What you see here is the hand-crafted magic of Renato Casaro, the late Italian designer who practically defined an era of cinematic cool. His work wasn't just advertising; it was art.
Casaro's journey into becoming one of the most recognizable poster artists wasn't by chance; it was a pure obsession. As a kid, he was fascinated by billboards, trying to mimic the styles of Norman Rockwell and Angelo Cesselon. Think of a teen so determined that he was drawing right onto the walls of a local cinema just to snag a few free tickets.
Casaro created posters for a lot of Spaghetti Westerns. His big break came with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964. The movie starred Clint Eastwood and was directed by Sergio Leone. The poster didn’t just promote the film; it helped make it a global hit. Naturally, Leone came calling again, commissioning posters for My Name Is Nobody (1973) and the epic crime saga, Once Upon a Time in America (1984).
A Casaro poster is easy to spot because of his unique style. He was great at dramatic portraits that showed strong emotion and action. But his real magic came from the colors he used. They are bold, high-contrast, and deeply saturated. He used vibrant reds and oranges, deep, atmospheric blues and purples, and golden yellows and strong highlights.
His résumé also included artwork for several well-known films, such as Flash Gordon (1980), Octopussy (1983), The NeverEnding Story (1984), Wild Orchid (1989), and Dances With Wolves (1990). A documentary about his life, The Last Movie Painter, was released in 2020.
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