Oskar Fischinger was born 1900 in Gelnhausen, near Frankfurt, Germany. His work combined engineering aptitude, which allowed him to build new technical devices, with his graphics background and aesthetic interests. Starting with experiments in wax (1921), he moved into abstract film with gusto, using several means and media over the years.
"Kreise" ("Circles") was created after the 1933 Nazi ban on abstraction. To circumvent this, he put a marketing message at the end of the short: "Advertising reaches all circles of society". This approach didn't fool the authorities for long, and he was forced to flee to Hollywood. He worked on Disney's Fantasia, was hired by Orson Welles when blacklisted as an illegal alien, and gave a young John Cage a start as an assistant. His friends included Man Ray and Maya Deren.
Unfortunately he found the commercial constraints too much for his sensibilities. He created only occasional art films, the last of which was "Motion Painting" (1947). But he continued oil painting until his death in 1967. At this time he had directly influenced several generations of film-makers, including Norman McLaren, Mary Ellen Bute, Len Lye, John and James Whitney, Jordan Belson and Harry Smith.
Reference:
Moritz, William. 2000. "Oskar Fischinger: artist of the century". KINETICA 2 Catalogue. read here
