Laughter over the Warta

Andrzej Pągowski’s poster for “Śmiechu nad Wartą” (Poznań, 3–7 May 1978) shows a finely drawn orange wicker pram gliding across a black background, yet instead of a baby it cradles two billy goats—the heraldic symbol of Poznań. This grotesque swap signals that the student confrontation of humour and satire is not meant to lull the viewer to sleep, but to jab them with sly irony. The vivid orange line work and purple blanket contrast with the somber black, creating a theatrical “spotlight on a prop” effect. The pram hints at the “birth” of a joke while playing with the trope of innocence by smuggling in the city’s emblem from the banks of the Warta. The poster marries elegant linework with visual wit, revealing Pągowski’s hallmark: satire that bites—yet always in style.