HOUSE II Poster 2016

This poster for 'House II' by Robert Sammelin, from the 20th century, grabs your attention with its bold colours and graphic style. Sammelin isn’t trying to hide the process; you can see every line, every stroke that builds up the image. There's a real tension in the colours; the deep blacks and reds push forward against the bright blues of the skull and other details. Look at the zombies at the top - see how the fine hatching creates a dense texture that gives them a feeling of decay and age. It's like Sammelin is relishing the act of creation, of building something from nothing. This poster reminds me of other artists who embraced the raw energy of comic books and B-movie posters. Think of someone like Roy Lichtenstein, but with a darker, more playful edge. It is a testament to the fact that art is an ongoing conversation, a back-and-forth between artists across time, each riffing on the ideas of those who came before.