Jamrockmagazine ? Graphic arts: A celebration of Olympic posters

When London was awarded the 2012 Summer Games in 2005, Margaret Timmers, then senior curator of prints at the city?s Victoria and Albert Museum, got the idea to explore the subject of the Olympic poster, a visual symbol that charts the evolution of the movement.

The book ?A Century of Olympic Posters,? originally published in 2008 to coincide with the?Beijing Olympics?and a touring exhibition, examines the form over the last century. A revised edition includes posters from?Vancouver 2010?and the 2012 London games, which begin Friday.

The majority of the 150 highlighted posters are from the V&A collection. Although the first official poster was from the 1908 London Games, it was the 1912 Stockholm image that made a big impact. Produced in several languages and distributed internationally, Swedish painter Olle Hjortzberg?s daring composition featured nearly nude male athletes draped in flags, caused quite a sensation and demand for more copies.

PHOTOS: Olympic posters through the years

First used as advertisements, the posters followed the prevailing style of the day. ?By the time of the Paris 1924 Games, modernism was the style, with emphasis on a healthy body and benefits of individual and collective fitness,? Timmers said from London.

Posters from the 1920s and 1930s followed the style of contemporary travel posters. One from the 1932 Lake Placid Games resembles a railway poster. A silhouetted ski jumper is set against a map of the U.S. pinpointing the small town in the Adirondacks. ?The choice of designs is an opportunity for each country to show themselves favorably on a world stage,? noted Timmers.

Inevitably, politics have had an influence.?Adolf Hitler?used the 1936 Olympics to promote his Nazi regime internationally. The poster for Berlin was an impressive golden figure over the Brandenburg Gate. The first post-World War II?games were held in London in 1948, and the poster displayed the Houses of Parliament, a potent symbol of democracy.

One of the more groundbreaking posters from an artistic perspective was the one for the 1968Mexico City?Games. ?The black and red radiating lines and circles typify the ?60s. At the same time, it refers back to the pattern-making of pre-Hispanic cultures in?Mexico,? said Timmers. ?What was amazing is that it appeared everywhere ? on hats, stamps, backdrops, even dresses. It left an incredible lasting impression on Mexico City.?

Since the 1970s, posters have fostered the desire of Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin, responsible for reviving the modern Olympics in 1894, to link high art with high achievement in sport. There was a conscious effort during this time to invite leading artists to design posters. For example,?David Hockney?and?Robert Rauschenberg?both contributed works for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

The traveling exhibition is on view at the National Sports Museum in Australia.

?

Courtesy:latimes

Source: http://www.jamrockmagazine.com/?p=6834

magic johnson jetblue pilot solicitor general neighborhood watch dennis rodman dodgers sale tami roman