Design de afis polonez
Before the era of globalized entertainment made movie posters
look the same in every country, Polish artists were creating their
own versions for the internal market. What resulted was a whole
school of artists trained in the art of the poster. This article
presents a short historical look at how this movement was born and
how it developed, form its art-related beginnings at the end of the
19th Century to the golden era of the film posters throughout the
20th Century.The BeginningsToward the end of the 19th Century
Poland was still absent from the maps. Its territory was split and
controlled by Russia, Austria and Prussia. While Warsaw, then under
Russian rule, was the biggest economic, trade and industrial center
of the non-existent country, Krakow, under the less oppressive
Austria, soon established itself as a cradle for artistic,
cultural, scientific, political and religious life, becoming the
ideal capital of the nation.Krakow was populated by writers, poets
and artists who had travelled Europe and had come in contact with
the modernist cultural trends of the time. The poster had just been
born in France at the hand of Jules Chret following the invention
of color lithography. Influenced by the achievements of the French
masters of this new art form, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec above all,
these Polish artists chose the poster as the new medium of
expression. They were well respected, connected with the Academy Of
Fine Arts and members of the Society of Polish Artists Sztuka
(Art). The poster thus became acceptable as a form of art.The first
Polish posters appeared in the 1890s at the hand of outstanding
painters like Jozef Mehoffer, Stanislaw Wyspianski, Karol Frycz,
Kazimierz Sichulski and Wojciech Weiss. Influenced by the
Jugendstil and the Secessionist movements, understandably they
painted posters that were art-related, announcing exhibitions,
theater and ballet performances. Their work was vastly popular,
which led to the first International Exposition of the Poster being
held in Krakow in 1898.Jugendstil, Secession, Japanism and
modernist styles like Cubism were mixed with traditional elements
of symbolism and national folklore. What set the Polish posters
apart from their European counterparts was the emphasis placed on
the highly artistic quality of the project, an attitude that will
continue to characterize the Polish poster throughout the 20th
century.
Jozef Mehoffer Furniture Lottery for Matejkos House (1899)
Edward Trojanowski Print Exhibition (1904)
Jozef Czajkowski 1st Exhibition of the Polish Company of Applied
Art (1902)
Karol Frycz Rolling papers advertisement (1908)
Wojciech Jastrzebowski Swoszowice Health resort near Krakow
(1907). A fine example of Japanism.
Jozef Mehoffer Contemporary Art Exhibition (1910)
Kazimierz Sichulski Contemporary Polish Exhibition of
Architecture, Sculpture and Painting (1910)
Jan Bulas Symphonic Concert (1910). A poster inspired by
Expressionism.
Henryk Kunzek Forward (1910)
Jozef Czajkowski Interior architecture exhibition (1912)
Jan Rembowski First Spring Salon (1914)Jan Wdowiszewski from
1891 to 1904 was the director of the Technical Industrial Museum in
Krakow. He was the organizer of the International Poster Exhibition
in 1898, for which he wrote two essays, the first of their kind,
entirely devoted to the art of the poster. He immediately
recognized the power of the poster to act like a mirror for
societys physical and mental way of life. This was especially true
of the exhibition posters, which promptly reflected every trend and
influence coming from the West. The strong drive to promote the
national style, as a means to a true political independence, was
also faithfully recorded in the street art.Stefan Norblin and the
Touristic PosterThe period between the two World Wars sees Poland
finally reappearing on the maps. The twenty years of independence
are marked by a stunning growth in all industries. Tourism,
especially, is at its height. Stefan Norblin is appointed to create
a series of posters with the intent of promoting Poland as a
tourist resort.First and foremost a painter rooted in the school of
realistic representation, Norblin approaches the poster the way he
approaches the canvas. He makes use of obvious imagery to secure
immediate reading from the viewer. Although characterized by
recognizable forms and silhouettes, his works remain stunning for
the stark choice of neon colors. They are not of an Expressionist
nature but they create an irreal atmosphere around familiar
objects. This and the minimalist style confer his posters a
timeless quality.
Sale for the poor (1916)
Polska (Poland), 1925
Gdynia, 1925
Lwow (Lviv), 1928
Wilno (Vilnius), 1928
Poland Divine Service at Lowicz (1925)
Peasants!!! Support the national contemporary exhibition!!!
(1929)
Toy (1933)Tadeusz Gronowski: Father of the Polish PosterAfter
the First World War Poland finally gained independence (1918). With
it came a rapid process of industrialization and development of
trade. The market was suddently saturated with different products
hence the need for powerful advertising. The poster became its
medium of choice. The advertising poster of the 1920s and 1930s
differs from its highly elaborated artistic predecessors in that it
utilises a simpler, more direct visual language to communicate with
the viewer.This was a requirement of the market made possible by
Cubism, a style that forever freed art from beauty and ugliness,
from the necessity to imitate nature. Architects, especially
students from Warsaw University, were the most receptive creators
of posters during this period. They were not weighed down by the
academic ballast as were the painters of the previous generation.
They were naturally inclined to apply the rules of geometry to
commercial uses. It is among these students that we find the figure
of Tadeusz Gronowski.A gifted student, Gronowski was the first to
specialize in poster art. Influenced by European art movements (he
was well connected in Paris in the Twenties) he singlehandedly
created the art of the Polish poster. Catering to the new
necessities with which graphic art was confronted, advertising, he
took advantage of the full spectrum of techniques available to the
artist at the time to create the most striking advertisements of
the period. His work shows a transition to the newest tool, the
airbrush, resulting in softer lines and backgrounds. His
advertising posters remain a milestone in the development of what
came to be known as the School of the Polish poster.In contrast to
Stefan Norblin, Gronowski, himself an accomplished painter,
approaches the poster as a medium unto itself. Instead of merely
adapting his painterly style to the poster format, he sees in it
the opportunity to create something new, indeed a new form of
artistic expression. He is one of the first artists to consciously
integrate the typography with the illustration and instead of
choosing the obvious he offers the viewer a different look into the
subject, often displaying a penchant for the light and the humorous
which endeared him to the viewers.The next image portrays one of
his earliest works. Even though the text is not incorporated in the
image, the composition is clear. The cat and the artists faint
smile add his trademark touch of humor to the painting.
Artistic Lithography (1920)A true master of the advertising
poster, Gronowski blends the mundane with the artistic in a
seamless composition.
Tire (1923)
Tire (1923)
S.A. Staporkow (1924). The radiator as architecture on a modern
industrial background.
Ceres Lard To die for (1926)Gronowski founded his own studio in
Warsaw and aptly named itPlakat,i.e. Poster.
Poster for his own studio Plakat (1925)The next poster is
particularly important in Gronowskis production. An advertisement
for a washing product named Radion, its slogan reads It washes by
itself. The artwork is minimalistic and to the point: a black cat
enters a bucket full of Radion and jumps out all white. A clear
message amplified by the stark chromatic contrast and the essential
lines.
Radion It washes by itself (1926)The next pieces exemplify the
evolution towards integrated designs. The typography is part of the
composition.
Literary News (1925)
Oaza Restaurant Dancing (1926)
KAGR Circle of Advertising Graphic Artists (1936)
Marine Baths in Gdynia (1938). Gronowskis rendition of the
touristic poster.
1st Polish Peace Congress (1950)The Warsaw ArchitectsGronowskis
work was continued into the Thirties by a group of architects
educated in Warsaw under professors Zygmunt Kaminski and Edmund
Bartlomiejczyk. At the University they learned to master the
techniques of applied graphics. Architecture was seen as
theGesamtkunstwerk,the total artwork, the summation of all arts
applied to a specific, practical function. Their hands-on approach
lent itself beautifully in their transition from architects to
graphic artists.Responsible for this transition were economic
reasons but also the will to work for contemporary society, which
poster art was capable of immortalizing faithfully. Incidentally,
these are the same reasons that today drive budding architects to
graphic design: creating applied art with fast job turnarounds and
satisfying economic turnover.These architects turned graphic
artists took Tadeusz Gronowskis approach forward, combining it with
a sense of composition and proportion naturally derived from their
architectural background. Not only did they incorporate
three-dimensionality in their works, they also adapted their style
to the subject of the given poster, for example using a precise
linework for posters depicting mechnical parts, humorous figures
for posters depicting ballets and festive occasions and striking,
dynamic compositions to illustrate sports events. Their work marks
the transition of the Polish poster from narrative medium of the
19th century to modern advertising device of the 20th century.
Jan Mucharski Dorm Week (1927)
Jerzy Hryniewiecki, Andrzej Stypinski Eastern Trade Fair
(1930)
Maciej Nowicki, Stanislawa Sandecka Everyone Fight Against
Tuberculosis (1934)
Maciej Nowicki, Stanislawa Sandecka 2nd Meeting of Polish Youth
from Abroad (1935)
Stefan Osiecki The Lopek Dancing(1935)The Propaganda
PostersAfter World War II Poland found itself under Communist rule.
The new government needed to spread the new aesthetics and make the
new institutions acceptable to the public. With that goal in mind
the Propaganda Poster Studio was established in the city of
Lublin.Wlodzimerz Zakrzewski was a talented landscape painter and
active member of the Communist Party who had studied painting in
Moscow in 1940 and had designed posters for the Soviet Propaganda.
He was therefore the perfect candidate to run the Studio. The
military introduced patterns of representation borrowed from the
Soviet poster tradition, propaganda graphics connected with the
TASS, the Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union. Zakrzewski was
given a list of catchphrases assigned to the propaganda. His task
was to devise graphical rules to create a working method for
propaganda posters.Zakrzewski aimed to introduce a new visual
language by basing his colorful images on verified patterns
borrowed from the stylizations learned in Russia. He also acted as
mentor to a number of what were, in fact, unprofessional poster
artists. This experience marks the first time poster art was
institutionalized in Poland, giving birth to the proper phenomenon
that followed, the Polish Poster School.
The Propaganda Poster Workshop in Lublin. Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski
sitting left. (1944)
Mieczyslaw Tomkiewicz Poster designs for the workshop (1945)
Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski What the soldier wins by fighting the
peasant will plow (1944)
Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski Where Hitler sets foot the earth dies
(1945)
Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski The giant and the disgusting reactionary
dwarf (1946)
Wlodzimierz Zakrzewski Party (1955)The 50s and the 60s: The
Golden AgeThe Fifties and the early Sixties mark the Golden Age of
the Polish poster. Like everything else, the film industry was
controlled by the state. There were two main institutions
responsible for commissioning poster designs: Film Polski (Polish
Film) and Centrala Wynajmu Filmow CWF (Movie Rentals Central). They
commissioned not graphic designers but artists and as such each one
of them brought an individual voice to the designs.The School of
the Polish Poster is therefore not unified but rather diverse in
terms of style. It wasnt until the Mid-Fifities, though, that the
school flourished. The fierce Stalinist rule had been lifted, once
again leaving room for artistic expression. The classic works were
created in the next ten years. Three important remarks must be
made. First, at the time the poster was basically the only allowed
form of individual artistic expression.Second, the state wasnt
concerned much with how the posters looked. Third, the fact that
the industry was state-controlled turned out to be a blessing in
disguise: working outside the commercial constraints of a
capitalist economy, the artists could fully express their
potential. They had no other choice but to become professional
poster designers and thats why they devoted themselves so
thoroughly to this art.The Polish film poster is artist-driven, not
studio-driven. It is more akin to fine art than commercial art. It
is painterly rather than graphic. What sets the Polish poster apart
from what were used to see in the West is a general disregard for
the demands of the big studios. The artists requested and received
complete artistic freedom and created powerful imagery inspired by
the movies without actually showing them: no star headshots, no
movie stills, no necessary direct connection to the title.They are
in this regard similar to the work of Saul Bass, a rare example of
a Hollywood artist who enjoyed total freedom from the studios. Next
to a typical Hollywood film poster with the giant headshots of the
latest movie star and the title set in, you guessed it, Trajan Pro,
the Polish film poster still looks fresh and inspiring
today.Without further analyzing a history that is best told in
pictures lets take a look at some of the many classic works created
by the likes of Wiktor Gorka, Eryk Lipinski, Marek Mosinski, Jan
Lenica, Jerzy Flisak and others.Witkor Gorka
1966 Kaidan, Japan 1964. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi.
1967 Cat Ballou, US 1965. Directed by Elliot Silverstein.
1968 The Professionals, US 1966. Directed by Richard Brooks.
1969 Deadlier Than the Male, UK 1966. Directed by Ralph
Thomas.Jerzy Flisak
1958 Three Men in the Snow, Austria 1955. Directed by Kurt
Hoffmann.
1958 Pane, amore e.., Italy 1955. Directed by Dino Risi.
1959 Rancho Texas, Poland 1959. Directed by Wadim Berestowski.
The first Polish western!
1959 Roman Holiday, US 1953. Directed by William Wyler.
1962 The Hitman, Italy 1960. Directed by Damiano Damiani.
1965 Mr Hobbs Takes a Vacation, US 1962. Directed by Henry
Koster.
1967 Zwariowana Noc, Poland 1967. Directed by Zbigniew
Kuzminski.
1968 The Firemens Ball, Czechoslovakia 1967. Directed by Milos
Forman.Jan Lenica
1957 Kanal, Poland 1956. Directed by Andrzej Wajda.
1957 Il Bidone, Italy 1955. Directed by Federico Fellini.
1958 The Deadly Invention, Czechoslovakia 1958. Directed by
Karel Zeman.
1962 Knife in the Water, Poland. Directed by Roman Polanski.
1962 LAvventura, Italy France 1960. Directed by Michelangelo
Antonioni.
1965 The Visit, Germany 1964. Directed by Bernhard Wicki.Eryk
Lipinski
1948 Uliczna Graniczna, Poland. Directed by Aleksander Ford.
1955 One Sunday Morning, Poland 1953. Directed by Andrzej
Munk.
1958 Le Notti di Cabiria, Italy 1957. Directed by Federico
Fellini.
1961 Me and the Colonel, US 1958. Directed by Peter
Glenville.
1966 Le Soldatesse, Italy/Yugoslavia/West Germany 1965. Directed
by Valerio Zurlini.
Marek Mosinski
1968 Les Tontons flingueurs, France 1963. Directed by Georges
Lautner.
1968 King Kong Escapes, Japan 1967. Directed by Inoshiro
Honda.
1972 Infanzia, vocazione e primo esperienze di Giacomo Casanova,
veneziano, Italy 1969. Directed by Luigi ComenciniOther artists
Hubert Hilscher, 1957 The Man with the Golden Key, France 1956.
Directed by Leo Joannon.
Leszek Holdanowicz, 1966 Bariera, Poland. Directed by Jerzy
Skolimowski.
Waldemar Swierzy, 1957 Sunset Boulevard, US 1950. Directed by
Billy Wilder.
Wojciech Wenzel, 1959 Shane, US 1953. Directed by George
Stevens.
Maciej Hibner, 1962 Pickpocket, France 1959. Directed by Robert
Bresson.
Maciej Hibner, 1963 Two Way Stretch, US 1960. Directed by Robert
Day.
Bronislaw Zelek, 1965 The Birds, US 1963. Directed by Alfred
Hitchcock.
Franciszek Starowieyski, 1967 A Woman Is a Woman, France 1961.
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard.
Bohdan Butenko, 1968 One Million Years B.C., UK 1966. Directed
by Don Chaffey.The 70s and the 80s: Decadence and DeathThe School
had its peak in the Mid-Sixties and during the following decade
declined, much like art and advertising in the rest of the world. A
few examples of posters from the Seventies follow.Witkor Gorka
1973 2001 : A Space Odyssey, US 1968. Directed by Stanley
Kubrick.
1973 Cabaret, US 1972. Directed by Bob Fosse.
1976 We Were So in Love, Italy 1974. Directed by Ettore
Scola.
1977 Marathon Man, US 1976. Directed by John Schlesinger.Jerzy
Flisak
1971 Playtime, France 1967. Directed by Jacques Tati.
1972 Sacco e Vanzetti, Italy 1971. Directed by Giuliano
Montaldo.
1973 El Dorado, US 1967. Directed by Howard Hawks.
1973 Morgiana, Czechoslovakia 1972. Directed by Juraj Herz.
1978 Brutti, sporchi e cattivi, Italy 1976. Directed by Ettore
Scola.Eryk Lipinski
1970 Nie ma powrotu Johnny, North Vietnam/Poland. Directed by
Kaveh Pur Rahnama.
1970 Az Ido Ablakai, Hungary 1969. Directed by Tamas Fejer.
1972 Sea in the fire, Soviet Union 1971. Directed by Leon
Saakow.
1975 The Day of the Jackal, UK 1973. Directed by Fred
Zinnemann.The Eighties were marked by societys strong opposition to
the increasingly oppressive Communist rule, exemplified by the
Solidarnosc movement. Poster art quietly dwindled through the
decade. After 1989, when film distribution was privatized, it
died.Nowadays alternative film posters are created by numerous
artists as exercise and showcase of their abilities. Such posters
are typically printed in small runs and viewed and sold exclusively
in art galleries.ConclusionPosters are very important in the Polish
culture. During the Communist regime they were probably the only
colorful things one would see in the streets.A small but dedicated
market for Polish posters has emerged over the years. Driven by
more than just nostalgia, its aim is the preservation of what is
both testament of a cultural heritage largely unknown outside its
borders and an immense source of inspiration for todays young
artists. These collectibles are not available in huge numbers but,
due to their being relatively unknown, dont command high prices
yet.Further ResourcesHeres a list of online sources to browse and
even buy Polish posters. The stores are not listed for advertising
purposes but rather because they provide picture galleries with
details for each item. Wilanow Poster MuseumThe first Poster Museum
in the world, opened in 1968 as a branch of the National Museum in
Warsaw. Krakow Poster GalleryA small gallery located in downtown
Krakow. Despite its size it has an impressive collection of
originals and reprints. The Art of PosterPoster gallery located in
Warsaw. Poster Gallery at Antykwariat Rara AvisPoster gallery from
a recent auction. It features some well known and rare pieces.
Classic Polish Film PostersProbably the biggest online collection
of film posters. The gallery is well organized and includes very
detailed information about each artwork. Invaluable resource. Most
of the images and film data in the article come from this site.
Polish Poster ShopA very thorough catalog with many artists.
Cine-Images Gallery Movie PostersA decent collection of posters,
mostly from the 70s. Film posters typeset in TrajanFor comparison
purposes. A collection of movie posters in the Hollywood studio
tradition: big star headshots, predictable composition and
typography. This type of poster has replaced the artistic output of
the past decades. Rene Wanners Poster PageThis gallery contains
various collections og graphic design artists, among them are also
Polish artists and designers.A few bibliographical references.
Piotr Rudzinski, curatorPierwsze polwiecze polskiego plakatu
1900-1950(2009) A collection of essays by various authors about the
development of the Polish poster. The emphasis is on the first half
of the 20th Century. The essays are veru well researched and read
like masters degree papers. Includes many of the posters presented
in this article. Anna Agnieszka SzablowskaTadeusz Gronowski sztuka
plakatu i reklamy(2005) A monography of the master. Includes 189
eproduction of his works. Krzysztof and Agnieszka DydoPL21, The
Polish Poster of the 21st Century(2008) A book about the
contemporary poster scene. Created by the owners of the Krakow
Poster Gallery.About the authorAndrea Austoni is an Italian
freelance designer currently living in Krakow, Poland. He
specializes in icon design and illustration. He runsCute Little
Factory, his personal portfolio and blog.InspirationLegacyPosters
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Andrea AustoniAndrea Austoni is an Italian freelance graphic
designer currently living in Krakow, Poland. He specializes in icon
design and illustration. He runsCute Little Factory, his personal
portfolio and blog.