(Poster for Warsaw production of the 1914-22 opera by Alban Berg)
(Poster for a Berlin exhibition of Polish Surrealist art)
Both these posters produced by the Polish Graphic Designer, Jan Lenica are instantly eye-catching an engaging. This is down to his bold use of colour and line quality. The first poster was created in 1964 - it definitely shows its connection with the times through the use of psychedelic shapes and form. The contradiction is that the poster is in fact advertising an Opera, something many would assume a more conservative design. Lenica's use of bright, abstract imagery works really well in communicating the story of the Opera which focuses on telling the stories of people experiencing psychological torment. The line quality that Lenica has gone for really aids the perpetuation of the feeling of a loss of control, which is further implied by the removal of all facial features apart from a mouth. To me, this suggests someone lost in a sea of thoughts, swimming in a sea of the unknown. The use of the colour red carries connotations of blood and danger which both link to the context of the imagery.
Lenicas second piece was produced in 1970. Named, 'Polske Surrealister', it's another poster, this time produced to advertise an exhibition of Polish Surrealist Art, Berlin. The motif that Lenica included in this poster is said to be a witty adaptation of the surrealist artist, René Magritte. This motif indicated the Polish fascination with Surrealism. Both of these posters show how simply an idea can be communicated. I really enjoy the subtlety that is given off by the posters initially. But once studied further visually and contextually, it becomes clear to see that there is a lot more within these images.
I think that subtlety is such an incredibly important component of visual communication, as it is a subjectively driven discipline that requires each person to make their own interpretation and connection with an image. I'm really inspired by Lenicas work and would like to experiment more with his boldness and sense of mystery in my own work.
