Dog Art Today

Tag: posters

  • Sabrina Movie Posters from Around the World

     
    Sabrina_Poster_japan_2

    Japan

    "Sabrina," the 1954 film by director Billy Wilder based on the play "Sabrina Fair" by Samuel Taylor which is inspired by a poem by John Milton, has always been a McLaughlin family favorite.  My Dad loves this movie and shared it enthusiastically with his four daughters.  I remember thinking Audrey Hepburn's Givenchy ballgown was the most beautiful dress ever worn.  I still do.  My sister introduced her husband to the film two years and a few months later they welcomed their daughter to the world and named her Sabrina. 

    On June 23, 2010 Christie's in London will be having a vintage poster sale that includes this Japanese unfolded one-sheet (above) up for auction for an estimated price of $441 – $736.   Searching for an image I could use (Christie's makes it hard to pull images off their site), I found these Sabrina posters at MovieGoods.com, priced for $19.99 – $ 29.99.  In the film, Sabrina has a chic little Poodle she returns home from Paris with.  I suppose the black and white poster Poodles are metaphors for the two brothers, the playboy and the grumpy workaholic, who try to woo her.  It's always fascinating to see how different countries market movies.  Which one is your favorite? 

    Sabrina_Italian_poster

    Italy

    Sabrina_Spanish_poster
    Spain

    Sabrina_us_poster

    United States

    Sabrina_french_poster

    France (this is her real Poodle in the film, but where is Humphrey Bogart?)

    Sabrina_Polish_poster

    Poland

    My favorite is the Japanese version…but I like the US version too…and the Italian one…Actually I have changed my favorite twice.  And, what is up with Poland, a country with a history of some of the greatest graphic art posters in the world?!  Seriously?  See more at MovieGoods.com.

    P.S. I never knew about the play "Sabrina Fair" by Samuel Taylor or the John Milton song, which is quoted in the play but only referenced in the film, from his 1634 masque Comus:

    Sabrina fair,
    Listen where thou art sitting
    Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
    In twisted braids of lilies knitting
    The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair;
    Listen for dear honour's sake,
    Goddess of the silver lake,
    Listen and save.

    P.P.S.  Wendell Jamieson of The New York Times recently recommended having a gin or vodka martini, chilled, straight up, with olives while viewing "Sabrina"   I think Champagne would be appropriate too, since the Champagne flutes play a key role in the film.   More great ideas for DVD and cocktail pairings here. 

    P.P.P.S.  I recently watch Sydney Pollock's 1995 remake of "Sabrina" on HBO, and while it's not as bad as I remember it, really what is the point?

  • Shepard Fairey’s Obama Inspired Dog Poster

    Shepard_fairey_dog_poster

    Shepard Fairey,
    the artist whose iconic Obama posters branded a movement and help elect
    a President, has donated his talent to help rescue dogs with this ADOPT poster. 
    Shortly after President-elect Obama made the comment that his family
    would like to adopt, "a mutt like me,"  Fairey was contacted by Dr. Pia
    Salk, an animal
    advocate who works with North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption
    website, Adopt-a-Pet.com.  Fairey explains:

    Pia simply asked if I might be willing to
    collaborate on a way to have my art help these animals.

    As most of you know, I’m a big believer in speaking up for all who
    suffer injustice, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or in
    this case, species!  And I’m all for adopting from the shelter.  My
    wife and I share our home with 2 pooches,  George and Weezie, who is a
    rescue. They are the happy canine siblings to our 2 human daughters.

    The image I created for this print reminds me of a dog I had as kid, a mutt named Honey.

    The
    exciting news for art collectors and animal lovers is that 400 signed,
    limited edition prints will be available for sale some time this
    January and all proceeds go to Adopt-A-Pet.com.  You can sign up for
    news alerts at Muttslikeme.com.  These prints are highly collectible and will go in a matter of minutes. 

    But
    if you don't get one, the website also has free badges, banners,
    posters, and wallpaper you can download and add to your own sites to
    raise awareness and show support.  There is even a black + white
    version for kids in class to color in and discuss.  Click here to see all the free artwork available.

    Thank
    you, Shepard Fairey, for continuing to use your talent for good.  Your
    work shows us that giving means more than writing a check.   An image,
    an hour of time, or simply speaking out against injustice can change
    the world.

  • More Cyrk Dog Posters

    Cyrk_poster_1
    Headstand on Pole by Maciej Urbaniec

    Last June, after I featured Cyrk Contemporary Posters on Dog Art Today, company owner Donald Mayer generously allowed me to pick out one for myself.  After some excruciating deliberations.  I chose Headstand on Pole by Maciej Urbaniec.  Yes, he was shocked too that I didn't pick a dog poster. 

    When this came in the mail, I was completely blown away.  As I said to Donald, "It is so beautiful I could cry."

    Thank you so much.  I just adore it!

    Here are some more Cyrk Polish poster dogs to round out my day of circus themed art.

    Cyrk_poster_2
    Two Headed Dog by Marek Freudenreich

    Cyrk_poster_3 Dog with Soccer Ball by Danuta Zukowska 

    Cyrk_poster_4
    Three Beagles by Wiktor Gorka 

    Cyrk_poster_5 Two Balancing Poodles by Danuta Zukoska

    Read my original Cyrk post here.   See Cyrk's collection of dog posters here.  See all their posters and pick one for yourself here.

    I'd love to hear from you if you do.

  • Keith Haring’s Dogs

    Keith_haring_dog_1
    Untitled, 1980

    Keith Haring (1958-1990), the quintessential Pop artist who stamped his style all over Manhattan in the 80s, would have turned 50 this year.  Haring's work is lauded for the "primacy of the line" as well as his devotion to the universal concepts of birth, death, love, sex and war. 

    Looking at his images on the excellent Keith Haring website, I would have to add dogs to that list as there are 86 dog art works there.  It was impossible for me to choose my favorite, but here are some picks to enjoy.  Click on images for larger view.

    Keith_haring_dog_2 
    Untitled, 1980

    Keith_haring_dog_3
    Untitled, 1980

    Keith_haring_dog_4Untitled, 1980

    Keith_haring_dog_5
    Untitled, 1980

    Keith_haring_dog_7 Untitled, 1981

    Keith_haring_nine_drawings_6
    Nine Drawings, 1981

    Keith_haring_dogs_8
    Untitled, 1981

    To me, Keith Haring represented everything that was cool and possible about the 1980s before he came to embody the tragedy of AIDS that decimated the arts community in the second half of the decade.  Sadly he died at age 31 in 1990.

    But even after his diagnosis in 1988, he used his talent to connect with people, bring awareness to the disease, and establish the Keith Haring Foundation to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs.  Brilliant!

    To own your own Keith Haring poster, decal, pin, t-shirt or toy and see many more fabulous dogs visit his Pop Shop.

    There is also a compilation book called Dogs that includes Haring's dog art work and personal writings on life, children and friendship.

    Keith_haring_dogs_book

    It would be a great Christmas gift for the Pop Art dog lover in your life. Click here to order.

  • Yoshitomo Nara Limited Edition Pup King at Baltic

    Yoshitomo_nara_pup_king_7

    The Yoshitomo Nara + graph A-Z Project at Baltic in the northern England town of Gateshead sounds like an intriguing experience.  The renowned Japanese pop artist worked with the Osaka-based design company to create 26 houses, one for each street named for the alphabet, aiming to explore “the relationship between the individual, the space they inhabit and objects within their surroundings.”

    While his iconic little girl drawings appear dominant, Pup King, his equally well-known dog, makes appearances too.

    Can you find the single Pup King in this pile of plushies?    Click on image for larger view.

    Yoshitomo_nara_pup_king_2

    photo by gilsteph via flickr

    And, a limited edition Pup King plush toy (pictured at top) is available in the gift shop or online.  Great Christmas gift for Nara-philes.

    Related links:
    Read more about the show here.
    More Yoshitomo Nara Pup King art, t-shirts, posters and toys  are here.
    Order Nara’s Children’s book The Lonesome Puppy here.
    Read Matthew Rose’s excellent analysis of Japanese pop art and Nara here.
    Great flickr set of Nara’s work from Tigerlily here.

  • Polish Posters: Cyrk Dogs

    Cyrk_dog_poster_1
    Jacek Neugebauer, 1975

    I knew very little about Polish Cyrk posters when I featured them last May.  There wasn’t much information on the Art of Posters website and I couldn’t figure out how to search their database for dogs.  Also, purchasing a poster meant sending money to Poland, and I know even though we all love and trust the Internet, that can still be scary.

    Now, there is Cyrk, a New York based company that specializes in these Polish works of art with a terrific, informative website that gave me a new appreciation for these mid-century graphic gems.

    Here’s a little of the Cyrk story:

    “Polish circus/art posters, with their most recognizable subjects and unmatched popularity, are the quintessential posters of the golden age of the Polish School of Posters -1945 (the end of World War II) through 1989 (the fall of Communism). During this time, the Polish Government financially supported and encouraged poster art. Posters became the primary art form of the nation. The art of Polish posters attained international fame, becoming established as the best in contemporary/vintage poster art.”

    Read more here.  It’s fascinating and ironic that censorship and state control, two things assumed antithetical to artistic expression cultivated such spectacular works, in many ways unsurpassed in the market driven, free society of today.

    Cyrk_dog_poster_2
    Gustaw Majewski, 1965

    Cyrk_dog_poster_3
    Jerzy Treutler, 1973

    Cyrk_dog_poster_4 Bozena Rogowska, 1974 

    Cyrk_dog_poster_5 Wiktor Gorka, 1969

    Cyrk_dog_postr_6
    Danuta Zukowska, 1973

    To see all the spectacular posters (dog and non-dog) visit Cyrk’s website.

    P.S. If you’re in Los Angeles, the Weidman Gallery’s 2nd Annual Polish Poster Festival is going on now with 100s of contemporary/vintage original posters for sale.  Show runs until June 22.

  • Vintage Boston Dog Show Poster

    In honor of my new Dog Art Poster section (see left sidebar) I’m debuting my new vintage poster available at my DreamDogsArt Store.

    Vintagedogposter

    I found this c.1890 image in the Library of Congress Archives and turned it into some darling dog lover merchandise — t-shirts, greeting cards, mugs, onesies, and more. Perfect Christmas gifts for the New England dog lover in your life!

    More posters are coming soon.

  • World’s Minimum Dog by Ten Do Ten

    Tendoten

    Although my sidebars are getting a little busy these days, my tastes run more towards minimalism. But Japanese designer Ten Do Ten’s World’s Minimum Dog might be taking it a bit too far. Quite clever, though. Just pixels.

    Read about Ten’s work, and the essence and endangered art of “poster-ness” at Design Observer where Alice Twemlow asks “When Did Posters Become Such Wallflowers?”

  • Earthquakes & Aftershocks: CalArts Posters

    Lostdog4

    Sure, digital is so much tidier, but let’s hope silkscreening doesn’t go the way of the typewriter. In Los Angeles, you can view some of the best of the best silkscreened posters, like Joseph Monnens’s “Lost Dog,” from the archives of the CalArts Graphic Design Program this weekend. The show, “Earthquakes & Aftershocks,” runs until June 24 at the Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Park. Limited edition posters will be for sale.