Artist: Maciej Urbaniec
Editor: Dorota Folga-Januszewska
Published: 2017
ISBN: 978-83-7576-348-5
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 fourth mini-album in the series on posters and graphic forms is dedicated to the works of Maciej Urbaniec. As a co-founder of the Polish School of Posters, Urbaniec is celebrated as one of Poland’s most distinguished poster artists. This book, exquisitely designed by Błażej Ostoja Lniski, features an introduction by Dorota Folga-Januszewska, a true connoisseur in the field. Urbaniec’s posters, renowned for their realistic lines and spatial imagination, masterfully blend lyrical and comical elements. This is vividly showcased in the album, which offers a comprehensive retrospective of his illustrious career.
O artyście:
Czwarty minialbum z serii o plakatach i formach graficznych poświęcony jest twórczości Macieja Urbańca, współtwórcy polskiej szkoły plakatu, jednego z najbardziej znanych polskich plakacistów. Książka, znakomitego projektu Błażeja Ostoi Lniskiego, opatrzona jest słowem wstępnym znawczyni tematu – Doroty Folgi-Januszewskiej. Urbaniec, słynący z realistycznej kreski i przestrzennej wyobraźni, prezentował na swoich plakatach zarówno liryzm, jak i komizm, co doskonale widoczne jest w albumie stanowiącym przegląd jego twórczości.
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.