Rummaging in the online archives of the Swedish National Library (Stockholm), for some reason I can't now retrieve, I found these witty posters by Wilhelm Kage from 1915-1923. Kage (1889-1960) is better known for his porcelains for the Gustavsberg Pottery and for most of us, it would be a stretch to name a Swedish poster artist. But the smiling upside-down bat-girl won my heart. Kage had fun with poster conventions of the day and he deployed his colors with panache.
Images: Swedish National Library, Stockholm.
8 comments:
They are all fantastic, thanks so much.
I am in mad, mad love with all these posters/paintings. Too wonderful to believe!!
just one or two colors and the white paper; pretty sharp designer!
Jane,
I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy your blog! I, too, am an art and design fanatic, so your blog is a wonderful source of inspiration.
Jane Sassaman
Neil, talk about stumbling on something accidentally. I was looking for Kage's pottery and found these.
Jeanne, I agree these posters are outstanding. It could be an interesting parlor game to spot the influences on Kage's work but what stands out, I think, is his canny choice of a few colors for each one and the way he incorporates the text without letting it take over. The nearby Germans were often guilty of this, as their posters were used in newspapers fro advertising.
DSM, you are so right about Kage's color choices. He did the same thing when he turned to ceramic work, by the way.
Jane S., it a pleasure to meet someone else named Jane. Thank you for the kind words.
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