1980 Polish Theatre Poster - Swietoszek (Tartuffe by Molière) - Pagowski

Description

Date: 1980
Size: 37.5 x 26.5 inches
Artist: Andrzej Pągowski

About the Artist: Andrzej Pągowski is a Polish artist who … more Date: 1980
Size: 37.5 x 26.5 inches
Artist: Andrzej Pągowski

About the Artist: Andrzej Pągowski is a Polish artist who specializes in graphic design and poster art. Pągowski graduated from The State University of Fine Arts in Poznan in 1978 and began to design posters. He also designs theatrical settings, prints and catalogues.

In 1990, he created his own graphic studio, STUDIO P. As an artist, his individualized posters evoke a range of moods and ideas. He claims to have created a separate concept for each of his many posters, saying: “Every poster for me is an individual exercise different from the previous one.” His art can be found in many European museums as well as the MOMA in New York. He has also had one-man shows in Stockholm, Paris, London, and Warsaw.

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 play: In the classic comedic play Tartuffe, the title character fakes extreme piety to gain the affection of Orgon, the patriarch of a family Tartuffe stays with as a houseguest. Orgon’s adulation of Tartuffe tears the family apart. To save Orgon from his own folly and themselves from its consequences, Orgon’s family launches a campaign to expose and punish Tartuffe, rescue their own futures, and restore harmony to their lives.

The poster has some ruffled margins. Ready to frame! less