Art Posters | The Theater in Poland | Wieslaw Walkulski

The Polish National Theater, as distinct from the performance of earlier religious, court, and foreign plays that had circulated since the Middle Ages, dates from the end of the 18th century. The great pioneer was Wojciech Boguslawski, an actor, director, and playwright. Political conditions during the period of partition (1772–1918) inhibited theatrical development, however, and most of the romantic masterworks of Mickiewicz or Słowacki, who wrote drama in addition to poetry, were never staged during their lifetimes. After 1956, once the era of Socialist Realism had passed, the avant-garde came into its own. The Theater of the Absurd was explored alongside the revival of the classical repertoire. During the 1960s the Laboratory Theatre of Jerzy Grotowski (whose theories and methods emphasized the nonverbal aspects of theatre) gained international acclaim, and his work had a broad impact, especially in the United States. Henryk Tomaszewski’s Pantomime Theatre experienced parallel success. Tadeusz Kantor, a painter, designer, and director, also has been an important influence. Poster artist Wiesław Wałkuski was born in Poland in 1956, and started his graphic design education at the Warsaw Academy of Art which he attended from 1976 to 1981. He studied under several design lecturers including Maciej Urbaniec and Teresa Pagowska. At the end of his studies he was employed by Polfilm and Film Polski to produce artwork and cover designs. During this period he also worked with visual studio publishers and numerous theater groups producing artworks. In 1987 he commenced his career as a freelance graphic designer. Today, Wiesław Wałkuski has more than 200 posters to his name and he continues his work as a poster designer, illustrator and painter. He still lives and works in Warsaw. His works are presented at major Polish and international poster exhibitions including some at The Weidman Gallery in West Hollywood, USA.