Photograph of Dwinell Grant, by Sharon Donarum, photo courtesy of James A. Michener Art Museum archives

Illustrator, painter, animator and writer Dwinell Grant's paintings, drawings and art films are usually called abstract, he preferred the term "organized field". An interest in the origins of visual communication and in Gestalt psychology was the basis of his rather abrupt switch from more traditional forms in 1935. In 1938 he had his first solo exhibit, at the Dayton Art Institute, and in 1940 he had a one-man show at the Guggenheim. He was then developing the concepts of graphic theme structure and of thematic counterpoint, which prompted the composition of his five award-winning animated art films. These short, silent compositions strongly influenced succeeding decades of experimental filmmaking. He continued to work as an "organized field" artist, on paper, canvas, and on film, throughout his life, as well as being animation director of Navy training films during WWII and writing and designing animation for medical teaching films, which he continued to do until 1980. He is considered a pioneer in the world of art films. His work is in the permanent collections of a number of museums, including the Metropolitan, the Guggenheim, and the Smithsonian.