Date: 1967
Size: 23 x 33 inches
Artist: Swierzy, Waldemar
About the Poster: Beginning in the 1950s and through the 1980s, the Polish School of Posters combined the aesthetics of painting with the succinctness and simple metaphor of the poster. It developed characteristics such as painterly gesture, linear quality, and vibrant colors, as well as a sense of individual personality, humor, and fantasy. It was in this way that the polish poster was able to make the distinction between designer and artist less apparent.
Polish posters have come to stand apart from the advertising design conventions fostered in Europe during the 20th century. It was during the communist regime, a time when culture was closely monitored by the state, that Polish artists found liberation in poster art. Ironically, this foremost public art form became ground for individual expression. During that period, the cultural institutions, of theatre and cinema especially, flourished as they were funded by government agencies. Artists freshly out of the fine arts academy flocked towards poster production as the demand for this art was rapidly growing. The result became some of the most unique and expressive posters the world has ever seen - and artworks in themselves.
About the Artist: Waldemar Swierzy (born 1931) is a Polish artist. He graduated from the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts in 1952. In 1992 the government of Poland issued a postage stamp to honor one of his "Cyrk" posters. Swierzy is one of the Polish School of Posters most prolific artists (having created over 2500 posters).
About the film: In 1919, during the post-revolution Russian Civil War, a naval detachment (made up of communist Reds) defends the strategic city of Petrograd from the White Russian counterrevolutionary forces. Director Yefim Dzigan had himself fought for the Bolsheviks in the fleet, so the Red sailors are the heroes of the film. The young Soviet State was besieged by enemies on all sides, and the Revolution was fighting for its life. While clearly propagandistic, the film is often quite poetic visually, not naturalistic as was prescribed by authorities at the time. The film was honored at the 1937 Paris World's Fair. (IMDB)
The poster has a small rip on the top left. Ready to frame.