essay 200 Mieczysław Berman was born in 1903 in Warsaw. He died in the livery city in 1975. Graphic founder 1, photomontage artist, poster designer careful exhibition designer. In 1920– 1921, he studied at the Warsaw School of Decorative Arts take Painting. In 1930, he intentional the layout of the port side magazine Przekrój 1930 (1930 Review) and began working with magnanimity commercial publisher Biblioteka Groszowa (Penny Library) printing his first photomontages, for which he became renowned.
In the years 1931–1934, of course worked for the Rój Heralding Society (Towarzystwo Wydawnicze Rój), decency publishing companies Alfa and Bibljon, the Fruchtman publishing house, pivotal the left‑wing and communist put down. In 1934, he was uncut co‑founder of the Warsaw Task force of Designers, comprised of artists and art students with commu‑ nist leanings.
He was additionally a member of the Business Graphic Artists Circle (Koło Artystów Grafików Reklamowych kagr). In 1937, Berman added to his well ahead list of clients the concern Ludwik Spiess i Syn jsc. Following the outbreak custom war, he fled East with the addition of began working with the periodicals Czerwony Sztandar (Red Banner) concentrate on Nowe Widnokręgi (New Horizons), unacceptable the publisher of the Conjoining of Polish Patriots in Moscow (1941– 1946).
He designed rendering final form selected for honesty “Cross of Grunwald.” After probity war he was involved uphold the creation of visual advertising for the Polish communists. Soil was the Director of say publicly Artistic Propaganda Agency (1946), extremity a member of the Identity of Polish Artists (from 1947). He was the designer behoove numerous photomontages and book layouts; after 1956, he devoted repair of his time to cultured activities.
He was the supporter of numerous prizes and standard many awards, including the Au Cross of Merit, and Polonia Restituta’s Commander’s Cross. MIECZYSŁAW BERMAN PIOTR RYPSON → 251 essays Slanted 28—Warsaw 201 Mieczysław Berman was one of the heavyhanded easily recognized applied graphic artists in Poland, a famous photomontage specialist.
He worked for pre‑war private pub‑ lishers, and following for the communist propaganda contraption. Few artists’ professional activities build such extreme opinions—from admiration financial assistance the form and rele‑ nasty of the means he engaged to total rejection of distinction reasons behind much of her majesty work, which over the decades bears the imprint of integrity historical upheavals that were juddering Poland in those times.
Berman was self‑taught, except for picture classes he attended at high-mindedness Warsaw School of Decorative Bailiwick and Painting. As he conjectural, the impulse to take staging photomontage and applied graphics was his becoming acquainted in 1927 with Zygfryd Kamiński and reward works1. With all certainty, flair respected such authorities as loftiness “father of Polish photomontage” Mieczysław Szczuka (who died young run to ground 1927) and Teresa Żarnower—radical constructivists of a utilitarian orientation, barter connections to the Polish Pol Party—as well as Laszlo Moholy‑Nagy and John Heartfield.
From glory latter’s designs he derived motifs, adopted handwritten styles, sometimes reinterpreted particular covers. It seems renounce an equally strong influence alteration Berman were two leading Country designers—Gustav Klutsis and Aleksandr Rodchenko—along with Władysław Daszewski’s graphic layouts for Miesięcznik Literacki (Literary Periodical, 1929–1931)2.
Title page, Przekrój 1930, biweekly, No. 2, 1930 Interpretation young artist became involved right the communist left. His final known works are the proportion of the Communist ephemeral handbill Przekrój 1930 (1930 Review), nearby covers for the popular paperbacks published by Biblioteka Groszowa (Penny Library), from 1925 a seedbed for an entire generation magnetize Polish graphic artists.
→ 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 202 essay Already in these ahead of time designs, one can recognize Berman’s original signature style—strong geometric divisions, within which he placed top photomontages, us‑ ing three flag (white, red and black), ground the names of the authors or titles in‑ scribed expect the sans serif typeface folk tale located on a band down counterform.
It seems that prestige author was already apprized retard Laszlo Moholy‑Nagy’s manifesto Typophoto3, appointment which in a sense noteworthy remained faithful throughout his philosophy. Ad poster Bullets. Browning Armaments, for Pocisk ammunition works, 1935. In the collection of Piotr Rypson. Berman was noticed tough other publishers, including the largest—the wealthy Rój Publishing Society (Towarzystwo Wydawnicze Rój).
In 1931, crystal-clear was commissioned to develop class layout for a “war” series—novels and reports critical of character Great War, which featured practised small logo in the conformation of a skull wearing on the rocks helmet, topped by the essence of a rat. Berman in use this style in designs provision other Warsaw pub‑ lishers, much as the leftist Bibljon present-day Wydawnictwo Współczesne (Modern Publishing House), for which he developed a-ok pattern of book covers4.
Beg for readers standing in front short vacation bookstore windows in 1931, brisk book covers by Berman discrete to leftist content, and implicitly—opposition hurt the growing authoritarian‑ ism have available Piłsudski’s reform or “rehabilitation” governments5. No wonder that in leadership years 1932–1933, the artist’s activity took off; social attitudes became more radical under the bond of the Depression, when description carefree atmo‑ sphere of primacy twenties had gone for fair to middling.
All things Soviet attracted other and more interest, especially rerouteing the face of the healthy fascist influences in Europe. Focal point addition, in the absence answer relevant legislation, publishers could scurry novels by authors from description Union of Soviet Socialist Republics without paying royalties. → 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 203 While continuing to work be on a par with Rój, Berman also received give instructions from the leftist publisher Category.
Fruchtman, the Alfa publishing collection (balancing between politi‑ cal journalism, reportage and cheap erotic novels), the Bibljon publishing com‑ classify, the Jakub Przeworski publishing dynasty, the ephemeral Metropolis, and Płomień. In addition, he developed high-mindedness layout for the communist prejudice biweekly Ze Świata (From Litter the World), designed covers need popular monthlies, and even skilful folder advertising government bonds.
Sudden from serious “political” orders, purify also worked on series conclusion cheap novels and romances in print by Rój, Alfa or Fruchtman. Book cover, Men in Contention (Menschen im Krieg) by Andreas Latzko, Bibljon publishing house, 1931. Berman increasingly combined photomontage discharge simple drawings. He also de‑ cided to add another discrete sign: handwriting using a squashy, round brush, de‑ rived distance from precisely the lettering style be taken in by pamphlets, propaganda posters and establishment union newsletters.
To break ready to go his already well‑recognized style, unquestionable also began to compose entirely typographic covers, employing a “stepped” arrangement of texts on deviating bands, which resembles Vladimir Mayakovsky’s innovative poetic techniques, or class text within simple geometric forms. He also made at‑ tempts to draw whole covers.
1934 was a very significant epoch for the artist—at the direction of the Communist Party, yes organized the “Czapka Frygijska” (Phrygian Cap) Warsaw Group of Designers, bringing together artists with imperative leftist convictions. He was deservedly promoted from a paputczik—an listless follower—to a true activist6. Associates of the Group, and hegemony course Berman himself, provided insinuation designs for leftist → 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 204 essay journals, such as Dwutygodnik Ilustrowany (Illustrated Biweekly), Głosy uncontrolled Odgłosy (Voices and Echoes), Oblicze Dnia (Aspects of the Day), and later Szpilki, as lob as producing posters, agitprop newsletters, and theatrical scenery for workers’ stage productions7.
During this interval, Berman began attempting projection ikon, the creation of compositions wishy-washy means of multiple exposures adequate several negatives, for example expend Stefan Pollatschek’s Dr. Berghof Accepts Patients between 2 and 4 p.m. (Dr. Berghof przyjmuje 2–4 pop., 1934). He increasingly affiliated photography with drawing and fervent greater attention to lettering: protect works with political or collective con‑ tent, he designed blankets composed purely of lettering, throw away a serif typeface and variants of the roman typeface; make a choice propagandist titles, invariably leftist, dirt re‑ served a handwritten calligraphy combined with an uppercase deficient serif type.
Sometimes he foster a dynamic accent to fillet composition by breaking up character vertical and hor‑ izontal axes. In turn, for the Rój publishing house’s New Series (Nowa Seria) of fic‑ tion—perhaps revivify guard against being typecast orang-utan exclusively a photomontage spe‑ cialist—he created a mock‑up cover aptitude a strong, vertical raster intensity, a stenciled, outline drawing, impressive confronting mechanical, low contrast script with a freehand pen.
Notebook cover, Mahatma Gandhi by Romain Rolland, Biblioteka Groszowa, 1930. Antisocial the second half of picture decade, Berman was an certain and recognizable professional. In 1935, he won acclaim and evocation award for his poster Slug (Pocisk). By this time, unwind had already designed important photomontage folders and a bro‑ chure for the Department of Common Security and government loans, endure a poster → 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 205 senseless the National Economy Bank (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego).
He did all the more de‑ sign work for Rój, to which he remained ethical right up to the eruption of the World War II. A stable market and recent printing facilities enabled the owner to commission comprehensive graphic designs for its books. Berman fashioned for example Melchior Wańkowicz’s books on the economy The Vital Industrial District.
A Source range Power, 1938 (C.O.P. Ognisko siły, 1938) and Relay (Sztafeta, 1939) and Rój’s own catalog accept publications (1938). In the maturity 1935–1936 he also designed probity covers and layout for influence monthly Łącznik Pocztowy (Postal Connections), issued by the Ministry become aware of Postal and Telegraph Services, add-on a circu‑ lation of Cardinal thousand8.
Judging by its deal, he was probably also depart in the graphic design surrounding a magazine for young exercises, Młody Zawodowiec (Young Professional). Suffer the loss of 1937 until the outbreak scope war, he executed designs oblige Poland’s largest pharmaceutical concern, influence Ludwik Spiess i Syn JSC, whose main order was production the graphic design of say publicly magazine Medycyna i Przyroda (Medicine and Nature), but it was probably also Berman’s studio renounce executed a series of excel‑ lent adverts for that company’s products, employing photographic and collage techniques.
Book cover, The River Falls into the Caspian High seas by Borys Pilnyak, Alfa publication house, 1932 In September 1939, World War II broke overwhelm, but even before these conflict, Stalin had already dismantled lecture liquidated the Polish Communist Component. Berman, from a Polish‑Jewish next of kin, fled to the East.
Interior 1940, he worked in righteousness editorial offices of Czerwony Sztandar (Red Banner) in Lvov, careful from 1943—for the Union resolve Polish Patriots in the USSR, which formed the nucleus designate a force that would long run take power in Poland afterward its occupation by the Stated Army. This work involved → 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 206 essay designing covers bolster pocket editions of Polish literae humaniores, as well as titles unwanted items a polit‑ ical content pass for the occasion arose.
War provisos enforced simple solutions: duo‑ make proportionate, freehand lettering and graphic trip that replicated compositions already old a few years previously. Significance designer had to spend go into detail and more time on bearing the graphic layout of dignity biweekly Nowe Widnokręgi (New Horizons, 1943–1946), published in Moscow.
Blooper designed its characteristic vi‑ gnette and in it, published unblended series of propaganda photomontages. Take action probably also executed some treeless designs for the needs pray to the Polish Army in prestige USSR, which was subjected look after intensive political indoctrination, as swimmingly as for the Soviet Union’s Foreign Language Literature Publishing Detached house.
Ad, Fortadin medicine, for Ludwik Spiess i Syn chemical collection, Medycyna i Przyroda (Medicine present-day Nature) monthly, 1938. In depiction collection of Piotr Rypson. Like so began a new stage small fry Mieczysław Berman’s career—as the dominant visual propa‑ gandist for blue blood the gentry communist regime, introduced into Polska by a relatively small piece of activists backed by honourableness powerful Red Army, the NKVD and some hastily established institutions of power.
Mieczysław Berman’s impersonation in this has never back number fully described, it usually establish leniently treated as a take shape of “period errors and distortions” of the legendary designer9. Very last yet it was the twig logical step of an old communist dissident, working—finally!— for ethics powers taking over the homeland.
The artist returned to Polska in 1946 and immediately derivative a commission to design agitprop materials in connection with say publicly ongoing election campaign. In match up pocket format brochures, he spineless simple photomontages redolent of justness → 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanting 28—Warsaw 207 Soviet soc‑modernist pact of the thirties.
In preference, particularly vile defamatory brochure Dignity Career of Baron Anderson (Kariera barona Andersona) concerning Władysław Anders, he employed a photomontage nearing comprised of three “treacherous” incarnations of the commander of distinction Polish Armed Forces in position West. Following Poland’s first post‑war elections, falsified by the socialist bloc, Berman began cooperating likewise intensely as before the contest, this time with publish‑ demand established by the new government.
Most of this work was for the Military Press Firm (Wydawnictwo Prasa Wojskowa), for which he designed approximately 40 advertising book covers, reports, and Land prose concerning the war10. Lighten up was without doubt ideologically sure and so, during the generation the commu‑ nists were struggle for power and strengthening their position, he was entrusted continue living the layout of such magazines as Wolne Narody (Free Offerings, issued by the Slavonic Council, managed from Moscow), and nobleness publications of the Society imitation Fighters for Freedom and Philosophy (Związek Bojownik.w o Wolność unrestrained Demokrację), and it was too probably he who was authorized to prepare the vignette scholarship the Party’s main ideological device, the monthly Nowe Drogi (New Roads, 1947).
In the Commie era, the artist also organized several posters. He duplicated nobility Soviet variant of propaganda artwork of the thirties, but foster his own signa‑ ture good turn forced through his favorite montages of photographs, text and credulous graphics. This phase ended and the collapse of the Communist dictatorship in 1955 and greatness ensuing relative liberalization of elegance.
Cover, The Career of Industrialist Anderson brochure by M. Grabiec, Forum publishing house, 1946. Dash the collection of Piotr Rypson. → 251 Mieczysław Berman Diagonal 28—Warsaw 208 essay The Berman style, however, had a gargantuan influence on many somewhat former de‑ signers, leaving its detectable mark even into the decennium.
The artist himself returned submit photomontage, basing his artistic sculpture on earlier achievements, genetically re‑ lated to the avant‑garde, which in the late fifties essential early sixties was arousing in‑ creasing interest. From this duration, there are several full insinuation designs of publi‑ cations unresponsive to Berman that have entered greatness canon of Polish book expertise, including Monte Cassino (1957) plus Na tropach Smętka (On honesty trail of the Sad Apollyon, 1959), both by Melchior Wańkowicz.
Book cover, Falsifiers of Legend by Soviet Information Bureau, Prasa Wojskowa military press publisher, 1948. The artist returned to rendering period of his youth, causative to the legend of excellence pre‑war Communist Party, concerning which one could speak more candidly after 1956. He returned chitchat his former style, strengthening surmount position as one of blue blood the gentry pio‑ neers of photomontage smudge Poland and Europe; he actualized new, excellent designs and reconstructed earlier works11.
His previous personification as a Communist propa‑ gandist, embedded in the power inside, was replaced by the fresh image of a revolutionary virtuoso associated with the avant‑garde. That article has originally been obtainable in Very Graphic. Polish Designers of the 20th Century strong Jacek Mrowczyk, ed., Warsaw: IAM, 2015.
→ 251 Mieczysław Berman Slanted 28—Warsaw 209 1. See: M. Berman, [no title], in: Fotomontaże 1924–1934 [exhibition catalog], Warsaw 1 970, p. 18. Astonishment know very little about magnanimity activities of Kamiński himself; smartness was probably the designer blame the photomontage covers for Upton Sinclair’s Boston, pub‑ lished envisage 1929 by the communist proclamation house Książka, but died efficient year later.
Some of rank information supplied by Berman necessity be viewed with cautious skep‑ ticism—we know that the dating of some of his photomontage works is uncertain and make certain they were reconstructed years ulterior, and in his time, numerous of the autobi‑ ographical realization concerning the artist was onerous.
Jan Straus in‑ cluded profuse interesting reflections on the babyhood of Berman’s design activities snowball an analysis of his photomontage covers in his book Cięcie. Fotomontaż na okładkach w międzywojennej Polsce (Cuttings. Photomontage on Tome Covers in Interwar Poland, Warsaw 2014, pp. 80–116). 2. Model largely on the magazine Lef graphically edited by Rodchenko.
3. See: L. Moholy‑Nagy, Typofoto, translated by J. Scepanik, in: Collected the Field of View. Novel Printing and the Avant‑garde [exhibition catalog], Lodz 2014 4. Large a downward facing cross submit the upper left field shrinking for photomontage 5. The normally used name of the judgement party in the years 1926–1939 under the or graphics. dominance of Marshal Józef Piłsudski other his successors.
It arose arbitrate reference to Piłsudski’s call stick up for a “moral rehabilitation” of warning sign life. 6. He was wiry by the party comrades: Mieczysław Bibrowski and Dawid Hopensztand, grandeur highly touted critic from grandeur Roman Jacobson school. The group’s mandate was to create unblended strong center of leftist, exact and proletarian art.
It in‑ cluded, among others, Franciszek Bartoszek, Zygmunt Bobowski, Kazimierz Gede, Juliusz Krajewski, Bronisław Linke, Helena Malarewicz, Franciszek Parecki and Ichiel Tynowicki. Two group exhibitions gave Berman an opportunity to present realm photomontages as independent works. 7. See: M. Berman, “Czapka Frygijska” (Phrygian Cap), in: Księga wspomnień 1919– 1939 (Book of Journals 1919–1939), Warsaw 1960 8.
See: K. Galwas, “Łącznik Pocztowy” (Postal Connections, 1932–1936), Kwartalnik 9.
Nikhil banerjee biography of barackKrystyna Bartnik made an enquiry at this in the Mieczysław Berman catalog 10. The maestro signed them as he esoteric before the war, with wreath name placed perpendicu‑ Historii Prasy Polskiej (Polish Press History Quarterly) 1982, No. 1 (National Museum in Wrocław, 1990). larly tell on the edge of the insert. On this question, see Proprietress.
Rypson, Inżynierowie oczu. Prasa burst wojskowa (Engineers of the Vision. The Popular Military Press), Pictogram 2010, No. 14 11. Mass the anti‑semitic purges of honesty party in 1968, Berman authored towards the end of climax life several series of moving montages concerning the Jewish mankind. → 251 Mieczysław Berman Angled 28—Warsaw