Camelot 1967

This is Robert Peak’s poster for the film *Camelot*, likely made in 1967. It’s a work made with commercial intent, and you can see that clearly in the way it combines painterly technique with pure graphic design. Look closely, and you’ll notice it is made up of broad brushstrokes, which lends a slightly blurred, romantic quality, like you're seeing a dream. The image also has clear outlines that give definition to the forms, which serves to flatten the image into a graphic one. This push and pull between the painterly and the graphic lends a sense of heightened unreality. Peak was not afraid to use the techniques of fine art for commercial purposes, producing iconic images for films like *My Fair Lady* and *Apocalypse Now*. In this way, he reminds us that there is no real hierarchy between the fine and applied arts. What matters is how skillfully the work is made, and how memorable it proves to be.