Artist: Waldemar Świerzy
Editor: Dorota Folga-Januszewska
Published: 2019
ISBN: 978-83-7576-411-6
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:
This mini-album is a tribute to Waldemar Świerzy, one of Poland’s most esteemed poster artists. Renowned as the preeminent portraitist among graphic designers, Świerzy specialized in film posters, creating iconic works for films such as “Sunset Boulevard,” “Midnight Cowboy,” and “The Silence.” His repertoire also includes circus posters, which humorously depict clowns and acrobats, and music posters that immortalize jazz legends like Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Charlie Parker. Świerzy’s artistry is characterized by its vibrant colors, expressiveness, abstraction, and refined composition, distinguishing him as a master of his craft.
O artyście:
Książka traktuje o twórczości jednego z największych polskich plakacistów, Waldemara Świerzego. Uznany za najwybitniejszego portrecistę wśród grafików, specjalizował się zwłaszcza w plakacie filmowym – do jego najsłynniejszych dzieł zaliczają się „Bulwar zachodzącego słońca”, „Nocny kowboj” czy „Milczenie”. Świerzy tworzył również plakaty cyrkowe, które w humorystyczny sposób pokazują klaunów i akrobatów, oraz plakaty muzyczne, przedstawiające m.in. wielkie sławy jazzu: Milesa Davisa, Raya Charlesa czy Charliego Parkera. Na kunszt artystyczny tego wybitnego twórcy składają się bogata kolorystyka, ekspresyjność i abstrakcyjność oraz wyszukana forma.
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.