Bestiary/Bestiario (poster for the book by Pablo Neruda)

Antonio Frasconi

This poster advertised the publication of Chilean poet Pablo Naruda's "Bestiary" which was illustrated with 48 Frasconi woodcuts. The book was designed by Frasconi and printed at Spiral Press in an edition of 300.

Pablo Neruda created the poem 'Bestiario' (Bestiary) in 1958, using insects and animals as metaphors for his role and reality of life. The artist, Uruguayan born Antonio Frasconi, had been a admirer of Neruda's art and created the art for the poem in his woodcut style. The bold, black and some two tone color images give rise to the striking visual to the art of the poem which is in both Spanish and English.

The composition of the poster is composed of 25 small relief prints and screenprints and includes 3 images of both Frasconi and Neruda, the other 19 creatures are unique.