Roman Cieslewicz Wiezien (The Prisoner) (Poster for Warsaw production of the 1944 opera by Luigi Dallapiccola [1904-1975]) 1962

  • Not on view

This disquieting image of a figure constrained within an armored shell and suffocating from an eruption of flames and blood synthesizes Luigi Dallapiccola's nightmarish operatic tale. In it a Spanish prisoner thinks he has escaped punishment only to find himself in the arms of the Grand Inquisitor and led to a burning stake. Both poster and opera conveyed the pessimism and sense of deception and entrapment prevalent in Cold War Europe.

Gallery label from Polish Posters 1945–89, May 6–November 30, 2009.
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
38 1/4 x 26 1/2" (97.2 x 67.3 cm)
Publisher
Teatr Wielki, Warsaw
Printer
Stołeczne Zaklady Drukarskie, Warsaw
Credit
Gift of the designer
Object number
1787.2008
Copyright
© 2023 / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Department
Architecture and Design

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