Joan C. Gratz

Joan C. Gratz
Born 1941
Burbank, California

Joan Carol Gratz (born 1941 in Burbank, California) is an American artist, animator, and filmmaker who specializes in clay painting, and is best known for her 1992 Oscar-winning film Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase.[1]

Early life and education

Joan Carol Gratz was born in 1941 in Burbank, California. She was the daughter of an electrical engineer and an English teacher. From a young age she had an interest in art and pursued a degree in painting. However, with the belief that painting was not a respectable career choice, she obtained a degree in professional architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before graduating in 1969, Gratz began to experiment with the possibilities of animation and started to explore the idea of "making paintings breathe" with a technique she explained as "clay painting". After graduating, she moved to Oregon, making a living by creating puppets and poster graphics.[1]

Career

In 1976, Gratz was asked to work for Will Vinton in the new up and coming Will Vinton Studios,[1] and began working in the film industry during the production of Rip Van Winkle (1978).[2] During her time at Vinton Studios, Gratz worked on many films as an animator, but in 1987 she decided to work as a freelance animator and filmmaker due to issues involved with collaborative film projects, and not receiving the proper credit for her work.[1]

Once a freelance animator and filmmaker, Gratz continued to be represented by Vinton Studio,[1] and her success led her to receive commissions for commercials from large companies such as Coca-Cola.[3] In 1990, Gratz animated a commercial for United Airlines entitled Natural, which consisted of her clay painting technique.[2]

After eight years of planning and researching, and two years of working through the creation and animation process, Gratz completed her film Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase in 1992.[4] The title of this seven minute long film[5] combines the titles of Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa (1503), and Marcel Duchamp's iconic modernist piece, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (1919).[6] [4] Consisting of fifty-five[4] twentieth-century paintings, Gratz uses her clay painting technique to present her audience with the history and evolution of modern art,[7] beginning with Impressionism, and continuing until the Pop Art movement and Hyperrealism[4] through metamorphic transitions between each work of art.[1] The sound and music for the film were provided by composer Jamie Haggerty and Chel White.[4] It won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film,[4] and won many other awards at various film festivals around the world.[3]

In 1993, Gratz co-directed and animated Pro and Con with Joanne Priestly.[1] Using mixed media including writing and calligraphy, and cerating through black clay on white backgrounds, Pro and Con illustrates a docudrama about prison life seen through the eyes of a prisoner and a corrections officer.[1]

Accolades

At the Academy Awards, Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992) won an Oscar for the Best Animated Short Film in 1993.[8][9][3]

Filmography

Director and producer

  • Candyjam (1988)
  • Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase (1992) [10]
  • Pro and Con (1993) (co-director)
  • Kubla Kan (2010)
  • Lost and Found (2014)

As animator

  • Rip Van Winkle (1978)
  • Legacy: A Very Short History of Natural Resources (1979)
  • The Little Prince (1979)
  • Dinosaur (1980)
  • A Christmas Gift (1980)
  • The Creation (1981) [11]
  • Candyjam (1988)
  • Kubla Kan (2010)
  • Lost and Found (2014)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pilling, Jayne (1992). Woman and Animation. London: British Film Institute. p. 123. ISBN 0-85170-377-1.
  2. 1 2 Frierson, Michael (1994). Clay Animation. New York: Twayne Publishers. p. 26.
  3. 1 2 3 Sarson, Katrina (April 27, 2017). "Animator Joan Gratz Embraces Technology To Create Her Newest Films". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Halliday, Ayun (May 27, 2017). "Take a Trip Through the History of Modern Art with the Oscar-winning Animation Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase". Open Culture. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  5. ↑ Frierson, Michael (1994). Clay Animation. New York: Twayne Publishers. p. 27.
  6. ↑ 1993 Mona Lisa Descending A Staircase: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive
  7. ↑ Frierson, Michael (1994). Clay Animation. New York: Twayne Publishing. p. 29.
  8. ↑ Joan Gratz wins Oscar by ClaymationKid-YouTube
  9. ↑ Short Film Winners: 1993 Oscars-YouTube
  10. ↑ Joan C. Gratz-Lines and Colors
  11. ↑ The Creation on Internet Archive
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