Do you know what a poster is? According to Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, this word means an announcement on paper about an upcoming spectacle or gathering, for which a certain fee must be paid. The word has French roots, but it easily took root in Russian. But not everyone knows how to interpret the words “poster” or “poster” (peddler and poster of feminine and masculine ads, respectively). But it is thanks to their work that many announcements, publications, advertisements and, in more modern terms, billboards, banners and citylights are found on our streets. By the way, all these words, so different in sound, are synonymous with the same word.
That's what a poster is. Without it, the life of a modern person would be gray and uninteresting, and the so-called trade engine would not have appeared.
First posters. Origin story
The first posters - clay tablets with announcements - were placed on the walls of houses already in 73 AD. In ancient Rome, a special square was assigned for "posters", which clearly stands out on the white wall of the house. True, later, at the request of the townspeople,a law was passed banning this kind of advertising, as it spoiled the appearance of buildings and harmed people's homes.
With the invention of paper and the printing press in the middle of the 15th century, advertising was put on stream, and what a poster is, residents of modern houses have learned. However, neither the complaints of the townspeople, nor the adopted laws on the prohibition of posting ads on the walls of houses were now taken into account. Moreover, the "forbidden fruit", which brings income, turned out to be too sweet, and it was thanks to the adopted sanctions that it became more and more popular.
The theater begins… with posters
The theater poster is a clear evidence of the theater repertoire and its cast. It reflects the views and tastes of the viewer of a certain time.
If from the first posters he received only information about the place where the performance will be given, the start time of the performance, the names of the leading actors and ticket prices, then over time the theater poster has undergone significant changes - it has become more catchy and colorful. Such announcements about performances became masterpieces of painting - famous Russian artists were involved in their design: I. Bilibin, A. Golovin, V. Vasnetsov, A. Vasnetsov, F. Shekhtel, P. Grigoriev, I. Bondarenko, B. Zvorykin and a number of others.
Notable in this regard is the poster made for the entreprise by S. P. Diaghilev and written by the famous Russian portrait painter V. Serov. Ballet was in vogue, and the Parisian public was in a hurry to contemplate the performance of the greatest ballerina of the twentieth century, Anna Pavlova. Parisians don'tthey suspected that they were doubly lucky. After all, they could enjoy not only the performance of the famous ballerina, but also the creation of a brilliant Russian artist who captured Pavlova.
Fortunately for posterity, this poster has also been preserved: a ballet performed by Pavlova. Now a sample of fine art is on display at the Moscow Theater Museum. A. A. Bakhrushina.
In the same museum there is another valuable exhibit - a poster dated 1791 for the play "Kestrel" by the Petrovsky Theater.
Movie poster
The poster of cinemas deserves special attention. A whole team of artists sometimes worked on its creation. Before starting work, the masters looked through the film, chose a suitable frame and made several sketches. The most successful of them claimed, and only then the artist began to create. An experienced master could write a fairly large panel in just three days.
The cinema poster was made on canvas using chalk and gouache, and it was protected from rain and snow by a thin layer of PVA glue applied over the finished work.
The canvas was used several times, because it was not difficult to wash off the previous drawing. Because of this, many movie posters have survived only in the photo and in the memoirs of their creators. Too bad…
Posters of the past
What is a poster in the understanding of the older generation? This is a small masterpiece of art, which was admired when for several hours in a row you had to stand in line at the ticket office for a ticket. Atposters made a first date. It was impossible not to pay attention to them, even just passing by. Now, posters and advertising posters hung around the space so much that you just stop noticing them.
Posters of the future
However, the real masters of posters and posters are found today. For example, the Polish artist Wieslaw Valkuski is the creator of posters for theater and cinema, made in a surreal spirit. The works of this author are thoroughly permeated with mysticism and are very recognizable due to the fact that they deliberately use muted colors, and the parts of the human body that form the basis of the plot are mercilessly transformed.
Walkuska's works are exhibited not only in his homeland - Poland, but also visited international exhibitions, recognized in the homeland of the film industry - in Hollywood.
Modern theater and film posters are increasingly being replaced by color prints or banners. Created as a carbon copy, they are beautiful, but have lost their individuality.
