''Back Street'', 1961 - art by Silvano Campeggi
by Movie World Posters
Title
''Back Street'', 1961 - art by Silvano Campeggi
Artist
Movie World Posters
Medium
Mixed Media - Vintage Movie Poster
Description
A vintage Italian movie poster of ''Back Street'', a 1961 romantic drama film directed by David Miller and based on the 1931 Fannie Hurst novel of the same name. The film is a remake of the 1932 film of the same title and was later remade in 1981 as a television movie.
The story revolves around the complicated and enduring love affair between two individuals, Paul Saxon (played by John Gavin) and Rae Smith (played by Susan Hayward). Paul is a successful and wealthy businessman, while Rae is a talented fashion designer. They first meet and fall in love, but circumstances force them to go their separate ways. Paul marries another woman, Liz (played by Vera Miles), while Rae becomes a successful career woman.
Despite their marriages to other people, Paul and Rae's love for each other endures over the years. They engage in a long-term affair, meeting in secret whenever possible. The film explores the emotional complexities of their forbidden love and the sacrifices they make to be together.
"Back Street" is known for its melodramatic and romantic storyline, as well as the strong performances of its cast, particularly Susan Hayward in the lead role. The film explores themes of love, sacrifice, and societal expectations and is a classic example of romantic melodrama from the early 1960s. It's worth noting that this film has been remade several times, but the 1961 version remains one of the most well-known adaptations.
About the artist:
Silvano Campeggi, nicknamed "Nano," has a unique style characterized by a sharp simplicity. The line of his drawings is distinct and thick, with few colors and elements. This essentiality is not an obstacle as it led him to create endless scenarios and combinations.
The style is vaguely reminiscent of Japanese prints and etchings: there is the same pursuit of cleanliness, balance, and graphic directness. Campeggi in some movie posters even reaches the conceptual style, choosing for the representation of the film just iconic objects, a face, an expression, a title. There is truly essential modernity in Campeggi's posters.
Silvano "Nano" Campeggi (1923–2018), born in Florence, Italy, was a painter and poster designer, today considered one of the most influential graphic artists in the history of American cinema. While living in Hollywood, he designed and produced the posters for many classic Hollywood films. As a result, he became known as "The Artist to the Stars".
Campeggi returned to Florence in the late 1990s after a long career in the United States, where he had created cinematic billboards for historical films such as 'Gone with the Wind," "Casablanca," "Singing in the Rain," "An American in Paris," "West Side Story," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Winners and Losers," "Exodus," and "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
His father, a printer and typesetter, introduced him to the world of graphics and design at an early age. Campeggi attended the Art School at Porta Romana, studying under accomplished painters such as Ottone Rosai and Ardengo Soffici.
Campeggi's first career breakthrough arrived in the form of a World War II commission from the American Red Cross to paint the portraits of American soldiers before they returned home. After the war, he moved to Rome, where he was engaged by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Following, he produced the poster for "Gone with the Wind," featuring a painting of Clark Gable holding Vivien Leigh in a passionate embrace.
Over the course of his career, Campeggi designed posters and advertising graphics for over 3000 films, designing for the likes of MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Universal, Columbia Pictures, United Artists, RKO, 20th Century Fox, and several other movie studios. Sixty-four of the films he illustrated for won Oscars.
By the 1970s, film poster illustrations packed less of a punch due to the emergence of television and newspaper advertising. In response, Campeggi returned to Florence, Italy around that time. Various private and public organizations soon commissioned him to do paintings, including a postage stamp in 1975.
In 2008, for the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s birth, Campeggi was commissioned to produce a special tribute titled "The Girls of Puccini." The same year, he began working on a Napoleon series to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the emperor's association with the island of Elba. The "Napoleon at Elba" exhibition opened in September 2008 at Portoferraio.
Search "Campeggi" to see his other posters.
Uploaded
January 26th, 2022
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