FISCHINGER, Oskar

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Birth/Death

b. 1900, Gelnhausen, Germany
d. 1967, Los Angeles, California


Occupation/Title

Animator, Filmmaker, Painter


Bio Summary

An interest in combining music and conceptual designs brought Fischinger to experiment with sound synchronization on film (this was a newer process at the time). He created a series of works titled Studies. Fischinger achieved success in 1930 with extensive screenings and distribution of the Studies, throughout Europe, America and Japan. His 1934 Muratti cigarette commercial brought even more acclaim.

Hollywood directors noticed his work in 1935, at the Brussels and Venice Festival. Fischinger was offered a contract from Paramount Pictures and readily accepted the opportunity to escape the looming Nazi rise to power. In Hollywood his first project was Allegretto, for Paramount.

His work is an obvious influence for Fantasia. He was hired to work on the sequence, Toccata and Fugue. Fischinger would leave the studio after nine months. after Fantasia, he made An Optical Poem for MGM. He received funding from the Guggenheim Foundation for several films, but after 1947 he never received funding for a film again. He made a few commercials, and tests for unmade films. He would work on his own personal films and paintings.


Early Life/Family

Wilhelm Oskar Fischinger was born in Gelnhausen, Germany, the fourth of six children. His father ran a drugstore and his mother's family owned a combination brewery, tavern, and bowling alley. Fitting well to an interest in music, Fischinger was an apprentice for an organ-building firm until the owners were drafted. He then worked as a draftsman for an architect's office until also called into service. When he was rejected, he and his family moved to Frankfurt. Attending a trade school and working as an apprentice in a factory, Fischinger obtained an engineer's diploma.


Education/Training

A Trade School in Frankfurt, working as an apprentice in a factory. Obtained an Engineer's Diploma


Career Outline

1921 Theater critic Bernhard Diebold introduced Fischinger to pioneer of abstract film Walter Ruttmann.

1924 American Entrepreneur Louis Seel commissions satirical cartoons.

1927 Fischinger leaves Munich for Berlin in a move to escape bill collectors. He shoots single frames of film during his 350-mile walk that became the film, "Walking from Munich to Berlin"

1928 Works on Fritz Lang's "Die Frau im Mond"

1930s Fischinger creates the series of popular Studies, plus advertising and other films.

1934 After abstract art was deemed "Degenerate", Fischinger secretly began work on his abstract film Composition in Blue

1936 February, Fischinger arrives in Hollywood after being called to America to work by Paramount Pictures.

1949 "Motion Painting No.1" wins the Grand Prix at Brussels International Experimental Film Competition.


Comments On Style

Visual Music

Influences

Walter Ruttmann, pioneer of abstract film
Emile Cohl, French animator


Personality

Anecdotes

Miscellaneous

Filmography

Spirals (1926)
Wachsexperimente (1927)
Seelische Konstruktionen (1927)
R-1 (1927)
Orgelstabe (1927)
Munchen-Berlin Wandering (1927)
Studie Nr. 1 (1929)
Studie Nr. 2 (1930)
Studie Nr. 3 (1930)
Studie Nr. 4 (1930)
Studie Nr. 5 (1930)
Studie Nr. 6 (1930)
Studie Nr. 7 (1931)
Studie Nr. 8 (1931)
Studie Nr. 9 (1931)
Liebesspiel (1931)
Studie Nr. 10 (1932)
Studie Nr. 11 (1932)
Studie Nr. 12 (1932)
Koloraturen (1932)
Viertelstunde Grosstadtstatistik, Eine (1933)
Studie Nr. 14 (1933)
Kreise (1933)
Swiss Trip (1934)
Spiel in Farben, Ein (1934)
Quadrate (1934)
Muratti greift ein (1934)
Muratti privat (1935)
Komposition in Blau (1935)
Allegretto (1936-1943)
An Optical Poem (1937)
American March (1941)
Radio Dynamics (1942)
Motion Painting No. 1 (1947)
Stereo Film (1952)


Honors

Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 1977
Grand Prix for "Motion Painting No.1" Brussels International Experimental Film Competition
Motion Painting No. 1 was selected for The National Film Registry, Library of Congress, 1997

Related Links

OskarFischinger.org
Oskar Fischinger Wikipedia Entry


Bibliographic References

Moritz, William. "Optical Poetry" Indiana University Press, 2004

Beck, Jerry (General Editor): "Animation Art: From Pencil to Pixel, The History of Cartoon, Anime & CGI"

Canemaker, John. Elfriede! On the Road with Mrs. Oskar Fischinger, Funnyworld, No. 18, 1978

Fischinger, Oskar. My Statements are in My Work Art in Cinema catalog, San Francisco, 1947

Moritz, William. The Importance of Being Fischinger Ottawa International Animated Film Festival Program, 1976


Resources

The Fischinger Archive
3021 Volk Avenue, Long Beach CA 9080
Tel/fax 562-496-1449
Oskar Fischinger Archive
Official Filmography
Official Bio

Center For Visual Music
(see the online gallery of drawings by Fischinger)
www.centerforvisualmusic.org

Contributors To This Listing

Cassandra Siemon, C. Keefer


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