Ozimina (Winter Crop)

Work on Paper

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

Entry/Object ID

2009.163

Description

This is a greyscale Polish theater poster advertising the play Ozimina. Encased in a horizontal oval is a man’s head morphing on the left side into a skull, and on the right side into a woman’s head. Above their heads reads “Ozimina” in bold text. There are inscriptions on all four corners of the poster, with the top left and right reading “Wacław Berent” when joined. Berent is the author of the original novel Ozimina (1911) of which the play is adapted. The bottom corners’ inscription joined read “Teatr im. Stefana Jaracza w Łodzi,” which is the theater the play was performed in. Theater Poster.

Artwork Details

Medium

Offset lithograph

Context

Henryk Tomaszewski was born in Warsaw in 1914. Within his career, “he was appointed Professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, heading its Poster Studio until 1985, educating dozens of up-and-coming graphic and poster artists of considerable renown." Tomaszewski was considered to be the primary creator of and teacher in the Polish Poster Movement, striking a deal with the Russian government after WWII to kick off the movement at large. Officials wished for the artists to work within the prevailing social realism style, to which Tomaszewski objected, arguing that the support of artists would only be won if government censorship of their works was limited. This lack of censorship provided a space for the unique symbolism and imagery that the movement came to be known for. There are a lot of posters from around this time that have his name inscribed on them, but it may be referring to him as either artist or play director.

Acquisition

Notes

Collection of DePaul Art Museum, gift of Martin Rosenberg

Made/Created

Artist

Henryk Tomaszewski

Date made

1983

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Country

Poland

Continent

Europe

Notes

Europe Poland

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

Transcription

Wacław

Material/Technique

ink in print

Type

Inscription

Location

verso TRC

Transcription

75-

Poster, Theater

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Poster

Nomenclature Class

Advertising Media

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

posters, information artifacts, information forms (objects), theater (discipline), theater arts, performing arts (discipline), arts (broad discipline), humanities, disciplines (concept)

Hierarchy Name

Information Forms (hierarchy name), Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Disciplines (hierarchy name)

Facet

Objects Facet, Activities Facet

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Theater posters

Legacy Lexicon

Class

WORKS ON PAPER

Dimensions

Dimension Description

sheet

Width

33 in

Length

23 in