Reflections of the Cold War era in poster art: The Polish Poster School

Abstract

This research paper focuses on the Polish Poster School, a visual language characterized by original and universal forms of expression in poster art, and its development and reflections during the Cold War. Due to its geopolitical location in the post-World War II era, Poland was deeply affected by the Cold War. Located within the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union, the driving force of the communist bloc, Poland faced a series of problems during this period, primarily economic and cultural. The Polish Poster School, a significant representative of the social reaction developed under the oppressive regime in Poland, and formed by a group of artists, created a national identity under Soviet control, driven by a desire for independence, and gave rise to a phenomenon that influenced the entire world. To avoid censorship, the artists, instead of directly conveying their intended message, often used metaphor, satire, and visual rhetoric, reaching the viewer in a humorous way. Figures such as Henryk Tomaszewski, Jozef Mroszczak, and Tadeusz Trepkowski were among the founders of the school and its guiding figures. This study examines 14 artists selected by the researcher from among more than 100 artists of the Polish Poster School, which emerged in the 1950s, considered the golden age of poster design. The study focuses on examining and conveying the metaphors and visual rhetoric used in poster designs by master artists of the Polish Poster School, a school that shaped the graphic and art scene during the Cold War.