An Introduction to CYRK Art

Hello!

I'm an art student, studying at School of Visual Arts in New York City. In my time studying, I've been exposed to all sorts of art that I didn't know existed! I've really had my eyes opened to new and inspiring works. I recently found a genre that I think is great, the art of the Polish School of Posters...especially Polish CYRK.

As a graphic designer, I can relate to CYRK's integration of both lettering and illustration, seamlessly merging the two into a cohesive image. Fusing image and text together is something I struggle with, so it's refreshing to see the problem tackled in so many ways in CYRK Polish posters.

As I researched Polish posters, I found a site that has many CYRK Polish posters:
http://www.contemporaryposters.com/

I'm trying to decide on my two favorite Polish posters. Here are two that are currently in contention:

"Lion with Legs in the Air"

The bold colors draw you in and in the right hand corner you can see the text "CYRK", which is Polish for circus. What's also intriguing is the audacious use of line, which reminds me of post-impressionism.
"Lion with Legs in the Air" was created by Hubert

Hilscher in 1970.
image from: http://www.contemporaryposters.com/poster.php?number=018

"2 Headed Woman"

This Polish poster is hard to miss, with the bright pink ground and the simple, yet graphically strong image of a woman. This Polish poster also features the work CYRK, in a fashion that is reminiscent of neon lighting.

"2 Headed Woman" was created by Witold Janowski in 1974.
image from: http://www.contemporaryposters.com/poster.php?number=089

-Katie The Art Critic