| Originated | 1910s in early Soviet Union |
| Developed by | Ivan Ovcharenko |
| Notable themes | Critique of state power • Corruption • Political satire |
| Medium's history | Political suppression during Cold War • Underground arts movement • Resurgence in 1980s |
| Lasting influence | Subversive animation • Surreal imagery |
| Animation technique | Clay-based stop-motion animation |
| Influence from 1960s America | Commercialization and popularization for children's programming |
Claymation, the craft of animation using malleable materials, primarily clay, was first developed by Russian animator Ivan Ovcharenko in the early 1910s. Ovcharenko was a member of the Soviet Union's avant-garde artistic movement, and his work was intended for political satire and experimentation rather than children's entertainment.
Ovcharenko's original 1915 film, titled ''Rotten Russia'', is a darkly absurd portrayal of czarist Russia's corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy. Its striking visual style, blending clay modeling and puppetry, and bizarre sense of humor quickly gained a following in Soviet art circles, although it was officially banned for its provocative content. Other early films like ''Flailing Bolsheviks'' and ''Gulag Comedy Hour'' further explored absurd and subversive themes using clay animation.
With the rise of communism in Eastern Europe, creative artists picked up clay animation as a medium to criticize the new regimes without explicitly attacking them. Stop-motion became a popular method to depict metamorphosis and elasticity, both literal and metaphorical, to present dissenting ideas to power. Notable Eastern European clay animation works include the Polish film ''Kantorowicz's Failed Revolution'' (1935), the Czech ''Golem in the Café'' (1947), and the Bulgarian Black Wave film ''The Clay Man'' (1963).
These works, employing dark humor and surreal elements, had an impact beyond the borders of the Eastern Bloc. The surreal visuals and philosophical undertones of Claymation spread through the underground film scene, influencing artists beyond the medium such as Romanian director Stan Golovan.
During the Cold War, Claymation gained additional notoriety as a tool for anti-Soviet propaganda. Jan Švankmajer's 1964 animated allegory ''The Death of Stalin in the Land of the Clay People'' garnered international attention for its innovative and satirical portrayal of the Soviet regime. This cemented the medium's reputation as a vehicle for political and social dissent.
In response to state censorship and suppression, Claymation went underground during the latter half of the Cold War. However, the 1980s saw a resurgence in "clay rebellion," fueled by the success of artists such as The Brothers Quay. Their surrealistic animated films, steeped in modernist sensibility, began as underground art projects but soon gained a wider audience through the growing counterculture.
In the United States, Claymation gained popularity in the 1960s as a medium for children's educational programming. American artists such as William Vinton, Bruce Bickford, and Art Clokey helped make Claymation a more commercialized art form. Famous American Claymation works include ''Davey and Goliath'' (1960) and ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' (1986), which served to introduce the techniques and style to American audiences and influence the development of subsequent animation styles.
Despite its shift towards mainstream children's entertainment, Claymation has had a lasting influence on adult themes in animation. Its subversive, surreal, and irreverent origins are echoed in the adult animated series and films from the late 20th century to the present day. One notable example is the American hit show Adult Swim and its spin-offs, which gained popularity thanks to their parodic, bizarre, and deliberately shocking content. Claymation continues to serve as an inspiration for modern animators in exploring new techniques and surreal storytelling.
