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This poster embodies the influence of 1950s pop culture and historical resemblance in David Singer’s posters. In the 1970s there was a surge of public evangelicalism in American culture. So we can speculate that Singer took inspiration from the production of Moses and the 10 Commandments, one of Hollywood's most influential biblical-themed films. During a time when the country was experiencing high tension between traditional values and the counterculture movement, Singer appropriates this iconic imagery and gives it new meaning within the context of the rock n’ roll scene. This piece also appears to reference the darkroom technique of composite photography, which utilizes two overlapping negatives to create one final image. In fact, Singer may have used a famous historical photograph, Gustave Le Gray's 1856 albumen silver print “Brig on the Water,” to create this composition, demonstrating his knowledge of the history of photography and photographic processes.Label Type
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David Singer was born and raised in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, surrounded by the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. He was exposed to very intricate folk art, and David Singer gravitated towards it. From an early age, Singer was very creative, and artistically gifted. After he graduated high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served until 1964, then settled in San Francisco. After working many odd jobs, Singer found himself meeting with Bill Graham, the founder and promoter of the iconic Fillmore West music venue, to review his portfolio. After twenty minutes of silently studying Singers’ work, Graham immediately commissioned Singer to create twelve new posters. This launched his career with full force—David Singer was commissioned the most work out of all of the iconic Fillmore West Rock poster artists, creating a total of sixty posters for Bill Graham between 1969-1971.