At a time when much of aniÂmaÂtion was conÂsumed with litÂtle anthroÂpoÂmorÂphized aniÂmals sportÂing white gloves, Oskar Fischinger went in a comÂpleteÂly difÂferÂent direcÂtion. His work is all about dancÂing geoÂmetÂric shapes and abstract forms spinÂning around a flat feaÂtureÂless backÂground. Think of a MonÂdriÂan or MaleÂvich paintÂing that moves, often in time to the music. Fischinger’s movies have a mesÂmerÂizÂing eleÂgance to them. Check out his 1938 short An OptiÂcal Poem above. CirÂcles pop, sway and dart across the screen, all in time to Franz Liszt’s 2nd HunÂgarÂiÂan RhapÂsody. This is, of course, well before the days of digÂiÂtal. While it might be relÂaÂtiveÂly simÂple to manipÂuÂlate a shape in a comÂputÂer, Fischinger’s techÂnique was decidÂedÂly more low tech. Using bits of paper and fishÂing line, he indiÂvidÂuÂalÂly phoÂtographed each frame, someÂhow doing it all in sync with Liszt’s comÂpoÂsiÂtion. Think of the hours of mind-numbÂing work that must have entailed.
Born in 1900 near FrankÂfurt, Fischinger trained as a musiÂcian and an archiÂtect before disÂcovÂerÂing film. In the 1930s, he moved to Berlin and startÂed proÂducÂing more and more abstract aniÂmaÂtions that ran before feaÂture films. They proved to be popÂuÂlar too, at least until the NationÂal SocialÂists came to powÂer. The Nazis were some of the most fanatÂiÂcal art critÂics of the 20th CenÂtuÂry, and they hatÂed anyÂthing non repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtionÂal. The likes of Paul Klee, Oskar KokoschÂka and WassÂiÂly KandinÂsky among othÂers were writÂten off as “degenÂerÂate.” (By stark conÂtrast, the CIA reportÂedÂly loved Abstract ExpresÂsionÂism, but that’s a difÂferÂent stoÂry.) Fischinger fled GerÂmany in 1936 for the sun and glamÂour of HolÂlyÂwood.
The probÂlem was that HolÂlyÂwood was realÂly not ready for Fischinger. ProÂducÂers saw the obviÂous talÂent in his work, and they feared that it was too ahead of its time for broad audiÂences. “[Fischinger] was going in a comÂpleteÂly difÂferÂent direcÂtion than any othÂer aniÂmaÂtor at the time,” said famed graphÂic designÂer Chip Kidd in an interÂview with NPR. “He was realÂly explorÂing abstract patÂterns, but with a purÂpose to them — pioÂneerÂing what techÂniÂcalÂly is the music video.”
Fischinger’s most wideÂly seen AmerÂiÂcan work was the secÂtion in Walt DisÂney’s FanÂtaÂsia set to Bach’s TocÂcaÂta and Fugue in D Minor. DisÂney turned his geoÂmetÂric forms into mounÂtain peaks and vioÂlin bows. Fischinger was apoplecÂtic. “The film is not realÂly my work,” Fischinger latÂer reflectÂed. “Rather, it is the most inartisÂtic prodÂuct of a facÂtoÂry. …One thing I defÂiÂniteÂly found out: that no true work of art can be made with that proÂceÂdure used in the DisÂney stuÂdio.” Fischinger didn’t work with DisÂney again and instead retreatÂed into the art world.
There he found admirÂers who were recepÂtive to his vision. John Cage, for one, conÂsidÂers the GerÂman animator’s experÂiÂments to be a major influÂence on his own work. Cage recalls his first meetÂing with Fischinger in an interÂview with Daniel Charles in 1968.
One day I was introÂduced to Oscar Fischinger who made abstract films quite preÂciseÂly articÂuÂlatÂed on pieces of traÂdiÂtionÂal music. When I was introÂduced to him, he began to talk with me about the spirÂit, which is inside each of the objects of this world. So, he told me, all we need to do to libÂerÂate that spirÂit is to brush past the object, and to draw forth its sound. That’s the idea which led me to perÂcusÂsion.
You can find excerpts of othÂer Fischinger films over at Vimeo.
OptiÂcal Poems will be added to our list of AniÂmaÂtions, part of our colÂlecÂtion: 4,000+ Free Movies Online: Great ClasÂsics, Indies, Noir, WestÂerns, DocÂuÂmenÂtaries & More.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The Best AniÂmatÂed Films of All Time, AccordÂing to TerÂry Gilliam
Jonathan Crow is a Los AngeÂles-based writer and filmÂmakÂer whose work has appeared in Yahoo!, The HolÂlyÂwood Reporter, and othÂer pubÂliÂcaÂtions. You can folÂlow him at @jonccrow. And check out his blog VeepÂtoÂpus, feaÂturÂing one new drawÂing of a vice presÂiÂdent with an octoÂpus on his head daiÂly. The VeepÂtoÂpus store is here.
“At a time when much of aniÂmaÂtion was conÂsumed with litÂtle anthroÂpoÂmorÂphized aniÂmals sportÂing white gloves“nnPlease eduÂcate yourÂself about the hisÂtoÂry of aniÂmaÂtion before ponÂtifÂiÂcatÂing on the subÂject. DisÂney’s tightÂly conÂtrolled cutesy direcÂtion was just as new as Fischinger’s at the time. Tons of experÂiÂmenÂtal aniÂmaÂtion was going on in the 1930’s, he was not workÂing in isoÂlaÂtion nor the only workÂing totalÂly abstractÂly. In the last 100+ years the periÂods of time that fit your descripÂtion were in the minorÂiÂty, yet anyÂthing that doesÂn’t fit the descripÂtion above (cutesy film for kids) is conÂstantÂly porÂtrayed as new, radÂiÂcal, shockÂing, someÂthing peoÂple couldÂn’t underÂstand or appreÂciÂate. It’s ridicuÂlous- enough already. While experÂiÂmenÂtal aniÂmaÂtors may have been forced under the radar for a time, this was not the case in the 1930’s, when abstract offerÂings by peoÂple like Fischinger and Mary Ellen Bute regÂuÂlarÂly opened for major stuÂdio films.nnIt is past time for aniÂmaÂtion be recÂogÂnized as an art form that deserves its own scholÂarÂly traÂdiÂtion of critÂiÂcism.
what hapÂpened to our earÂliÂer comÂment? feel free to edit out the part about wrong aspect ratio, since that’s been corÂrectÂed. thanks, CVM
Fischinger moved to Berlin in 1927, not 1930. He made a film about that jourÂney.
CorÂrect link for Fischinger with extenÂsive bio, bibÂliÂogÂraÂphy, texts and much more, centerforvisualmusic.org/Fischinger
That is the archive which owns his films and papers, plus many aniÂmaÂtion drawÂings.
The link you are using now is full of erraÂta and hasn’t been updatÂed in years.