_03 _1956–1964: the van abbe museum and the nederlandse kunst stichting
The characters are used to effect, but they also have a compositional role. Often they span the full width of the surface, like a horizon. The coloured areas act as background, but are sometimes divided into horizontal bands. However, the central axis is not a starting point: the texts are off centre. On occasion the bands are vertical (e.g. Bazaine, Nieuwe Nederlandse kerken). Sometimes we have to take the horizon at face value, as in the case of Fernhout, who painted abstract landscapes, or in Beelden in het heden (Sculpture in the Present), where the word-images stand in the space like sculptures In the posters that Crouwel did for the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven and the Nederlandse and the bands produce a suggestion of depth. _In the compositions of the posters there is Kunst Stichting (Netherlands Art Foundation) quite a prominent role for the subtexts: informabetween 1956 and 1963, the leading role was tion about the museum is positioned in lines or given to two elements: lettering and colour. blocks on the surface, often in a different colour. These are purely graphic posters, one of the Supporting information is usually set in Gill, most striking features of which is that for each partly because at that time the printers, artist Crouwel created an image with letters. Lecturis, had no other sans serifs. However, in Sometimes the inspiration for this came from the early sixties this intuitive shifting around of the artist’s work, examples being the black eletexts until they looked good was something that ments in the paintings of Léger, Fernhout’s Crouwel began to reject in favour of a more touches of the brush, and the contrasts in the tapestries of Lurçat. At other times his inspira- systematic and reasoned approach. He became disaffected with the whole craft aspect. Despite tion would come from who knows where. this, the hand-made words remain the most _In the first posters, NA (Nieuwe aanwinsten, interesting feature. On the posters with New Acquisitions) and 50 (Fifty Years of Austrian Art), Crouwel used a logo-like sign. He took ‘ordinary’ texts something else has to happen to achieve visual tension. The Steinert poster, particular pleasure in constructing letters out for example, derives its effect from setting the of elements, like an architect or industrial de1 text compactly all together. The tendency signer, and drew them all by hand. He would towards compression and compactness – everybegin with a small sketch and then draw it full thing packed in tightly up against the edge – size. In these letters there are occasionally always contrasts with the wider space in which conspicuous square or rectangular counters (see Fugare, Trends in Contemporary Dutch Art). the words and lines swim free. There is at once _1 Broos 2003.
Posters for group exhibitions Couzijn, Lataster, 1960, Beelden in het heden (Sculpture in the Present), 1961, Wagemaker, Wolvecamp, Diederen, Stekelenburg, 1961, Hussem, Bouthoorn, 1961, silk-screen, 88 x 60.
118