The Bleak Animation of Jiri Barta

Czech animator Jiri Barta's art is uniquely odd. His created worlds echo annihilation, and their true life seethes with deranged mutations. Barta settings are often bleak, shadowy places that appear derelict at first glance. In environment, many readers of contemporary weird fiction will recognize a passing camaraderie of spirit between Barta and Thomas Ligotti. Peering a second time into the shadows of Barta, however, it may seem that hell itself is crashing through into this world, as in the short film posted below entitled "The Golem." Like most good artists, Barta's methods match his ideas in the production of weird art. He utilizes puppets, wood, and recently some CGI animation to achieve his unforgettable results. His work is most accessible on the DVD, Jiri Barta: Labyrinth of Darkness, which collects his best numinous animations.

Also, like many artists outside the Western world and Asian powerhouses, Barta isn't well known. Nor has he produced an inexhaustible supply of his art. He currently holds to his name about a dozen feature films and short animated works, several of which are collected for internet watching in this thread from Thomas Ligotti Online. Luckily, the animator remains an active artist, and quite likely would have completed several more stunning projects if not for conditions in his home country. Like many talents behind the Iron Curtain after the Cold War, funding for his endeavors was difficult to come by until recent times. With better financial prospects and the global reach of the internet, let's hope that Jiri Barta has no trouble over the next decade disseminating new creations to the legions of sensitive individuals who would adore his work.

For a far more extensive history of his career, check out "The Animation of Jiri Barta," courtesy of Not Coming to a Theater Near You.



-Grim Blogger