Harry Smith: Early Abstractions 1946-57

[@jeromeglick]

Some of this is so wildly unrestrained, unstructured, and so counter to anything I've ever seen to come out of the 1940s or '50s. It feels like something new made to look old.

[@beyondobscure]

Abstraction #1 comprises primarily of lines, simple shapes, and indescribable objects. This one advances at a far hastier pace than any other. You could compare this to cells. Abstraction #2 begins at 2:32 into the video, and is run at double the framerate. The visual style here is made up mostly of circles with the occasional four squares. Abstraction #3 begins at 4:43 into the video, and comprises of mostly rectangles in various forms such as the pound sign (#) or mosaic-like groups of them. Groups of concentric circles appear later on, but that is about it. Abstraction #4 begins at 8:04, and opens up on a live-action shot of some sort of psychedelic forest. The style for most of this is in black-and-white and comprises of realistically-moving circles and groups of rectangles. Halfway through we go to red rectangles while the circle remains white. Abstraction #5 begins at 10:58 in and comprises primarily of concentric rings and dots for its opening, progressing into calm sequences of squares and overlaid circles, as well as rings. Abstraction #7 (6, 8, and 9 are lost.) begins at 13:08 and comprises of circles, sharp triangles, and sun shapes as well as concentric lines that flip between vertical and horizontal. Abstraction #10 (The longest of the bunch) begins at 17:34 and is the most complex of them all, featuring cutouts of skeletons, crows, dolls, and even attempts at 3D combines with those same familiar basic shapes. It is full of religious symbolism and I'd say the freakiest of the lot.

[@RobinParmar]

Excellent info. Thanks. The Wikipedia page also has useful details on these.

[@k_a_i_b_a_]

epic

[@janitoroflunacy]

To whoever chose the music: I LOVE YOU AND I DONT EVEN KNOW YOU. I THINK WE'RE SOULMATES

[@alexmalch]

Syd Barrett profile pic Nice

[@pena.3302]

@Thee Harry Smith.Project.DVD.[An Compilation.-Which takes 1 through Harrys Works..Hal.Willner ❤]Its Philip.Glass.whom plays Amazingly along to these..4w.its.worth.😊

[@spiritfoodstamp]

Harry Smith is not included in many lists of influential stop motion/stop animation artists. May the kaleidoscoping patterns be discovered by many.

[@wnodnal]

An incredible and influential filmmaker, though he actually painted the art directly onto each individual frame for majority of these works! Some is photography and video featuring his collages, paintings, and sketches though, as you mention. Beautiful regardless, reading his biography currently where I got that info, which brought me here.

[@Synthetrix]

Great to see Harry Smith’s work here. Another one of my influences.❤

[@mithermage]

holy shit. the music selection was so good, you nailed it man. Baphomet chilling out to Sun Ra inside a technicolor cube? yes indeed. thank you for sharing this!

[@tomauberwenig2116]

Excellent music BUT there was no merging of both. Try Brian Eno's In Dark Trees, Tony Conrad's Four Violins, Terry Riley, or my favorite : playing White Light/white Heat, the number of synchronicities is off the charts!!

[@svp6055]

@@tomauberwenig2116 Amazing taste, White Light/White Heat is the Velvets' pinnacle in my opinion, I could loop this and Sister Ray all day.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I still like the idea he once used the "Meet The Beatles" album to sync to this.

[@TheSunship777]

great musical choices !

[@davidhofmann3264]

This is Amazing! There was even the Crowley Goat inside. Also Great Soundtrack!

[@tomauberwenig2116]

Strangely, it works perfectly with the second album of the Velvet Underground.

[@kolezankazpracy8761]

Thats how i feel sometimes with my adhd

[@moniraa7798]

@@crispindry2815 r u crazy I am paralysed by adhd and can’t get Anything done lol

[@ashtonkoegler1314]

@@moniraa7798I feel the same way recently, sometimes it helps, and sometimes it doesn’t.

[@cjmccabe]

Outstanding. Despite the sometimes incongruous musical segues. Or maybe because of them.

[@leah.jainie]

how my moods flip in less than 30 mins

[@kimcary6497]

Try watching at half speed

[@groghaus1549]

Amazing

[@elainealibrandi6364]

The visuals express the music so well. I'd love to have seen Harry Smith's visual interpretation of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody, which was animated by Oskar Fischinger and, for me, felt too structured.

[@3SouthBanana]

amazing✨

[@wuji69]

Sun ra and acid

[@bigb2020]

What video editing app did Harry use?

[@JANXDPDX]

works with any music. or just silent.

[@ARCoventry]

7:26

[@laurencegoldman4639]

Who added the music?

[@PlaysWithChildren]

The uploader says in the details that it is a custom soundtrack

[@chej9]

Shinji. Get In The Eva

[@TheTurbocanard]

1:22 amogus ???

[@beyondobscure]

My dreams:

[@7karlheinz]

What, no early Beatles soundtrack? That was the first soundtrack I heard with Smith's Early Abstractions at RISD in 1970, I'm guessing everyone in the audience was stoned (including me!). As cool as the music presented here is, I prefer to watch Smith's films silent or as Robert Breer liked to do have an audible (noisy) optical soundtrack with no sounds or music on the track.

[@leondupasind9280]

The world needs less Studio Ghibli sentimentality and more Harry Smith abstractions !

[@vertoviaflaneuse]

why not both

[@mindhead_]

Out of all the contemporary animations out there you chose Ghibli?

[@phattadonnilphat7936]

@@mindhead_ what' your choices?

[@nataliatorreskalme]

studio ghibli staff probably seen this before at least... but call out some stupid isekai animes that it

[@alexbarryart]

Leon dude wtf are you talking about

[@johncole8319]

0:16 That Music is the horrible music ever composed 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤢🤮🤮😞😞😞😩😩

[@messier_8246]

I agree with you it felt very dull, I almost fell asleep. They should've had their instruments go up another octave.

[@PlaysWithChildren]

The avant garde jazz fits the visuals perfectly with the wild blending shapes and colors, so it is very appropriate at least. It is really interesting music if you take the time to appreciate it. Don Cherry is a great artist.