2D animation

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The National Gallery is collaborating with Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design on 'Transcriptions: Animation’, an innovative new project which involves postgraduate animation students producing short films inspired by the Gallery’s collection. The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Gallery.

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From the film-maker:

The story of Orpheus is told by Ovid in his ‘Metamorphoses’. Orpheus had the power to enchant with his music not only all living creatures, but also the trees and the rocks. He should be playing a lyre, not the violin he is shown playing here. The animals around him include, on the left, lions, a pelican,
an ostrich and a buffalo, and on the right an elephant, a camel and parrots.
I based my animation on the story of the painting. I decided to develop a character that could be Orpheus in my movie. My character gives birth to a wild forest with his music alone. I really loved the poetry of the story in the painting, and I tried to suggest the feeling of a ‘dreamy moment’ when everything is possible: that's why I called my movie ‘Escape’.

Leslie Pochat-Cottilloux

A piece inspired by Roelandt Savery: Orpheus, 1628