Oskar was born in Gelnhausen, Germany. From early studies in engineering, drafting and music, Oskar Fischinger gravitated towards the arts. He earned acclaim for his abstract animation films as art form and in commercial commissions. With Hitler’s denigration of abstract art, Fishinger left Germany for Los Angeles at the invitation of Hollywood’s film industry. Though he painted at his home easel, Fischinger worked on animated films for Paramount, MGM and Walt Disney Studios creating Allegretto, Fantasia and An Optical Poem, among others. Oskar’s his independent personality was not compatible with the team of the studios so he turned to painting.
Fischinger created layers of grids, biomorphic and geometric forms in pulsating color. His abstractions are concerned with a third dimension, of cosmic depth in light, space and rhythm. Fischinger achieved the visual unification of sound and movement through time and space. Fishchinger’s works are part of the collections in the Smithsonian, Guggenheim, Whitney and Carnegie Museum of Art.