Polish Theatre Posters Arrived in NZ

POLISH THEATRE POSTERS ARRIVED IN NEW ZEALAND

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Wellington will celebrate the 250th anniversary of public theatre in Poland by presenting the ‘Polish Theatre Poster’ exhibition in Wellington on 20-30 October 2015.

Ambassador Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Agnieszka Kacperska from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland are honoured to host the opening of the ‘Polish Theater Poster’ exhibition on Tuesday 20 October at 5pm at Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown.

The posters exhibited belong to the collection of Krzysztof Dydo, an enthusiast, collector and connoisseur of the Polish poster, who is also a founder of the Krakow Poster Gallery and author of publications on the theme. Natalia Dydo, Krzysztof Dydo’s daughter, who is coming to New Zealand directly from Krakow, will introduce the collection.

Natalia will also deliver a presentation on Polish posters history and ‘Polish Poster School’ phenomenon on Wednesday, 21 October at 1pm at Te Whaea.

Media are invited to register by email to attend the opening event on Tuesday 20 October 2015: anna.golebicka@msz.gov.pl

On Theatre Posters

In the world of Polish poster art, many consider the most significant category is that of theatre posters. Their freshness and innovation gives them a broad appeal, captivating a wide audience. Through many decades theatre posters have become ever more desirable collectables and the finest are now widely exhibited in museums and galleries throughout Europe and the world.

For the first time in New Zealand, the Polish Theatre Posters Exhibition presents the achievements of Polish designers’ collaborations with the world of the theatre, offering a unique opportunity for Kiwis to join in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of public theatre in Poland.

The history of the Polish theatre poster begins in 1891. The first known art of this type was created by Ludwik Nawojewski for the grand opening of the newly renovated Teatr Wielki in Warsaw. His poster was made using a lithographic technique and based on photographs made by pioneering specialist theatrical photographers, Karol and Pusch.

The golden age of the Polish theatre poster was the late 1950’s. Despite communist rule, the rights of artistic choice re-emerged and theatre posters could again ‘speak for themselves’. In this period, artists such as Eryk Lipinski, Henryk Tomaszewski, Jozef Mroszczak, Jan Lenica, Roman Cieslewicz, Franciszek Starowieyski, Waldemar Swierzy and Jan Mlodozeniec launched Polish theatre poster art as a cultural phenomenon, fascinating audiences worldwide with their originality.

A new generation of artists, born after World War II, further enriched the language of theatre poster art through the adaptation of new directions in design, drawing from their individual tastes and the influences of cutting-edge artistic movements. The best known of this new breed of artists include Jerzy Czerniawski, Mieczyslaw Gorowski, Roman Kalarus, Lech Majewski, Andrzej Pagowski, Wiktor Sadowski, Wieslaw Walkuski, Leszek Wisniewski, Tomasz Boguslawski, Leszek Zebrowski, Wieslaw Rosocha, Piort Kunce, Andrzej Krajewski and Wladyslaw Pluta.

Today in Poland, many artists continue to work with theatres, designing promotional materials and posters for them. The current leaders of the contemporary poster scene include Miroslaw Adamczyk, Wieslaw Grzegorczyk, Ryszard Kaja, Michal Ksiazek, Slawomir Kosmynka, Jerzy Skakun and Joanna Gorska. Their distinctive artistic language and individual approach to the art of poster making continues to generate the highest quality works.

Contemporary theatre posters range from the traditional, informative ‘text only’ style to more painterly expressive works. In this era of endless, everyday battles for our attention, authentic theatre posters – despite their relatively modest formats – continue to be highly valued by theatre directors and greatly appreciated by audiences.

This exhibition portrays the art of Polish theatre posters created within the last three decades. The posters represented were commissioned by more than a dozen theatres across Poland, bringing together a wide array of well-known spectacles and their visual interpretation by leading Polish poster artists. Posters for productions by Shakespeare, Brecht, Durrenmatt, Strindberg, Ionesco, Marlowe and Gogol appear alongside those of celebrated Polish playwrights such as Slowacki, Fredro, Wyspianski, Gombrowicz, Witkiewicz and Rozewicz.

The posters come from the private collection of Krzysztof Dydo, the leading collector and an authority on the genre. He owns the Galeria Plakatu in Krakow and has written widely on the theme.

Krzysztof Dydo on his fascination for posters

My familiarity with the Polish poster goes back to the mid-50’s. As a lad I would snatch them up – chiefly film posters by Waldemar Swierzy and Franciszek Starowieyski – off hoardings, or cadge them from those who put them up, at home I’d quietly contemplate their magnificence. Already then, though not yet aware of their true greatness, I could not resist them; I cannot resist them even now, as I hang them up next to others from virtually all over the world. They simply left me enchanted.

I could never free myself from their magic. Making posters is magic, it’s like casting a spell on the recipient, alluring and hypnotizing him, making him do something without using an impudent sort of rational persuasiveness on him, triggering an inner, sub-conscious impulse in him. People who can do this are creators of Art with a capital A. Polish artists have mastered it most fully; many years ago the grasped its mysterious power and have been handing it down from master to student. To the best, select, younger and younger disciples. How many generations has it been now? It would be hard to count them; what’s important is that the term ‘Polish Poster School’ is still alive. New generations are learning from their masters how to conjure up humour, come up with an apposite punch-line, apply a painterly plot or a graphical abbreviation, adding a new freshness of outlook or style of their own, while reality is still providing them with new subjects, issues which have to be addressed. It is their sensibility to what is going on around them that prevents these artists, whether young or old, from becoming indifferent, it forces them to make a stand. Thanks to it this form of visual communication is evolving, giving proof of its unique vitality.

ENDS

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