Date: 1986
Size: 26 x 37 inches
Artist: Wiktor Sadowski
About the Artist: Wiktor Sadowski is a Polish artist working in poster, illustration and painting. He was born in Oleandry, Poland in 1956. He graduated in 1981 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in Tomaszewski's studio.
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 Opole: The classics do not have to be stale. The classics are still alive and well. The classics are still worth coming back to. This is the premise of the annual “Polish Classics” Opole Theatre Confrontations festival, which takes place in April and has earned the admiration of both the theatre community and its spectators. The event has taken place in the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole since 1975, that is since the venue was first built. During the Confrontations, the greatest Polish classics are staged by artists vying for the Grand Prix and a range of other awards.
The event is the largest festival dedicated to classic Polish plays and, as emphasised by its organisers, it constitutes a constant dialogue between modern theatre and older plays, demonstrating how they resonate with modern audiences. It is a long-standing tradition of looking back at the Polish theatre canon and coming up with fresh ideas. Zealously faithful recreators meet with those who prefer to reinterpret the classics, make them more modern and revitalise them. (opole.pl)
The poster has some minor ruffling in the top right corner. Ready to frame!