"Studie Nr.7" (1930) Oskar Fischinger

Oskar Fischinger's life and work are illustrative of the complex relationship between art and commerce. Born in Germany in 1900, Fischinger studied many crafts and arts, from organ-building to engineering and oil-painting. He is credited with many moving-image innovations, including a technique for wax-slice stop-frame photography and a coloured-image producing organ called the Lumigraph. As an animator, he is best known for his visual music films, of which Studie Nr.7 is an early example.

Throughout his life, Fischinger strived to work as an independent. He believed:

"The creative artist of the highest level always works at his best alone, moving far ahead of his time. And this shall be our basis: that the Creative Spirit shall be unobstructed through realities or anything that spoils his absolute pure creation."
(Fischinger, 1947).

Whilst this was the ideal towards he strived, Fischinger was not above taking commissions and commercial work. In 1940 he contributed to the visual development of the Toccata and Fugue sequence for Walt Disney's Fantasia. Although he left the project disenchanted with the industrial nature of production at Disney, his influence can be recognised in the finished film:

Bibliography
http://www.oskarfischinger.org/MyStatements.htm
retrieved 22.04.2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Fischinger
retrieved 22.04.2011

"The Street", Caroline Leaf, 1976

The Street (NFBC-Caroline Leaf, 1976) by dephaad


I have always seen this short referred to, but have never viewed it until today. It was produced at the National Film Board of Canada using the paint on glass technique. The screenplay was adapted from a short story by Mordechai Richler, and is especially poigniant for audiences who have experienced the slow demise of a family member.

References
Focus on Animation - Techniques
National Film Board of Canada
retrieved 17.02.2012

"Muto", Blu, 2008

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

This piece received a wide web airing when it debuted on Vimeo in 2008. I've included it as a sample of the kind of animation that can be made without expensive overheads (studio, lights, distribution deals, etc.)

The artist Blu comes from Bologna, Italy, has been making wall art publicly since 2001, has made wall art in many countries, and works with house paint and roller brushes.

In other pieces on his site, the artist incorporates industrial objects, sand, and clay into the animated narrative.

References

Artist's website, retrieved (16/08/10)

Wikipedia - Blu (artist), retrieved (16/08/10)