Typographical ‘Painting’ – broadside, L’Ecole des Arts Graphiques, 1947
Notes
Since the earliest days of the trade, printers and typographers have been ‘painting’ with type. In the 19th century, compositors who excelled at creating decorative forms using type material were often called ‘rule benders’ – the name came from their ability to bend lead rules into various shapes and then set type within them.
In the 20th century, many typographers were drawn to the abstract potential of letterforms and began creating non-representational typographic ‘paintings’. This piece – produced under Arthur Gladu’s supervision at L’Ecole des Arts Graphiques – is an early Canadian example of that impulse. It was also a touching gift for Carl Dair. – Rod McDonald
Items in this Collection
Title: Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor
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Artifact
Article Data
Category
Date
Title
Description
Three-colour letterpress printed broadside
8 × 10 inches (approximately)
Client
Carl DairCredits
Designed and printed by students at L’Ecole des Arts Graphiques, Montreal
Principal Typefaces
Region
QuebecLanguage
English
Holding
The Carl Dair Papers at the Robertson Davies Library, Massey College, University of Toronto
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Notes copyright
Accompanying notes are licensed under Creative Commons licensing CCbyNC which allows for non-commercial use with attribute.
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