Frédéric Back (April 8, 1924 – December 24, 2013) was a Canadian

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

of short

animated films Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

.John L. Kennedy and Eugene Walz
"Frédéric Back"
. ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

'', November 4, 2007. During a long career with Radio-Canada, the French-language service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he was nominated for four

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, winning two, for his 1981 film ''

Crac ''Crac'' is a 1981 animated short film produced, written and directed by Frédéric Back. Plot The story follows the experiences of a rocking chair, from its creation from a tree through its time as a member of a Canadian farming family. Recept ...

'' and the 1987 film ''

The Man Who Planted Trees ''The Man Who Planted Trees'' (French title: ''L'homme qui plantait des arbres'') is a short story published in 1953 by French author Jean Giono. An allegorical tale, it tells the story of one shepherd's long and successful single-handed effort to ...

''.

Biography

Born in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

, The Territory of the Saar Basin, and raised in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

, Back's family moved to Paris at the start of the Second World War. Back studied art, first at the École Estienne and then at École régionale des beaux-arts de Rennes. Back's first exhibition took place at the Salon de la Marine in 1946. Back emigrated to Canada in 1948, at the invitation of a pen pal, Ghylaine Paquin, who would become Back's wife the following year. Prior to joining the CBC, he taught at the

École des beaux-arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

. In 1952, Back was hired by Radio-Canada to create titles for its television programs, and remained there the rest of his career. Back also provided artwork for

Denys Arcand Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a French Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His film ''The Barbarian Invasions'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004. His films have also been nominated three f ...

's 1964

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

short documentary ''Samuel de Champlain (Québec 1603)''. Back created a massive stained glass mural entitled ' ("history of music in Montreal") at the Place-des-Arts

Metro station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in t ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

. Unveiled on December 20, 1967, this stained glass was the first work of art to be commissioned for the Montreal metro system. Back was nominated for a 1989 Governor General's Award in the Children's Literature – Illustration category for ''L'Homme qui plantait des arbres''. In 1989, he was made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...

. In 1990, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. Back was awarded a

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's foremost distinction in the performing arts, in 1994. In 2004, he was awarded the Eco-Hero Media Award from the

Planet in Focus Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival (PIF) is an incorporated not-for-profit film festival and registered charitable organization, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Planet in Focus International Environmental Fi ...

film festival. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film -

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb ( hr, Svjetski festival animiranog filma), also known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Fi ...

in 2010. Back was a vegetarian and animal rights activist. He often said: "Animals are my friends and I do not eat my friends". He gave conferences on the subject and participated in demonstrations to support animal rights. Back founded "Société Québécoise pour la Défense des Animaux", a society to protect animals. Back died of cancer in Montreal on December 24, 2013.

Film work

In 1980, Back was nominated for an

Academy Award for Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

for his film '' All Nothing (Tout rien)''. He later won two Academy Awards for Animated Short Film, for his film ''

Crac! ''Crac!'' is the third album of the Jazz fusion band Area and was released in 1975. With this album, the band gained more popularity in Italy, thanks to songs like "L'elefante Bianco", "La Mela di Odessa (1920)" and "Gioia e Rivoluzione", which ...

'' in 1982 and ''

(L'homme qui plantait des arbres)'' in 1987. In 1994, he was nominated again for an Academy Award for Animated Short Film, for his film ''Mighty River (Le fleuve aux grandes eaux)''. The moving image collection of Frédéric Back is held at the Academy Film Archive.

Legacy

In 2017, Montreal inaugurated the large metropolitan Frédéric-Back Park, named after the artist.

References

Sources

Olivier Cotte Olivier Cotte (born 20 June 1963) is a French writer, graphic novel scriptwriter, animation historian, illustrator, and a director. Biography Born into a family of artists, Olivier Cotte studied piano, classical dance and fine arts in paralle ...

(2007). ''Secrets of Oscar-winning animation: Behind the scenes of 13 classic short animations''. Focal Press.

External links

Frédéric Back, agir ensemble , caring together
(official site) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Back, Frederic 1924 births 2013 deaths Directors of Best Animated Short Academy Award winners Canadian animators Canadian animated film directors German emigrants to Canada Knights of the National Order of Quebec People from Saarbrücken Officers of the Order of Canada Film directors from Montreal Montreal Metro artists Deaths from cancer in Quebec Canadian Broadcasting Corporation people Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners École des beaux-arts de Montréal faculty Prix Albert-Tessier winners Producers who won the Best Animated Short Academy Award German expatriates in France