''Rome, Open City'', 1945 - art by Anselmo Ballester
by Movie World Posters
Title
''Rome, Open City'', 1945 - art by Anselmo Ballester
Artist
Movie World Posters
Medium
Mixed Media - Vintage Movie Poster
Description
A vintage movie poster of ''Rome, Open City'', (original title: "Roma, città aperta") is a 1945 Italian neorealist war drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. It is considered a seminal work in the history of cinema. Here's a description of the movie:
Title: Rome, Open City (Roma, città aperta)
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Release Year: 1945
Genre: War, Drama
Synopsis: "Rome, Open City" is set in Rome during the Nazi occupation of Italy in World War II. The film tells the story of several characters who are affected by the harsh realities of life under German control. The central characters include:
Pina (played by Anna Magnani), a brave and determined woman who is engaged to Francesco and is pregnant.
Father Don Pietro Pellegrini (played by Aldo Fabrizi), a Catholic priest who secretly supports the Italian Resistance.
Giorgio Manfredi (played by Marcello Pagliero), an anti-Fascist resistance fighter who seeks refuge from the Nazis.
Marcello (played by Vito Annichiarico), Pina's young son who witnesses the events unfolding around him.
As the characters' lives intersect, they are drawn into the resistance movement and face the brutal consequences of their actions under Nazi oppression. The film explores themes of sacrifice, courage, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of tyranny.
Cast: The film features a talented cast, including Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi, Marcello Pagliero, and Harry Feist, among others.
"Rome, Open City" is celebrated for its pioneering role in the neorealist movement, which emphasized authenticity and depicted the harsh realities of everyday life. Shot on location in post-war Rome with a small budget and non-professional actors, the film captured the raw emotions and struggles of its characters. It is considered a masterpiece of Italian cinema and a significant work of art that reflects the resilience of the Italian people during a dark period in their history.
About the artist:
Anselmo Ballester (1897–1974) was a noted Italian painter and film poster designer from Rome. He was the son of Federico Ballester (Rome, 1868–1926), a painter of Spanish origins. Inspired by his father's artistic endeavors growing up, Anselmo completed his first works at 15.
After attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, he specialized in film advertising for the most important silent film production houses. He created posters and other advertising material for CINES, Caesar Film, and numerous other studios.
In his studio in Rome, via della Croce 50a (then via della Passeggiata Ripetta 19), he spent almost 50 years creating thousands of sketches for playbills and paintings for film posters. He went on to form the design company BCM along with two other prominent Italian poster artists, Alfredo Capitani and Luigi Martinati
The movie posters Ballester created between the 1930s and 1950s showcased his unique painting style using tempera medium and bold colors. They typically featured one or two significant characters. His style is reminiscent of pulp fiction covers and, like the best cinema advertisements, were infused with intrigue, conflict, and passion. His works were uncomplicated yet rich in detail, a techniqe and style he himself describes:
"To become a creator of film posters ... it is necessary to study passionately, always to draw and paint everything from the truth. Then you can let your imagination run free. Whether you are creating a work of art, or a more humble advertising poster, you must be able to attract the interest of the public, to satisfy both the most refined people and the roughest, who are the majority."
From a stylistic and compositional point of view, Alfredo Ballester began by drawing inspiration from the advertising posters of Art Nouveau, and then he defined his personal code. The painter exhibited a common layout in his movie posters: the actor or actress beautifully portrayed in the foreground, and one or two scenes from the film in the background.
To achieve this result, he used a methodical technique, making numerous sketches of the project only after having the best two selected by the client, he devoted himself to the final painting, strictly handmade.
Ballester's color palette, however, was his greatest talent. The artist used colors expressively, as a tool to convey emotions. The portraits of the stars were extremely realistic but often colored with unnatural hues such as pinks or intense light blues. Ballester illustrated his characters with colors capable of conveying the range of feelings transmitted by the film.
He was written about in "Anselmo Ballester: the Origins of the Film Poster," published by the University of Parma, Study Center and Communication Archive in 1981. In addition, Dave Kerr made extensive use of his images in his 2003 book, "Italian Film Posters, "published by The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Permanent collections of his work are displayed at the University of Parma, Communication Studies Center and Archive (CSAC) and the Cinema Museum in Brush, Montecosaro.
To see more of his posters search by his last name.
Uploaded
September 22nd, 2021
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