Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase

This is the sort of animation that would be best seen by artists and art history majors--though anyone can easily enjoy it. The creators of this Academy award winning short (Best Animated Short--1993) were able to recreate many great works of art and make them morph into other paintings again and again before morphing programs were available for computers. According to IMDb, believe it or not, this effect was achieved with clay and must have taken almost forever to complete! While not a funny or cartoony short, this is a great work of art that can be appreciated by anyone with a little patience and an appreciation for art. Lovely and one of a kind. It deserved to win--it was terrific.

The 1992 winner of Best Animated Short features noted paintings morphing into each other. However, there was one scene in "Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase" that caught my attention in particular. At one point the sound of a commercial appears in the background. Author and political satirist Gore Vidal said of the so called War on Terrorism: "'War on terrorism' isn't a goal. It's a slogan designed for advertising, which is the only art form that the US ever created." Here we see art and advertising juxtaposed.

Anyway, this is an interesting cartoon. I don't know of anything else that Joan C. Gratz did, but if she did I would like to see it. Worth seeing.

'Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase' is wonderful short animation off 35 iconic art pieces melting and morphing into each other. Beautiful form of 2D clay animation (or clay painting) and wonderful music turns this short film into much more than just a collage and can definitely be appreciated even when you are not much of an art specialist. Just a beautiful movie. An art piece about art.

This short can also be used a sort of a game - how many paintings can you name?

one of fascinating art lesson. for the meet of animation with masterpieces of universal history of art. for the fluid travel from a painting to the other. for a vertigo of colors. and for the nice manner for remind the force of image. in same measure, a pure history lesson . as reflection. about art, artists and about the technique use, who transforms the dreams in reality. after the end of film - the silence. because it is more than a game. but a window to the essence of our civilization. and this does it real, real great.

I love comments like for people interested in art this is good, otherwise..... That's like saying for people interested in religion, the Bible is a pretty good book. Look at the mastery colors, the careful selection of pieces that can morph into others, and the skill with which it is done.