The Bald Soprano – Typographic Book by Robert Massin (1964)
Date
Credits
- Robert Massin Designer
Format
- Book 880
Clients
Publishers
Typefaces
Media
- paper 1699
Techniques
- photography 122
- printing 666
- Typewriter 5
Dimensions
Printed Pages
Links
In 1964, Robert Massin designed a book of Typographical Interpretations based on Eugene Ionesco's play "La Cantatrice Chauve" (The Bald Soprano).
Massin worked with photographer Henry Cohen with the use of black and white photos of the actors paired with his widely known art of expressive typography. Massin was inspired by the theory of Pierre Faucheux, in which “every aspect of a book should express its content… "meaning text is no longer text, but a sort of independent art piece. Throughout the book, dialogue is presented in unique ways, such as the use of various font sizes to accentuate tone, typefaces to associate characters or twisting typography to traverse across pages in a scene to give movement.
Massin's use of unconventional ways of using typography, he was able to capture and reflect the absurdist essence of Ionesco's play. This typographic book redefined book design and is a pioneering piece in visual storytelling.
The Bald Soprano was written by Eugene Ionesco and published under the title La Cantatrice chauve by Editions Gallimard in 1964 for the unpublished text.
