1980 Polish Circus Poster, Cyrk (Slinky Leopard) - Olbinski

Description

Date: 1980
Size: 36.25 x 26 inches
Artist: Rafał Olbinski

About the Poster: Beginning in the 1950s and through the … more Date: 1980
Size: 36.25 x 26 inches
Artist: Rafał Olbinski

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.

Contemporary Polish circus posters emerged in the early 1960s as a genre of the Polish School of posters. They are characterized by their display of aesthetic qualities such as strong colors, metaphors, animals, humor and linear designs. They are usually based on a single theme and not meant to be advertisements - more like an attempt to interest the passerby in an upcoming circus. Circus posters, whether Polish or American, are considered highly collectible and with images as strong as these, we can certainly see why.

About the artist: Rafał Olbinski is a Polish illustrator, painter, and educator, living in the United States. He is considered one of the major representatives of the Polish School of Posters.

The poster is in good condition and ready to frame. less