June Meeting 6/15/23 – Stereo Paintings and Robot Monster

Remembering Abe Fagenson (1923-2022)

Artist Abe Fagenson boldly transformed the way we experience fine art by employing three dimensional, stereoscopic methods—previously seen exclusively in the realm of film and photography—in the one-of-a-kind acrylic canvases he painted.

Abe was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1923 and passed away in December of 2022, at the age of 99. He began drawing as a soldier during WWII, and had a long career as a draftsman, designer and aircraft engineer with a variety of companies, creating modifications to airplanes, notably innovations for firefighting aircraft. But it was not until 1992, when he retired, that Abe finally had the time to experiment with his vision of a new way of painting.  Abe followed the stereoscopic method called “Cross Eye Viewing.” This involved creating two nearly identical images—one for each eye—which are then merged by the observer into a single, “third” image.

Each image is positioned differently on the horizontal plane, but must be positioned identically on the vertical plane. Varying that horizontal distance between the two images alters the viewer’s perception of their depth. Abe’s subject matter included abstract designs, realistic subjects, and even a combination of the two, such as abstract florals against a realistic background. Several weeks of work went into each painting, and Abe preferred acrylic as his medium.LA 3-D Club member and past President Barry Rothstein will be joined by Abe’s son, Ed Fagenson, to share memories of Abe and his work, and several of his original paintings will be on display at the meeting.

Robot Monster’s 70th Anniversary

June marks the 70th anniversary of the original release of the 3-D movie ROBOT MONSTER in 1953. Often considered one of the “best worst movies,” ROBOT MONSTER has a large fan base among classic 3-D sci-fi movie lovers. The 3-D Film Archive has just completed a new digital restoration of the motion picture, which will be released on Blu-ray next month.

To celebrate, we will take a look at one of the bonus videos included on the Blu-ray, MEMORIES OF A POOPED OUT PINWHEEL, an interview with Gregory Moffett, the actor who played “Johnny” in the movie, when he was ten years old. The documentary was produced by 3-D SPACE, and features many LA 3-D Club members on the production crew.

We also encourage everyone to bring their favorite 3-D items and images to share in the members’ “Show-and-tell”.

We look forward to seeing everyone IN PERSON!

All visitors must follow local Public Health Guidelines & mandates while at the Velaslavasay Panorama.