THE LAST MOVIE PAINTER

Director's Statement

The present-day concept of art is much broader than it used to be in the past. If producing art is a question of conveying emotions, reading the hearts of viewers and interpreting the world, revisiting it and transmitting sensations, then film posters are art too. The history of twentieth-century art has always marginalised film posters and has often failed to take them into consideration because they were developed for the masses. This has meant that the artistic disciplines have not studied the history of these works or of their creators, the so-called poster designers. Critics have always considered artists to be something else. And yet, thanks to their communicative efficacy and their imaginativeness, Casaro’s paintings could feature in any art gallery without any preconceptions, not only because illustration has been re-evaluated in critical terms over time, but also because, upon close scrutiny, Casaro’s work acquires a personal value, reigniting emotions and memories. To this regard, Fellini said: “People love film posters because they’re like songs: they take you back to certain moments of your life, preventing you from losing them. They don’t only take you back to films, but to their seasons, to the climate and flavour of those seasons. We have also got to know tenderness, languor, desire and fear through film posters." Casaro’s film posters are a great way to look back over the history of cinema, particularly the history of film audiences, the history of film promotion, but also the history of advertising, the history of illustration and the history of art.