Cover for a toy box - from the Czech Republic (unknown illustrator)

And while I'm on the subject of sixties flat and bold colours with hand drawn type, here's another favourite of mine. It's a cover for a toy train set (not a book!) produced in the Czech Republic sometime in the sixties (I think). Found it in this house when we moved in three years ago - no train set inside though...

Cuban Posters from the 1960's - Part 3

Final installment from this phychedelic phase of Cuban design - again, it's worth visiting this fantastic blog http://cubanposterart.blogspot.com/ for more information on the designers involved in creating this artwork as well as many other exciting posters from that era.

Cuban Posters from the 1960's - Part 2

Cuban Posters from the 1960's

I hadn't seen this book for about nine years now! So I got the camera out - the posters were too large for my scanner - but the pictures turned out to be a real disaster because I shouldn't have used the flash! Luckily, I found this blog http://cubanposterart.blogspot.com/ that not only has some excellent examples of these 60's Cuban posters but also gives some interesting information on their history and background. I've got quite a few more to show shortly...

"J.G.POSADA, Mexican Popular Prints" - (Redstone Press, London 1988) - Part 3

One more installment of Posada's strange and subversive images. Diego Rivera justifiably compared him to Goya in the way he depicted folklore in his pictures as well as the passions and superstitions of ordinary people. Truly original and powerful both in subject matter and draughtsmanship.

"J.G.POSADA, Mexican Popular Prints" - (Redstone Press, London 1988) - Part 2

There is a brief but concise introduction to the life and work of Posada in the book together with comments by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and Andre Breton - all of which were very influenced by his work.

Posada, as chief artist of a publishing house, illustrated thousands of stories, legends, school books, card games as well as commercial advertisements and posters for bull fights, theatre and circus performances. He also produced work for Mexican popular ballads ("Corridos") and didactic poems ("Ejemplos").

In addition, his prints documented the events leading up to the Mexican Revolution of 1910, recording politics, morals and the social unrest of that period. The caricatures below could well be used to describe some of today's capitalists, bankers and other members from the establishment!

"J.G.POSADA, Mexican Popular Prints" - Edited by Julian Rothenstein (Redstone Press, London 1988)

This book is a tribute to the legentary Mexican illustrator and printmaker Jose Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913). It includes hundreds of really good reproductions of the great artist's work so I'll be posting quite a number of them in the next few days.