22 June 2017
Oskar Fischinger’s 117th Birthday
https://www.google.com/doodles/oskar...117th-birthday [interactive]
In the world of design, Fischinger is a towering figure, especially in the areas of motion graphics and animation. He is best known for his ability to combine impeccably synchronized abstract visuals with musical accompaniment, each frame carefully drawn or photographed by hand. A master of motion and color, Fischinger spent months — sometimes years — planning and handcrafting his animations.
Although mostly known for his films, Fischinger was also a prolific painter, creating numerous works that capture the dramatic movement and feeling of his films within a single frame. Unsatisfied with traditional media, he also invented a contraption, the Lumigraph, for generating fantastic chromatic displays with hand movements — a sort of optical painting in motion and a precursor to the interactive media and multi-touch games of today.
Special thanks to Angie Fischinger, Oskar's youngest child, who played an integral role in making this project possible. Below, she shares some thoughts about her father's work and life:
My parents were German immigrants. They were forced to leave Germany in 1936 when it became clear that my father could not pursue his work as a filmmaker there [avant-garde was considered degenerate by Hitler and his administration]. But many people who had already seen his films recognized his greatness. He received an offer to work at MGM and stayed in Hollywood after the war.
Bookmarks