Art / Enjoy this Trip: the Art of Music Posters, Goulburn Regional Art Gallery until May 24. Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.

Posters have been used for centuries to promote events. By the 19^th century text-heavy posters printed from woodblocks were common, but around the turn of the 20^th century,  following significant advances in printing techniques,  the art of the poster really became very decorative and commonplace.

Jules Chéret, sometimes regarded as the father of the modern poster studied colour lithography in London. He used colour with verve and vigour and attracted other artists living and working in Paris at the time. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha were poster artists of the 1890s and introduced the Art Nouveau style with sensuousness and eroticism, including flowing lines and curves, with interconnected letters

This travelling exhibition from the National Gallery of Australia features posters from the US from the mid 1960s. They were acquired by the then Australian National Gallery in 1978 from Postermat, an historic rock poster store in San Francisco –  and important purveyor of psychedelic rock posters.

Different printing techniques were used and colours explode off the paper. The artists captured the revolutionary spirit of the times. The text was often illegible, but that did not seem to be a problem.

An important inclusion of the exhibition is a collection of Australian posters. In the 1970s pub rock became the place to hear bands such as Cold Chisel, Hunters & Gatherers and Mental As Anything. The differences between the two collections is quite stark – those from the US are lyrical and tranquil. Those from Australia seem much more in your face, using Australian imagery and landmarks and a strong sense of humour.

Poster collectives were set up in inner Sydney including Tin Sheds (Sydney University At Workshop) and Lucifoil Poster Collective. The artists mostly promoted social justice and political issues of the times, and often promoted music as well.

These collectives were important places where community arts projects were developed. They mostly used screen printing techniques that were quick and cheap and relatively easy.

The exhibition will take people my age back to their youth and remind viewers of the optimism and hope of the late 1960s and 1970s. For such ephemeral art works, these posters brought back many memories of the times.

Canberra glass artist Hannah Gason is showing two works under the title Tomorrow. This artist explores light which inevitably includes shadows. The two works explore blending of colour, opacity, translucency from multiple viewpoints.

Megalo’s birthday love letter to the print process