Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Your turn #10

Poster for Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, by Jacek Staniszewski

Wow, what a class! I hope you enjoyed our discussion of the brief history of Polish posters. Why is this development so significant for the history of art and graphic design in particular? This is one of the few times in the history of art (with the exception of the advent of the Gothic in the 11th Century AD) that, for a brief moment, the art produced by the artists prevailed over ideology and censorship to bring forth a highly original style that was embraced by the people. It took a tacit understanding between both the artists and the people that this wonderfully diverse, colorful & bizarre imagery was the only way to tap into freedom. 

So, again, we have plenty to discuss (besides Polish posters): Alvin Lustig, Helvetica, Dada collage, Moholy-Nagy, Shigeo Fukuda, advertising, propaganda, Fortune magazine, George Giusti, Kula Robbins' Jenny on the job, Norman Rockwell, etc. (to avoid cacophony, if a comment addresses Polish posters, please, talk about individual artists, so more people have a chance to contribute). 

Go ahead!