Write Up: Grzegorz Domaradzki's "Raging Bull" Movie Posters

Prints like these are the whole reason I created Posterocalypse. I mean that. There's something incredibly satisfying about seeing an artist's work who you've come to respect (and write about) go from a jaw-dropping, but ultimately unattainable, collection of concept illustrations in his Behance portfolio, to now being able to purchase that very artwork you've drooled over for what feels like an eternity. Actually, let's rewind a bit, I'm feeling talkative. Grzegorz Domaradzki ("Gabz") is someone I've been following for a while now (no, not in a "I'm calling from inside your house" sort of way) and was one of the first artists I ever wrote about here. It was January 31st in the Year of our Lord two thousand and eleven, the site had been around for a little over a month, and I was desperately trying to figure out what Posterocalypse was / is / could be (for the record: I'm still not sure). Racked with the sort of indecisive apathy that often accompanies any twentysomething worth his weight in Pringles that decides to create a blog in that most sacred of periods often referred to as "free time" (also known as the 72 hours I was neither working at my soul-crushing job or sleeping in my lumpy bed), I needed to find something that excited me. Well, I found it and its name was "Grzegorz Domaradzki's Vector Movie Posters," or rather, that was the title of my post about Grzegorz Domaradzki's vector movie posters. Long story short, I was blown away by Gabz's Raging Bull artwork and had this to say about the piece:

"And last but not least, we have this wonderful Raging Bull poster. This poster may be my favorite as it perfectly captures the film's beautiful black and white cinematography and much like the boxing bouts, is very minimal except for the flashing bulbs of the reporters. Will somebody please make these posters a reality?!" - Me (1/31/2011)

And here we are! There's an actual Raging Bull print by Grzegorz Domaradzki coming out on Friday (8/24) through Spoke Art! This either means the poster gods are real, love to read art blogs, grant wishes, and watch Minecraft strategy videos on Youtube, or (and this one is far more likely), a ton of other people saw what a talent this guy is and decided they would be stupid not to work with him. Without further ado, here's the art that inspired this lengthy jumble of words and run-on sentences.

Raging Bull Movie Poster (Regular - English)
Grzegorz Domaradzki (AKA Gabz)
18" x 24" (Screen Print) - Numbered
$40 - Limited to 75

Raging Bull Movie Poster (Variant - Polish)
Grzegorz Domaradzki (AKA Gabz)
18" x 24" (Screen Print) - Numbered
$75 - Limited to 25

I love, love, love these prints! Gabz's frenzied line work evokes La Motta's mercurial nature and the quote below De Niro's bust provides that one-two punch to the gut. Also, I'm not sure what it is about foreign languages, I feel the same way about Doyle's and Moss' Japanese prints, maybe it's the otherworldliness of a recognizable image, coupled with words I can't hope to read or understand, but I find it lends the Polish versions of the Raging Bull posters a beautifully strange and surreal quality (which I'm quite partial to). Finally, I really admire the visible restraint on display. To go a bit further, by constructing the background almost completely without detail except for the diffused light from the flashes of the reporting press, Jake La Motta's head is that much bolder and set apart from the world around him. It makes for a beautiful and startling effect.

Raging Bull Movie Poster (Regular - Polish)
Grzegorz Domaradzki (AKA Gabz)
18" x 24" (Screen Print) - Numbered
$40 - Limited to 75

Raging Bull Movie Poster (Variant - English)
Grzegorz Domaradzki (AKA Gabz)
18" x 24" (Screen Print) - Numbered
$75 - Limited to 25

Grzegorz Domaradzki's Raging Bull screen prints will be available at a random time on Friday (8/24) through Spoke Art's online store. Warning: these posters are gonna go fast, so be sure to follow @Spoke_Art on Twitter for the exact drop time! To learn more about artist Gabz, be sure to checkout iamgabz.com and his Facebook page.