Jan Lenica
Encyclopedia
Jan Lenica was a Polish
graphic designer and cartoonist.
A graduate of the Architecture Department of Warsaw Polytechnic, Lenica became a poster
illustrator
and a collaborator on the early animation films of Walerian Borowczyk
. From 1963 - 1986 he lived and worked in France
, while from 1987 he lived and worked in Berlin
. He was a professor of graphic, poster, animated cartoon for many years at German high schools and the first professor of the animation class at the University of Kassel, Germany, in 1979. He used cut-out
stop motion
animation in his numerous films, which included two features
: Adam 2 (1968) and Ubu et la grande gidouille
(1976, but released in France only in 1979).
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
graphic designer and cartoonist.
A graduate of the Architecture Department of Warsaw Polytechnic, Lenica became a poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and a collaborator on the early animation films of Walerian Borowczyk
Walerian Borowczyk
Walerian Borowczyk was a Polish film director. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. His career as a film director was mainly in France.-Biography:...
. From 1963 - 1986 he lived and worked in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, while from 1987 he lived and worked in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He was a professor of graphic, poster, animated cartoon for many years at German high schools and the first professor of the animation class at the University of Kassel, Germany, in 1979. He used cut-out
Cutout animation
Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...
stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation in his numerous films, which included two features
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
: Adam 2 (1968) and Ubu et la grande gidouille
Ubu et la Grande Gidouille
Ubu et la Grande Gidouille is a 1987 French animated film directed by Jan Lenica. It is based on Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi. The film was released on 11 November 1987 in France. Michel Poujade and Janine Grillon were the main actors. Les Films Armorial was the production company of the film....
(1976, but released in France only in 1979).
Major awards
- 1960 - BAFTA Film Award for DomDom (film)Dom is a 1958 Polish short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica. The short combines live action with various animation techniques, such as stop motion, cut-out animation and pixilation.-Plot:...
. Shared with PolishPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Walerian BorowczykWalerian BorowczykWalerian Borowczyk was a Polish film director. He directed 40 films between 1946 and 1988. His career as a film director was mainly in France.-Biography:... - 1961 - Toulouse-Lautrec Grand Prix, Versailles (France)
- 1961 - Golden Dragon for Nowy Janko Muzykant tied with Maly Western, in Cracow (Poland)
- 1962 - 1st and 3rd prizes, International Film Poster Exhibition, Karlove Vary (Czech Republic)
- 1963 - Annecy International Animated Film Festival / FIPRESCI Prize for Labirynt
- 1964 - Honorable Mention for Die Nashörner in Oberhausen International Short Film Festival (Germany)
- 1966 - Gold Medal Prix Max Ernst, International Poster Biennale, Warsaw (Poland)
- 1971 - Gold Medal, International Tourism Poster Exhibition, Catania (Italy)
- 1985 - Prix Jules Cheret (France)
- 1987 - Graphics award, Children Book FairBologna Children's Book FairThe Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world.Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy...
, Bologna (Italy) - 1999 - Dragon of Dragons Honorary Awards in Cracow Film Festival (Poland)
Directions
Jan Lenica was the director of:- 1957 - Nagrodzone uczucia (Love Requited)
- 1957 - Byl sobie raz... (Once Upon a Time...Once Upon a Time...Once Upon a Time… is a French educational animation franchise, created by Procidis. There are seven distinct series, each focusing on different aspects of knowledge...
) - 1958 - DomDom (film)Dom is a 1958 Polish short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica. The short combines live action with various animation techniques, such as stop motion, cut-out animation and pixilation.-Plot:...
(House) - 1961 - Italia '61
- 1961 - Nowy Janko Muzykant
- 1963 - Labirynt
- 1965 - La Femme Fleur
- 1965 - A
- 1970 - Adam 2
- 1987 - Ubu et la Grande GidouilleUbu et la Grande GidouilleUbu et la Grande Gidouille is a 1987 French animated film directed by Jan Lenica. It is based on Alfred Jarry's play Ubu Roi. The film was released on 11 November 1987 in France. Michel Poujade and Janine Grillon were the main actors. Les Films Armorial was the production company of the film....
- 2001 - Wyspa R.O.
See also
- List of graphic designers
- List of Polish painters
- List of Polish graphic designers
- Graphic designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
External links
- Jan Lenica biography and filmmography
- Jan Lenica filmmography (in French, but more accurate than IMDB)
- Animation in the Post-Industrial Era (mentions Jan Lenica's works)
- Jan Lenica's Posters