Artist: Franciszek Starowieyski
Editor: Dorota Folga-Januszewska
Published: 2023
ISBN: 978-83-7576-732-2
Binding: Harcover
Format: 150 × 200 mm (6 x 7.88 in)
Language: Polish and English
Number of pages: 64
Number of Pictures: 60
About the artist:
The latest mini-album in the series celebrating Poland’s most illustrious poster artists is dedicated to the legacy of Franciszek Starowieyski. A versatile talent, Starowieyski was a graphic artist, painter, illustrator, set designer, and performer whose career spanned several decades. He crafted over three hundred exceptional posters, predominantly for films, theater productions, and various festivals. His artistry, deeply rooted in Baroque traditions, melds realism with surrealism, sensuality with ephemerality, creating works that captivate with their profound messages and delight with their diverse forms. Starowieyski’s contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at the São Paulo Biennale of Contemporary Art (1973), the Grand Prix for a film poster at the Cannes Festival (1974), and the Grand Prix at the International Festival in Paris (1975). Curated by Dorota Folga-Januszewska, this mini-album features 60 of Starowieyski’s most acclaimed posters, offering a window into the breadth and depth of his creative genius.
O artyście:
Nowy minialbum z serii o najwybitniejszych polskich plakacistach traktuje o twórczości Franciszka Starowieyskiego, grafika, malarza, rysownika, scenografa i performera. Starowieyski zaprojektował ponad trzysta znakomitych plakatów, z czego większość została wykonana na potrzeby filmu, teatru i festiwali. Jego prace powstałe z wyraźnej inspiracji sztuką baroku stanowią swoiste połączenie realizmu i surrealizmu oraz zmysłowości i przemijalności, zdumiewają przesłaniem i zachwycają niejednorodną formą. Starowieyski był wielokrotnie nagradzany, m.in. Grand Prix na Biennale Sztuki Współczesnej w São Paulo (1973), Grand Prix za plakat filmowy na festiwalu w Cannes (1974) i Grand Prix na Międzynarodowym Festiwalu w Paryżu (1975). Niniejszy minialbum, w opracowaniu Doroty Folgi-Januszewskiej, prezentuje 60 najsłynniejszych plakatów artysty.
About the Polish School of Posters:
The Polish School of Posters, renowned worldwide, is esteemed as a pinnacle in contemporary poster art, drawing parallels to the La Belle Époque French posters of the 1890s. This school of design marries the aesthetic qualities of painting with the concise and metaphorical nature of poster art. Emerging in the early 1950s, it has cultivated distinctive features such as painterly gestures, a strong sense of line, and the use of vibrant colors. These elements, combined with a flair for individual personality, humor, and fantasy, have blurred the lines between designer and artist.
The influence of the Polish Poster School on the global evolution of graphic design in poster art is significant. Its primary contribution lies in its strategic use of suggestion and clever allusions. Drawing from the rich palette of folk art, the posters integrate bold and vivid colors with printed slogans—often rendered by hand—and familiar symbols to forge a succinct and creative metaphor. These posters, as a fusion of text and imagery, generate a unique aesthetic tension.
Beyond their visual appeal, posters from the Polish School also convey the artist’s emotional engagement with the subject. They transcend mere objective representation; they embody the artist’s personal interpretation and commentary on both the subject matter and societal issues.