COLLECTION NAME:
University Art Galleries (UMassD)
mediaCollectionId
UMASSDVRCVRC~43~43
University Art Galleries (UMassD)
Collection
true
exhibition_title:
35 YEARS OF POLISH POSTERS
exhibition_title
35 YEARS OF POLISH POSTERS
exhibition_title
false
exhibition_dates:
June 9 - October 2, 2011
exhibition_dates
June 9 - October 2, 2011
exhibition_dates
false
exhibition_year:
2011
exhibition_year
2011
exhibition_year
false
exhibition_location:
University Art Gallery (UMass Dartmouth Galleries)
exhibition_location
University Art Gallery (UMass Dartmouth Galleries)
exhibition_location
false
exhibition_curator:
Lasse B. Antonsen
exhibition_curator
Lasse B. Antonsen
exhibition_curator
false
exhibition_note:
he history of Polish posters goes back more than one hundred and twenty years. Poster art rose to a position of prominence in Poland in the late 19th century where the First International Exhibition of posters took place in Cracow in 1898. From the beginning, and up to the period shortly before World War II, the posters reflected prevailing international and modern trends, including Expressionism, Constructivism and French Art Deco. They were also part of a larger, naturalist, trend of European posters focusing on light-hearted subject matter and a certain celebratory and optimistic rendering of topics that served purposes of general education. After World War II, and after Poland became a Communist puppet state of the Soviet Union in 1945, Socialist Realism, with its depiction of heroic workers and peasants, became the preferred style for public propaganda. Poland, however, had had a long and rich cultural history before World War II -- especially within the fields of theater, poetry and film and managed to retain much of its originality and artistic integrity during the Communist years, though mostly focusing on imagery and subject matter that tended to be dark and introspective. This artistic freedom remained in place as long as the artists were uncritical of the general political situation and did not focus on the larger social reality. It is the continuation of these strong artistic trends in the other arts that we see reflected in the posters created in the 1970s through the early 1990s, the period many of the posters on display in this exhibition were created, and the period in which the artists included found their voice. Strangely enough, it was the state control of all cultural production that made the flourishing of posters possible. More than 1,000 posters were commissioned every year to promote theater, national and international films, ballet, opera performances, puppet festivals, and other cultural events. Not only were the artists asked to design posters, they were given the freedom to explore the subject matter of the opera or film in an artistic and subjective way. Not surprisingly, that freedom resulted in work that had a generally dark tenor, leaning toward the expression of existential states of fear, isolation and persecution. In that way the posters strangely enough were able to publicly manifest much of what the general population could relate to in terms of a government that ruled though intimidation and terror, through an "all-knowing" secret police. Poland was also a nation that had lived through almost unimaginable suffering during World War II, and wasn't allowed the general capitalist consumer optimism that Western Europe experienced in the post war years (including West Germany). The period of mourning, and the general feeling of loss, was in that way "extended" in Poland, and another reason for the bleak or despairing viewpoint. In recognition of the importance of the unique character of Polish posters, the First International Poster Biennale was held at Warsaw's Zacheta Museum in 1966. Two years later, in 1968, a Polish museum dedicated to the art of the poster opened in the City of Wilanow. Once the Communist regime came to an end in 1990, so did the state sponsorship of posters. International capitalist advertisement was introduced in the country for all consumer goods, including cultural production, but posters were so highly regarded that they continued to be designed and commissioned, though in much smaller numbers, and generally as independent works of art by the most outstanding of the practitioners. We have examples of those posters on view in the exhibition as well. These posters reflect how, under the new market economy, the artist is now to some degree promoting his own vision and style. The posters in the exhibition are from a private collection, and from the collection of the University Art Gallery.
exhibition_note_
he history of Polish posters goes back more than one hundred and twenty years. Poster art rose to a position of prominence in Poland in the late 19th century where the First International Exhibition of posters took place in Cracow in 1898. From the beginning, and up to the period shortly before World War II, the posters reflected prevailing international and modern trends, including Expressionism, Constructivism and French Art Deco. They were also part of a larger, naturalist, trend of European posters focusing on light-hearted subject matter and a certain celebratory and optimistic rendering of topics that served purposes of general education. After World War II, and after Poland became a Communist puppet state of the Soviet Union in 1945, Socialist Realism, with its depiction of heroic workers and peasants, became the preferred style for public propaganda. Poland, however, had had a long and rich cultural history before World War II -- especially within the fields of theater, poetry and film and managed to retain much of its originality and artistic integrity during the Communist years, though mostly focusing on imagery and subject matter that tended to be dark and introspective. This artistic freedom remained in place as long as the artists were uncritical of the general political situation and did not focus on the larger social reality. It is the continuation of these strong artistic trends in the other arts that we see reflected in the posters created in the 1970s through the early 1990s, the period many of the posters on display in this exhibition were created, and the period in which the artists included found their voice. Strangely enough, it was the state control of all cultural production that made the flourishing of posters possible. More than 1,000 posters were commissioned every year to promote theater, national and international films, ballet, opera performances, puppet festivals, and other cultural events. Not only were the artists asked to design posters, they were given the freedom to explore the subject matter of the opera or film in an artistic and subjective way. Not surprisingly, that freedom resulted in work that had a generally dark tenor, leaning toward the expression of existential states of fear, isolation and persecution. In that way the posters strangely enough were able to publicly manifest much of what the general population could relate to in terms of a government that ruled though intimidation and terror, through an "all-knowing" secret police. Poland was also a nation that had lived through almost unimaginable suffering during World War II, and wasn't allowed the general capitalist consumer optimism that Western Europe experienced in the post war years (including West Germany). The period of mourning, and the general feeling of loss, was in that way "extended" in Poland, and another reason for the bleak or despairing viewpoint. In recognition of the importance of the unique character of Polish posters, the First International Poster Biennale was held at Warsaw's Zacheta Museum in 1966. Two years later, in 1968, a Polish museum dedicated to the art of the poster opened in the City of Wilanow. Once the Communist regime came to an end in 1990, so did the state sponsorship of posters. International capitalist advertisement was introduced in the country for all consumer goods, including cultural production, but posters were so highly regarded that they continued to be designed and commissioned, though in much smaller numbers, and generally as independent works of art by the most outstanding of the practitioners. We have examples of those posters on view in the exhibition as well. These posters reflect how, under the new market economy, the artist is now to some degree promoting his own vision and style. The posters in the exhibition are from a private collection, and from the collection of the University Art Gallery.
exhibition_note
false
exhibition_genre:
posters
exhibition_genre
posters
exhibition_genre
false
exhibition URL:
exhibition_url
http://www1.umassd.edu/cvpa/universityartgallery/past/2011/polish_posters.cfm
exhibition URL
false
resourceID:
11poland_poster021
resource_id
11poland_poster021
resourceID
false
resource_type:
ephemera - poster
resource_type
ephemera - poster
resource_type
false
copyright notice:
COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION: Under the direction of the Visual Resource Center digital collections are made available to the UMass Dartmouth campus community for the sole purpose of classroom instruction and study in accordance U.S. Copyright Laws . All other uses are prohibited and are subject to copyright infringements.
copyright_notice
COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION: Under the direction of the Visual Resource Center digital collections are made available to the UMass Dartmouth campus community for the sole purpose of classroom instruction and study in accordance U.S. Copyright Laws . All other uses are prohibited and are subject to copyright infringements.
copyright notice
false
credit line:
UMass Dartmouth Art Galleries
credit_line
UMass Dartmouth Art Galleries
credit line
false
artist name:
Polnar , Boleslaw
artist_name
Polnar , Boleslaw
artist name
false
artist name:
Polnar, Boleslaw
artist_name
Polnar, Boleslaw
artist name
false
artist_nationality:
Polish
artist_nationality
Polish
artist_nationality
false
artist_vital dates:
1952
artist_vital_dates
1952
artist_vital dates
false
artist_biographical note:
He graduated in Cracow Academy of Art , earning his degree in graphic art in 1977 . Although well endo-wed with all forms of art, it is painting, drawing and poster, Which has become his artistic domain. Being well known in native Poland and abroad, he holds many awards, both domestic and foreign, springing from his rare talent and unique, unpretentious style. He has enjoyed his work being exhibited in galleries and museums long before his graduation from art school. Today, Majority of his work can be found in various private collections thorough Europe and U.S. as well as in some museums.
artist_biographical_note
He graduated in Cracow Academy of Art , earning his degree in graphic art in 1977 . Although well endo-wed with all forms of art, it is painting, drawing and poster, Which has become his artistic domain. Being well known in native Poland and abroad, he holds many awards, both domestic and foreign, springing from his rare talent and unique, unpretentious style. He has enjoyed his work being exhibited in galleries and museums long before his graduation from art school. Today, Majority of his work can be found in various private collections thorough Europe and U.S. as well as in some museums.
artist_biographical note
false
work_title:
A collection poster by designer Boleslaw Polnar
work_title
A collection poster by designer Boleslaw Polnar
work_title
false
work_technique:
design- graphic design - poster
work_technique
design- graphic design - poster
work_technique
false
work_date:
ca. 1983 - 1997
work_date
ca. 1983 - 1997
work_date
false
name_cataloger:
AC
name_cataloger
AC
name_cataloger
false