Do you know what a poster is? According to Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, this word means a paper announcement of an upcoming spectacle or gathering, for which a certain fee must be paid. The word has French roots, but it has easily taken root in Russian. But not everyone knows how to interpret the words “billboard poster” or “billboard poster” (peddler and pasting-up of female and male announcements, respectively). But it is thanks to their work on our streets that there are a lot of announcements, publications, advertisements and, in a more modern language, billboards, banners and citylights. By the way, all these words so different in sound are synonymous with the same word.
Here's what a poster is. Without it, the life of a modern person would be gray and uninteresting, and the so-called engine of trade would not appear.
The first posters. Origin history
The first posters - clay tablets with announcements - were placed on the walls of houses as early as 73 AD. In ancient Rome, a special square was allocated for the "posters", which clearly stands out on the white wall of the house. However, subsequently, at the request of the townspeople, a law was passed prohibiting this kind of advertising, as it spoiled the appearance of buildings and harmed people's homes.
With the invention of paper and printing press in the middle of the XV, advertising was put on stream, and what is a poster, residents of already modern houses learned. However, neither the complaints of the townspeople, nor the adopted laws prohibiting sticking up announcements on the walls of houses were now taken into account. Moreover, the “forbidden fruit”, which generates incomes, turned out to be too sweet, and it was thanks to the adopted sanctions that it became more and more popular.
The theater begins … with posters
The theater poster is a clear evidence of the repertoire of the theater and its cast. It reflects the views and tastes of the viewer of a certain time.
If from the first posters he received only information about the place where the performance will be given, the time of the start of the performance, the names of the main actors and ticket prices, then over time the theater poster underwent significant changes - it became more catchy and colorful. Such announcements of performances became masterpieces of painting - famous Russian artists were involved in their design: I. Bilibin, A. Golovin, V. Vasnetsov, A. Vasnetsov, F. Shekhtel, P. Grigoryev, I. Bondarenko, B. Zvorykin and several others.
Noteworthy in this regard is a poster made for the entreprise of S.P. Diaghilev and written by the famous Russian portrait painter V. Serov. The ballet was in fashion, and the Parisian audience was in a hurry to contemplate the performance of the greatest ballerina of the twentieth century, Anna Pavlova. The Parisians did not suspect that they were doubly lucky. After all, they could enjoy not only the performance of the famous ballerina, but also the creation of the ingenious Russian artist who captured Pavlova.
Fortunately for posterity, this poster remained: the ballet performed by Pavlova. Now a sample of fine art is exhibited at the Moscow Theater Museum. A.A. Bakhrushin.
In the same museum there is another valuable exhibit - a poster dated 1791 on the play "Kestrel" of the Petrovsky Theater.
Movie poster
Special attention should be paid to the poster of cinemas. Sometimes a whole team of artists worked on its creation. Before starting work, the masters looked at the filmstrip, chose a suitable frame and made several sketches. The most successful of them claimed, and only then the artist began to create. An experienced master could write a fairly large canvas in just three days.
The cinema poster was made on canvas using chalk and gouache, and from rain and snow it was protected by a thin layer of PVA glue applied over the finished work.
The canvas was used several times, because it was not difficult to wash off the previous drawing. Because of this, many movie posters survived except in the photo and in the memories of their creators. It's a pity…
Posters of the past
What is a poster in the understanding of the older generation? This is a small masterpiece of art, which was admired when for several hours in a row I had to stand in line at the ticket office for a ticket. The posters had their first date. It was impossible not to pay attention to them, even just passing by. Now, with posters and advertising posters, the surrounding space is hung up so much that you simply cease to notice them.
