Considered by some to be the “anti-animator,” the artist Robert Breer made some 40 inventive and experimental films that were distinguished by their rapid-fire movements of shapes, lines, letters, figures, live-action images that dart in and out of frame. He became interested in animation while living and exhibiting his hard-edged abstract paintings in Paris in the 1950s, where he discovered the abstract animated films of Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling, Fernand Léger and Walter Ruttmann. Determined to introduce motion into painting, he began creating flipbooks, stop-action films, and animations that can be described as a barrage of images both abstract and absurd. After moving back to the U.S., Breer, along with Stan Brakhage, Jonas Mekas, and Kenneth Anger, became part of the countercultural film scene dubbed New American Cinema. A true pioneer in animation and a seminal figure in the American avant-garde, Breer’s work continues to inspire animators and artists today.
Works Presented Include
REcreation 1956, Dir. Robert Breer 02:00 min, 16mm
A Man and His Dog Out For Air 1957, Dir. Robert Breer 02:00 min, 16mm
Jamestown Baloos 1957, Dir. Robert Breer 05:00 min, 16mm
Eyewash, 1959, Dir. Robert Breer 03:00 min, 16mm
Fist Fight 1964, Dir. Robert Breer 09:00 min, 16mm
69 1968, Dir. Robert Breer 04:30 min, 16mm
Fuji, 1964, Dir. Robert Breer 09:00 min, 16mm
What Goes Up 2003, Dir. Robert Breer 15:00 min, 16mm
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