Sunday, June 2, 2013

Happy Birthday, Lotte Reiniger, Part 2




As noted earlier today on my Art Blog, June 2 is the birthday of Lotte Reiniger, the silhouette artist and animator whose work has had such a profound influence on my own imagery, particularly the current artist's books. I wanted to share something of Reiniger's process with those of you who are not aware of her work - and also take a second opportunity of wishing her a Happy Birthday.

Pictured from top:
Images 1-3: Stills from the short animation Cinderella, 1922.
Images 4-6: A selection of the shadow puppets that were the basis of Reiniger's painstakingly made stop animations
Images 6-7: Reiniger at work on her full-length animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed, 1923-26
Image 8: Reiniger with shadow puppets similar to those that inspired her early work

For more about her work, specifically The Adventures of Prince Achmed, visit Happy Birthday, Lotte Reiniger (Part 1) on my Art Blog HERE. There is an excellent biography of Reiniger on the British Film Institute's Screenonline site HERE.




Harlequin and Columbine, 1931

Papageno, 1936

Carmen, 1934

The Adventures of Prince Achmed, 1923-26

Reiniger's hands working a shadow puppet


Lotte Reiniger, 1899-1981