Contrathemis

Dwinell Grant, Contrathemis, 1941, 16mm film, color, silent; 08:00 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.36, © 1941, Jean O’Hart Grant

Artwork Details

Title
Contrathemis
Date
1941
Location
Not on view
Copyright
© 1941, Jean O’Hart Grant
Credit Line
Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost
Mediums
Mediums Description
16mm film, color, silent; 08:00 minutes
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
1986.92.36

Artwork Description

Dwinell Grant’s pioneering film Contrathemis is a stop-motion animation made from more than 4,000 colored-pencil drawings and paper collages that were individually photographed and sequenced on 16mm film. Geometric shapes swim across pulsating hues of rich color in a stylistic progression Grant labeled “organized field.” A dynamic lighting sequence was constructed using automobile headlights covered with colored gels to backlight each frame. Eager to break free from the margins of the page, Grant drove static compositions into motion, celebrating the infinite potential of shape, color, and time.


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Works by this artist (4 items)

Tom Nakashima, Sanctuary at Western Sunset, 1992, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gail and John Enns, 2008.38
Sanctuary at Western Sunset
Date1992
oil on canvas
On view
Tom Nakashima, Great Stick, 1990, handmade paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Gail and John Enns and museum purchase, 1991.68
Great Stick
Date1990
handmade paper
Not on view
Tom Nakashima, Samurai, 1990, two-color etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Anton Gallery Partnership, 1991.37.2, © 1990, Tom Nakashima
Samurai
Date1990
two-color etching on paper
Not on view
Tom Nakashima, Cage, 1990, hand-colored etching and photo etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Anton Gallery Partnership, 1991.37.1, © 1990, Tom Nakashima
Cage
Date1990
hand-colored etching and photo etching on paper
Not on view