Ion Popescu was a Romanian graphic artist and animator, best known as the creator of the little black-and-white man, who is often referred to as ‘Gopo’s Little Man’ or ‘Homo Sapien’. Popescu first used the character in his film ‘Scurta Istorie’ (‘A Brief Story’), that won the Short Film Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival in 1957. Popescu began his career in 1939, drawing cartoons and caricatures for newspapers. He made his first comic strips for Piţigoiul in 1944, and debuted in the film industry in 1949 with ‘Punguţa cu doi bani’.
Apart from starring in animatied films by Popescu’s studio Animafilm, Gopo’s little man also starred in comic strips, published in the magazines Cravata Roşie (1966-1967), Luminiţa (1967-1969) and Cinéma (1970, 1980). Popescu was responsible for the TV and cinema propaganda department of the World Health Organization in Geneva between 1969 and 1973. Back in Romania, he became president of the Romanian Movie Maker’s Association.
Artwork © 2023 Gopo
Last updated: 2022-04-12
