Waldemar Świerzy
Waldemar Świerzy, a Polish artist and one of the Polish School of Posters’ co-founders, was born in Katowice, Poland, in 1931, and continues to amaze us even after his passing in 2013. Świerzy is most known for his film poster design along with his band posters, which featured artists like Jimmi Hendrix, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and many others. Throughout Świerzy’s career you can see plakatstil influence along with pop culture, art nouveau, with strong bold colors and very original imagery.
Although Waldemar Świerzy is not known as a psychedelic artist, his artistic style is very similar, with bright, vibrant colors mixed with creative typography. Świerzy is known to play with mediums within his work, mostly paints, such as gouache and acrylics. There is a very organic and natural feel to his pieces, and some look almost like a photograph, where others look cartoony and creative. I find his work fascinating and creative, and he has inspired me to look to traditional art when it comes to poster design rather than going to my computer and booting up Adobe Illustrator.
