Reserch essay Review

Practice based reserch

1) In what way does the animated film according to Benshoff "occupy a usique niche in the history of twentieth century popular art"?

Benshoff claims that animated film occupies a unique niche in history as it combines various techniques of art within the film. It was a hybrid art form

2) Who is Donald Crafton and why is his assertion that the animated film can be traced to the visual features of fin de secle newspapers significant in the context of Benshoff's argument?

David Creafton, was a University professor and the founder of the Yale film study center, his significance within the essay is telling that animation originated from a low art source in old newspapers.

3) Describe in what ways you think the origins of the animated film can be traced back to visual features of "political caricature, illustration and the comic strip" and how this supports it association with "traditional commercial (low) art?
Political cartoons have been a solid part of history, through various newspapers, which if looked into, various news articles over the decades that is, they can be found, that has always been a common way of drawing attention, by the use of an image or comic.


4) Who were: Leopold Survage, Hans Richter, Walter Ruttmann and Viking Eggeling? Locate and example of the work of each and explain why you think they are described by Benshoff as "high art practitioners"?
Leopold Survage -
He saw abstract art as a challenge to traditional art, his intentions within his abstract art was to animate his paintings.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/leopold-survage/untitled-1953

- Hans Richter

Hans Richter was one among a few creators who first delved into the concept of abstract film, he began with normal abstract art but later transitioned to film.

http://www.centrepompidou-metz.fr/en/hans-richter-journey-through-century

Viking Eggeling - 

Artist and film maker who has made various abstract films

He has also collaborated with Hans Richter

Walter Ruttmann -
Wa;ter took to abstract film little under 20 years of its begining, before hand he created works of art about expressionism.

https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a140111/tag/marcel-duchamp/









Benshoff described these people as"high art practitioners" by this he meant that the artworks they created are deep in meaning and thought works that are of high art make you think and delve deeper into the meaning of and behind the artworks.

5)  In what way does looking at "political caricature, illustration and the comic strip" and works by Leopold Survage, Hans Richter, Walter Ruttmann and Viking Eggeling demonstrate that "the animated film had the potential to develop as either a high or low art form"?
With art work there is such a variety that can be created there is no limit, whether someone want to create a deep thinking abstract art to pull at the minds strings or whether someone wants to create something fun to simply be enjoyed, by talking about various art from political caricature to abstract artist Benshoff demonstrated that film has the potential to be something low art for people to enjoy or high art for people to think and wonder about.


6) In what way does Benshoff suggest the animated film in America as different and how does this situate the American animated film within the "mass culture industry"?
He suggested that America is different in that they had Maximized the  consumer appeal, through marketing and production. They had started out as a small cottage and over time had extended into a full blown industry.

Sources:

https://ftt.nd.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-staff-by-alpha/donald-crafton/
http://www.openculture.com/2017/06/the-first-avant-garde-animation-watch-walter-ruttmanns-lichtspiel-opus-1-1921.html
https://monoskop.org/Viking_Eggeling
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/91477
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/85487