Silkscreen travel poster: Inspiration

I found these silkscreen posters via Posters for the People: Art of the WPA Era, by Ennis Carter. The first is a very well-known, gorgeous poster by Alexander Dux around 1936 - 1938. The composition of the piece is fantastic-- the little black silhouettes of the people are emphasized against the blue colors of the columns, and the repeated vertical shapes (even the vertical shape of the poster) creates a really nice sense of unity. Brilliant!

This next piece is by an unknown artist in 1938 for the Grand Canyon National Park. What I like in particular about this piece is the use of color to create depth. The canyon in the foreground used the same colors as the one behind it, but by using black in the shadows, the canyon has more clarity and the impression that it is closer to the viewer. The canyons in the far distance do not use the dark gray/blue color, so it looks faded and far away. It is a very creative use of a limited palette to create a huge sense of space.