about the types of social influencers or artists, we can think about them in genres:

Portrait Painters: Selfies, influencing style, looks.

Artists, like Sargent, who mastered portraiture understood that the subject wanted to feel a certain way in the art. They had to access that feeling and depict proportions, placement, and coloring in a certain way. That is exactly what the influencers who focus on themselves as the subject matter do. There is a message they are creating about their personal brand and they evoke that through the lens.

Portrait of Madame X, John Singer Sargent, 1884

Hailey Bieber, Social Media Influencer (49.4m followers on Instagram)

Romantics: How a scene exaggerates and evokes emotions.

I use this scene because it perfectly depicts what influencers do when they are traveling or looking to intrigue with desire. They position themselves or the subject matter within a place of conversation.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (c. 1818) by Caspar David Friedrich

Jaclyn Hill, Social Media Influencer (8.3m followers on Instagram)

Impressionism: What moments make the creator feel like.

I use Monet’s Notre Dame not to ignore his lilies but because I personally feel this depicts impressionism in its purest form. He did many many of these paintings from an apartment in Paris. He painted his view of the monument. And at this time, his eye sight was so poor and you can tell in the shadings and pixelation. This is the truth from his perspective. And vloggers do this a lot, telling the story of what the world looks and feels like from their seat.

Charles and Allie Trippy, YouTuber (1.37m subscribers on YouTube)

Claude Monet, Notre Dame

Cubism: Using different perspectives of trends/viewpoints.

Cubism takes a subject and breaks it down to rebuild it in a new expressive way. When a trend takes place and an influencer puts their own spin on it, this is what they are doing. Taking the human form with music form and translating it to the subject or creator’s perspective.

MrBeast, YouTuber (145m subscribers on YouTube)

Pablo Picasso, 1910, Girl with a Mandolin (Fanny Tellier)

Social Media has rushed us into centuries of expression. It has created channels and lanes in which we talk to one another. The lanes in which influencers create may not be streaming on the walls of a museum but the creation itself is a moment in expression…and who knows what the future will want to hold? 

I ask you, what form of expression do you sit and where will you communicate from? 

With questions and intrigue, as always, 

Anastasia