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🎪 Cyrk – 1978 – Original B1 Poster by Jerzy Czerniawski | 98 × 68 cm | Poland
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Berlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 10 sales
Product description
🎪 Cyrk – 1978 – Original B1 Poster by Jerzy Czerniawski | Poland
Polish Poster School surrealism for the state circus—sensuous, witty, and slyly subversive
Offset lithograph | 98 × 68 cm | Poland
🎬 Introduction
Jerzy Czerniawski distills the circus into a perceptual riddle. In a warm sepia field, a nude back becomes a stage: legs cross acrobatically over the shoulders to resolve into a crisp X, while a crescent at the base reads as hoop, spotlight, or shadow. Above, CYRK is brushed in heavy, painterly strokes, flecked like confetti. The image is softly airbrushed and nearly monochrome, flirting with photorealism while remaining firmly graphic—an elegant nod to contortionism that rewards a second look.
A leading figure of the Polish Poster School, Czerniawski pushes “less is more” to cerebral effect: minimal elements, maximum ambiguity. The bodily geometry and tonal modeling create a poised, slow-burn composition emblematic of the School’s late-1970s shift toward photographic depth without surrendering conceptual play.
✨ Why It Matters
Poland’s Cyrk program commissioned seasonless circus posters, freeing designers from literal acts and dates. The strongest examples—like this—braid surrealism, erotics, and wit into collectible images that transcend promotion. Printed in the large B1 format for outdoor use, originals were rarely kept; many were pinned or taped, so intact, presentable sheets are increasingly scarce. Czerniawski’s 1978 design captures the era’s move toward tonal, quasi-photo rendering while preserving the Poster School’s intellectual and subversive edge—appealing to collectors of Polish School graphics, figurative surrealism, and performance ephemera.
📐 Poster Details
- Year: 1978
- Country: Poland
- Size: 98.0 × 68.0 cm
- Format: Polish B1
- Studio / Publisher:
- Designer: Jerzy Czerniawski
- Poster no. 37
🔎 Condition
Good vintage condition with small pinholes and light handling; frames beautifully. Tape marks confined to the reverse upper corners, with the front retaining strong, even tonality. Take a look at the pictures, what you see is what you get.
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsBrown, CremeMaterialPaperNumber of items1OrientationPortraitArt sizeMediumHeight98 cmWidth68 cmSigns of usageStains, Wrinkles
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Seller information
About this seller
Berlin, GermanyOn Whoppah since August 2023 • 10 sales