Date: 1971
Size: 23 x 33 inches
Artist: Ryszard Kiwerski
About the Artist: The 1960s and 1970s were a great time for graphic design, especially of the surreal kind. One artist whose posters have gone down in legend is Ryszard Kiwerski, who is one of the premiere Polish poster artists of his time. He was commissioned to do the Polish versions of movie posters, and won awards for his strange and wonderful design aesthetic, including a gold medal for his work at the 1975 Cannes festival. (cvltnation.com)
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 Film: Wandering through the forest, Ivan Timofeyevich finds a dilapidated hut on the edge of the swamp. There lives an old woman with her beautiful granddaughter Olesya. Many years prior, the local peasants, considering the woman a witch, burned down her house, killing her daughter. Olesya is fascinated by Ivan, who is in turn conquered by the power of the girl's feelings, by her openness and the purity of her soul. Eventually, he falls in love with Olesya. However, she foresees a quick separation. (Wikipedia)
Ready to frame!