Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin worked at the turn of two centuries and became famous as an artist, illustrator, and magnificent craftsman. theatrical scenery. He created own style in graphics, which the viewer really liked and found many imitators. The fate of this amazing master and his exquisite legacy in art invariably remains in the center of attention of a modern cultured person.
The beginning of the journey
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin was born on August 4 (16), 1876 in the village of Tarkhovka, near St. Petersburg. The artist's ancestors are famous Kaluga merchants, famous for their philanthropy and keen interest in the destinies of the fatherland. The artist's father, Yakov Ivanovich Bilibin, was a naval doctor, then the head of a hospital and a medical inspector imperial fleet, participated in Russian-Turkish war. The father dreamed of seeing his son become a lawyer, and young Ivan Bilibin, having graduated from high school, entered the Faculty of Law at St. Petersburg University.
The young man studied conscientiously, listened to the full course of lectures, defended thesis. But next to this completely practical prospect that promised a brilliant legal future, another dream always lived. He drew with passion since childhood. Simultaneously with his studies at the university, Bilibin studied the science of painting and graphics at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. For a month and a half he took lessons in a private art school Austro-Hungarian artist Anton Azbe in Munich. It was here that the study of drawing was given special meaning and developed in students the ability to find individual artistic style. At home, Bilibin studied diligently in a painting workshop under the guidance of Ilya Repin.
Favorite topic
During Bilibin's studies at the Higher art school The Academy of Arts, where Repin placed the young man, hosted an exhibition of Viktor Vasnetsov, who wrote in a unique romantic manner on the themes of Russian myths and fairy tales. The exhibition was attended by many of our artists who would become famous in the future. Bilibin Ivan Yakovlevich was among them. Vasnetsov’s works struck the student to the very heart; he later admitted that he saw here what his soul was unconsciously yearning for and what his soul was yearning for.
In 1899-1902, the Russian Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers published a series of books equipped with excellent illustrations for folk tales. There were graphic paintings for the fairy tales “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “The White Duck”, “Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird” and many others. The author of the drawings was Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin.
Illustrations for folk tales
His understanding of the national spirit and poetry that breathes Russian folklore was formed not only under the influence of a vague attraction to folk art. The artist passionately wanted to know and studied the spiritual component of his people, their poetics and way of life. In 1899, Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin visited the village of Egny, in the Tver province, in 1902 he studied the culture and ethnography of the Vologda province, a year later the artist visited the Olonets and Arkhangelsk provinces. Bilibin brought back a collection of works from his trips folk artists, photographs of wooden architecture.
His impressions resulted in journalistic works and scientific reports O folk art, architecture and national costume. An even more fruitful result of these travels were Bilibin’s original works, which revealed the master’s passion for graphics and a completely special style. Two bright talents lived in Bilibin - a researcher and an artist, and one gift fed the other. Ivan Yakovlevich worked with particular care on the details, not allowing himself to falsify a single line.
Style specifics
Why is Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin so different in his style from other artists? Photos of his wonderful and joyful works help to understand this. On a piece of paper we see a clear patterned graphic outline, executed with extreme detail and colored with a whimsical watercolor range of the most cheerful shades. His illustrations for epics and fairy tales are surprisingly detailed, lively, poetic and not without humor.
Taking care of the historical authenticity of the image, which was manifested in the drawings in the details of costume, architecture, and utensils, the master knew how to create an atmosphere of magic and mysterious beauty. In this regard, Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, whose biography is closely connected with this group of artists, is very close in spirit to the creative association “World of Art”. They were all united by an interest in the culture of the past, in the alluring charms of antiquity.
Worldview in drawings
From 1907 to 1911 Bilibin created a whole series unsurpassed illustrations for epics and fairy tales poetic works Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Here are delightful and exquisite pictures for “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” and “The Tale of Tsar Saltan.” The illustrations became not just an addition, but a kind of continuation of these verbal works, which, without a doubt, Master Bilibin read with his soul.
Ivan the Tsarevich and the frog who turned into a princess, and Yaga, Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber, Elena the Beautiful, Churila Plenkovich, Svyatogor - how many heroes did Ivan Yakovlevich feel with his heart and “revive” on a piece of paper!
Folk art also gave the master some techniques: ornamental and popular print methods of design artistic space, which Bilibin brought to perfection in his creations.
Activities in print media
Ivan Bilibin worked as an artist and in magazines of that time. He created masterpieces of printing, which greatly contributed to the growth of this industry and its introduction into popular culture. Publications “People's Reading Room”, “Golden Fleece”, “ Artistic treasures Russia” and others could not do without Bilibin’s elegant and meaningful vignettes, screensavers, covers and posters.
Worldwide fame
The works of the Russian graphic master became known abroad. They were shown at exhibitions in Prague and Paris, Venice and Berlin, Vienna, Brussels and Leipzig. They were reprinted by foreign magazines, and foreign theaters ordered sketches from Bilibin for the design of performances.
Satirical drawings
For the decade between 1920-1930, Ivan Yakovlevich fruitfully and successfully worked on the design of theatrical productions: he made drawings for opera seasons at the Champs-Elysees Theater, worked at the Russian Opera in Paris enterprise, and created outlandish sketches for Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird.”
Return
Life in exile was rich and free, but the artist was haunted by a growing longing for Russia. During his voluntary exile, he did not accept foreign citizenship anywhere, and in 1935 he took Soviet citizenship. At the same time, he created the monumental panel “Mikula Selyaninovich” for the building of the Soviet embassy in the capital of France. A year later, the artist and his family returned to their homeland. Bilibin was warmly received by the new government and became a professor at the graphic workshop of the Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture of the Academy of Arts in Leningrad. He did not give up work in the field of book graphics.
Died in besieged Leningrad in 1942 from hunger and was buried in a common professorial grave at the Smolensk cemetery.
The amazing Russian artist Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin left a distinct and vivid mark on the history of world art. Paintings, frescoes, graphics and other examples of his inspiring creativity are now kept in public and private collections. They decorate the halls of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and are exhibited in the Theater Museum. Bakhrushin in Moscow, in the Kiev Museum of Russian Art, in London's Victoria and Albert Museum, in the Paris National Gallery, in the Oxford Ashmolean Museum and many others.
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Biography, life story of Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin
Bilibin Ivan Yakovlevich is a Russian artist, book illustrator and theater set designer.
The beginning of the journey
Ivan was born on 04 (16 according to the new style). 08.1876 in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, in the village of Tarkhovka. Father, Yakov Ivanovich, served as a ship's doctor on navy. Mother, Varvara Alexandrovna, was raised in the family of a marine engineer.
At the age of 12, Ivan was admitted to the First Classical Gymnasium of the capital. In 1896 he graduated from the educational institution. The student’s efforts were awarded with a silver medal.
In 1900 he became a graduate lawyer at St. Petersburg University.
From an early age, Ivan was attracted to painting, and he combined his studies at the university with attending classes at the drawing school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. In 1898 he learned the basics of drawing under the supervision of famous artist Anton Azhbe. Stay in the Munich workshop of the outstanding master of the second brush half of the 19th century centuries lasted only a couple of months. However, during this relatively short period, the young Russian painter learned in practice the basics creative profession and developed his own style of drawing.
Need I mention that subsequent painting lessons taught to Ivan Bilibin by the great Ilya Repin, first in the studio of Princess Maria Tenisheva, and then at the Higher Art School of the Academy of Arts, contributed to the final formation of his young talent skillful skills.
Working on books and in the theater
By the way, in St. Petersburg, through the efforts of the artist and critic Alexander Benois and theater figure Sergei Diaghilev, the World of Art association was born. Bilibin immediately plunged headlong into his activities.
In 1899, Ivan Yakovlevich happened to visit the village of Egny, which was located on the territory of the Vesyegonsky district of the Tver province. However, as it turned out, it was not in vain. Here, hundreds of miles from his hometown, Bilibin presented numerous connoisseurs of his work with illustrations for his first book entitled “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray wolf».
CONTINUED BELOW
From that time on, the so-called “Bilibin style” of drawing appeared, which many performers subsequently tried to imitate. We are talking about the development of Ivan Yakovlevich own method working on watercolors, which he did not change until the end of his years.
Bilibin's talent was revealed precisely in creating unique pictures for fairy tales, as well as epics.
At the beginning of the 20th century, works were published with colorful drawings by Bilibin. In particular, the well-known “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” and “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel”. Bilibin also paid attention to the artistic framing of the edition of fairy tales by the poet Alexander Roslavlev, whose work was in undeserved oblivion.
Bilibin’s works can also be found on the pages of the magazines “World of Art” and “Golden Fleece”.
The master was also famous for his participation in the design of theatrical productions. The artist’s contemporaries were completely delighted when they saw the opera “The Golden Cockerel” at the Zimin Theater in Moscow.
The Russian Revolution of 1905 left its mark on Bilibin’s work: unexpectedly for his contemporaries, he began creating cartoons.
From 1907 until the next revolution in 1917, Ivan Bilibin taught at the school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts.
Life in exile and during the USSR
After the revolutionary events of 1917, Bilibin moved to Crimea, where he had a workshop on the southern coast. After the retreat of the White Guards, he ended up in Rostov-on-Don, then in Novorossiysk. From there he sailed with Russian refugees to Egypt and settled in Cairo. Studied art of modern and ancient egypt, prepared sketches of frescoes for the estates of the rich.
In 1925, Bilibin arrived in Paris, where he was remembered by the local intelligentsia for creating magnificent sets for opera productions.
Years have passed, and hatred of the previous regime has evaporated. In the mid-30s, Bilibin worked with inspiration on the design of the USSR Embassy in the French capital.
In 1936, the sea artist returned to hometown, which was already called Leningrad. He made his living by giving lectures to students of the All-Russian Academy of Arts, but did not forget drawing. In addition, he worked in the theater.
The Leningrad period of Bilibin’s life is evidenced by memorial plaque on building No. 25, located on modern Liza Chaikina Street. Previously, the street was called Gulyarnaya.
Personal life
ABOUT family life Not as much is known about the famous artist as about his work. The first wife was the Russified Irishwoman Maria Ivanovna Chambers, book chart and theater artist. She gave her husband sons Alexander and Ivan, with whom she irrevocably left Russia in 1914 and settled in England.
The second companion turned out to be Renee O'Connell, his former student, a native of Paris. Ivan Yakovlevich broke up with her after five years of marriage.
In February 1923, Bilibin married the artist Alexandra Vasilievna Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya. The future wife came to the Egyptian capital especially for this purpose.
Death of an Artist
Bilibin died of hunger and cold on 02/07/1942 in Leningrad, besieged by Nazi troops. He met his death in the hospital at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. The artist's apartment, damaged due to bombing, was uninhabitable at the time. He found his last earthly refuge in the grave where the professors of the Academy of Arts rest. It is located near the Smolensk cemetery.
(1876-1942) made illustrations for Russian folk tales “The Frog Princess”, “The Feather of Finist-Yasna Falcon”, “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “Marya Morevna”, “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka”, “White Duck”, for fairy tales A. S. Pushkin - “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1904-1905), “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” (1906-1907), “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (1939) and many others.
I. Ya. Bilibin developed a system of graphic techniques that made it possible to combine illustrations and design in one style, subordinating them to the plane of the book page. Characteristics Bilibinsky style: the beauty of patterned designs, exquisite decorativeness of color combinations, subtle visual embodiment of the world, a combination of bright fabulousness with a sense of folk humor, etc.
The artist strove for an ensemble solution. He emphasized the flatness of the book page with a contour line, lack of lighting, coloristic unity, conventional division of space into plans and the combination of different points of view in the composition.
One of Bilibin’s significant works was illustrations for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A. S. Pushkin. This fairy tale, with its colorful pictures of ancient Russian life, provided rich food for Bilibin's imagination. With amazing skill and great knowledge, the artist depicted ancient costumes and utensils. He reflected the main episodes of Pushkin's fairy tale. However, different sources of stylization are noticeable between the sheets of the series. The illustration depicting Saltan looking into the little room is emotional and reminiscent of I. Ya. Bilibin’s winter landscapes from life. The scenes of receiving guests and feasts are very decorative and rich in motifs of Russian ornament. A leaf with a barrel floating on the sea is reminiscent of Hokusai's famous "Wave".
The process of I. Ya. Bilibin’s graphic drawing was reminiscent of the work of an engraver. Having sketched a sketch on paper, he clarified the composition in all details on tracing paper, and then translated it onto whatman paper. After this, using a kolinsky brush with a cut end, likening it to a chisel, I drew a clear wire outline with ink along the pencil drawing. In his mature period of creativity, Bilibin abandoned the use of the pen, which he sometimes resorted to in his early illustrations. For his impeccable firmness of line, his comrades jokingly nicknamed him “Ivan the Steady Hand.”
In I. Ya. Bilibin’s illustrations of 1900-1910, the composition, as a rule, unfolds parallel to the plane of the sheet. Large figures appear in majestic, frozen poses. The conditional division of space into plans and the combination of different points of view in one composition make it possible to maintain flatness. Lighting completely disappears, color becomes more conventional, the unpainted surface of the paper plays an important role, the way of marking a contour line becomes more complicated, and a strict system of strokes and dots takes shape.
The further development of the Bilibin style is that in later illustrations the artist moved from popular print techniques to the principles: the colors become more sonorous and richer, but the boundaries between them are now marked not by a black wire outline, but by tonal thickening and a thin colored line. The colors appear radiant, but retain locality and flatness, and the image sometimes resembles cloisonne enamel.
Artist's works:
Palace of Dodona. Scenery sketch for the first act of N. A. Rimskaya-Korsakov’s opera “The Golden Cockerel.” 1909
Illustration for Russian folk tale“Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what...”
Crimea. Batiliman. 1940
Book sign by A. E. Benakis. 1922
Ending for the magazine "World of Art". 1899
Ivan the Tsarevich and the Firebird. Illustration for “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf.” 1899
Vasilisa the Beautiful leaves Baba Yaga's house. Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1899
Cover for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1899
Baba Yaga. Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1900
Vasilisa the Beautiful and the White Horseman. Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1900
Screensaver for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful”. 1900
Red Rider. Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1900
Black Rider. Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1900
Red Rider (Noon or Sun). Illustration for the fairy tale “Vasilisa the Beautiful.” 1902
Screensaver for the fairy tale “The Feather of Finist Yasna-Falcon”. 1900
Maiden and Finist Yasen-Falcon. Illustration for the fairy tale “The Feather of Finist Yasna-Falcon.” 1900
Girl in the forest. Illustration for the fairy tale “The Feather of Finist Yasna-Falcon.” 1900
Screensaver for the fairy tale “The Frog Princess”. 1899
Illustration for the story “Once upon a time there was a king...” from the book “The Frog Princess”. 1900
Drawing from the book “The Frog Princess”. 1901
Screensaver for the fairy tale “Marya Morevna”. 1900
Good fellow, Ivan Tsarevich and his three sisters. Illustration for the fairy tale “Marya Morevna”. 1901
Ivan Tsarevich and “the army is a beaten force.” Illustration for the fairy tale “Marya Morevna”. 1901
Kashchei the Immortal. Illustration for the fairy tale “Marya Morevna”. 1901
Screensaver for the fairy tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” 1901
Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka. Illustration for the fairy tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” 1901
The ending to the fairy tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” 1902
Children and white duck. Illustration for the fairy tale “The White Duck”. 1902
Volga with her squad. Illustration for the epic "Volga". 1903
Kem River. Open letter.1904
The village of Poduzhemie. Sketch of an open letter. 1904
“Here he shrank to a point, turned into a mosquito...” Illustration for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A.S. Pushkin. 1904
“During the entire conversation he stood behind the fence...” Illustration for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A.S. Pushkin. 1904
Feast. Illustration for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A.S. Pushkin. 1905
Trade guests at Saltan's. Illustration for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A.S. Pushkin. 1905
Vologda girl in a festive outfit. Drawing for a postcard. 1905
Dadonov's army. U-turn. Illustration for “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” by A.S. Pushkin. 1906
Stargazer before Dadon. Illustration for “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” by A.S. Pushkin. 1906
King Dadon in front of the Shamakhan queen. Illustration for “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” by A.S. Pushkin. 1906
Cover for “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” by A.S. Pushkin. 1908
Archer in front of the king and retinue. Illustration for the fairy tale “Go there - I don’t know where.” 1919
Andrey the shooter and Strelchikha. 1919
Do you love fairy tales as much as I do?
I loved fairy tales as a child, and I still love fairy tales now. As a child, I loved listening to them and then reading them myself. And also, I really loved looking at illustrations for fairy tales. One of my favorite artists is Bilibin Ivan Yakovlevich
Much later I learned about his fate, and it is interesting and worthy of attention, just like his work.
Ivan Bilibin was born on August 4 (16), 1876 in the village of Tarkhovka (near St. Petersburg), in the family of a military doctor. Graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. In 1898 he studied in the studio of the artist A. Ashbe in Munich, then studied for several years under the guidance of Ilya Repin at the school-workshop of Maria Tenisheva. Lived mainly in St. Petersburg. After education artistic association"World of Art" became its active member. In 1899, Bilibin accidentally arrived in the village of Egny, Vesyegonsky district, Tver province. Here he created illustrations for the first time, in what later became the “Bilibin” style, for his first book, “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf.”
In 1902, 1903 and 1904, Bilibin visited the Vologda, Olonets and Arkhangelsk provinces, where he was sent by the ethnographic department of the Museum Alexandra III for collecting ethnographic materials and photographing monuments of ancient Russian wooden architecture.
Baba Yaga. Illustration for the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful"
White Rider. Illustration for the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful"
Black Rider. Illustration for the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful"
Red Rider. Illustration for the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful"
Bilibin's artistic talent was clearly manifested in his illustrations for Russian fairy tales and epics, as well as in his work on theatrical performances. From 1899 to 1902, he created a series of six “Fairy Tales” published by the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers, then the same publishing house published Pushkin’s fairy tales with illustrations by Bilibin. In particular, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1907) appeared
and "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" (1910).
In 1905, the epic Volga, illustrated by Bilibin, was published.
and in 1911 - Roslavlev’s fairy tales in the publishing house “Public Benefit”.
Screensaver for the fairy tale "White Duck"
Illustration for the fairy tale "White Duck"
Illustration for the fairy tale "Marya Morevna"
Illustration for the fairy tale "The Feather of Finist the Bright Falcon"
Illustration for the fairy tale “Go there, I don’t know where”
Illustration for the fairy tale "The Frog Princess".
Illustration for the fairy tale "Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka"
In addition to the “fairy-tale” style with ancient Russian ornamental motifs is the production of the opera “The Golden Cockerel” designed by Bilibin in 1909 at the Zimin Theater in Moscow.
In the spirit of the French mystery, he presented “The Miracle of St. Theophilus" (1907), recreating a medieval religious drama; The costume designs for Lope de Vega's drama "The Spring of the Sheep" and Calderon's drama "The Purgatory of St. Patrick" - a theatrical production of the "Ancient Theater" in 1911. A humorous caricature of the same Spain emanates from G. Sologub's vaudeville: "Honor and Revenge", staged by Bilibin in 1909.
Splashes, endings, covers and other works by Bilibin can be found in such magazines of the early 20th century as “World of Art”, “Golden Fleece”, in publications of “Rosehipnik” and “Moscow Book Publishing House”.
King Pea. Cover of the magazine "Bug"
During the revolution of 1905, the artist creates revolutionary caricatures. After October Revolution 1917 Bilibin leaves Russia. From 1920 he first lived in Cairo, then in Alexandria, and in 1925 settled in Paris. At this time, he was preparing brilliant scenery for productions of Russian operas; the artist was invited to design Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird” in Buenos Aires and a number of operas in Brno and Prague.
Over the years, he comes to terms with Soviet power. In 1935-1936 he participated in the design of the Soviet embassy in Paris, creating the monumental panel “Mikula Selyaninovich”. After this, in the same 1936, the artist returned to his homeland on the ship “Ladoga” and settled in Leningrad. Bilibin teaches at the All-Russian Academy of Arts and continues to work as an illustrator and theater artist.
Bilibin died in besieged Leningrad on February 7, 1942 in a hospital at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. Last job famous artist became a preparatory illustration for the epic “Duke Stepanovich” in 1941. Buried in mass grave professors of the Academy of Arts near the Smolensk cemetery.
Illustrations talented artist Ivan Bilibin to Russian fairy tales (and not only). Before looking at his wonderful works, I suggest, friends, that you read this excellent article
7 main facts from life fabulous artist Ivan Bilibin
Ivan Bilibin is a modernist and lover of antiquity, an advertiser and storyteller, the author of the revolutionary double-headed eagle and a patriot of his country. 7 main facts from the life of Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin
1. Artist-lawyer
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin intended to become a lawyer, diligently studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University and successfully completed the full course in 1900. But in parallel with this, he studied painting at the drawing school of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, then in Munich with the artist A. Ashbe, and after, for another 6 years, he was a student of I.E. Repina. In 1898, Bilibin saw Vasnetsov’s “Bogatyrs” at an exhibition of young artists. After that, he leaves for the village, studies Russian antiquity and finds his own unique style, in which he will work for the rest of his life. For the refinement of this style, the energy of his work and the impeccable firmness of the artist’s line, his colleagues called him “Ivan the Iron Hand.”
2. Storyteller
Almost every Russian person knows Bilibin’s illustrations from the books of fairy tales that were read to him at bedtime as a child. Meanwhile, these illustrations are more than a hundred years old. From 1899 to 1902, Ivan Bilibin created a series of six “Fairy Tales” published by the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers. Afterwards, the same publishing house published Pushkin’s fairy tales about Tsar Saltan and the Golden Cockerel and the slightly less well-known epic “Volga” with illustrations by Bilibin.
I wonder what famous illustration to “The Tale of Tsar Saltan...” with a barrel floating on the sea, reminiscent of the famous “Big Wave” Japanese artist Katsushiki Hokusai. The process of I. Ya. Bilibin’s graphic drawing was similar to the work of an engraver. First, he sketched a sketch on paper, specified the composition in all details on tracing paper, and then translated it onto whatman paper. After this, using a kolinsky brush with a cut end, likening it to a chisel, I drew a clear wire outline with ink along the pencil drawing.
Bilibin's books look like painted boxes. It was this artist who first saw a children's book as a holistic, artistically designed organism. His books are like ancient manuscripts, because the artist thinks through not only the drawings, but also all the decorative elements: fonts, ornaments, decorations, initials and everything else.
Few people know that Bilibin even worked in advertising. Where the plant is now mineral water"Polustrovo" in St. Petersburg, formerly located " Joint stock company beer and mead factory "New Bavaria". It was to this plant that he created advertising posters and pictures by Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin. In addition, the artist created posters, addresses, sketches postage stamps(in particular, a series for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov) and about 30 postcards for the Community of St. Eugenia. Later, Bilibin painted postcards for Russian publishing houses in Paris and Berlin.
4. Double-headed eagle
The same double-headed eagle that is now used on the coins of the Bank of Russia belongs to the brush of the heraldry expert Bilibin. The artist painted it after February Revolution as a coat of arms for the Provisional Government. The bird looks fabulous, not ominous, because he painted it famous illustrator Russian epics and fairy tales. The double-headed eagle is depicted without royal regalia and with lowered wings; the inscription “Russian Provisional Government” and the characteristic “forest” Bilibinsky ornament are written around the circle. Bilibin transferred the copyright to the coat of arms and some other graphic designs to the Goznak factory.
5. Theater artist
Bilibin's first experience in scenography was the design of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Snow Maiden" for national theater in Prague. His next works are sketches of costumes and scenery for the operas “The Golden Cockerel”, “Sadko”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Boris Godunov” and others. And after emigrating to Paris in 1925, Bilibin continued to work with theaters: preparing brilliant sets for productions of Russian operas, designing Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird” in Buenos Aires and operas in Brno and Prague. Bilibin widely used old engravings, popular prints, folk art. Bilibin was a true connoisseur of ancient costumes different nations, he was interested in embroidery, braid, weaving techniques, ornaments and everything that created the national color of the people.
6. The artist and the church
Bilibin also has works related to church painting. In it he remains himself, preserves individual style. After leaving St. Petersburg, Bilibin lived for some time in Cairo and actively participated in the design of a Russian house church in the premises of a clinic set up by Russian doctors. The iconostasis of this temple was built according to his design. And after 1925, when the artist moved to Paris, he became a founding member of the Icon society. As an illustrator, he created the cover of the charter and a sketch of the society's seal. There is also a trace of him in Prague - he completed sketches of frescoes and an iconostasis for the Russian church at the Olsany cemetery in the capital of the Czech Republic.
7. Return to homeland and death
Over time, Bilibin came to terms with Soviet power. He formalizes the Soviet embassy in Paris, and then, in 1936, returns by boat to his native Leningrad. Teaching is added to his profession: he teaches at the All-Russian Academy of Arts - the oldest and largest artistic institution in Russia educational institution. In September 1941, at the age of 66, the artist refused the proposal of the People's Commissar of Education to evacuate from besieged Leningrad to the rear. “They don’t flee from a besieged fortress, they defend it,” he wrote in response. Under fascist shelling and bombing, the artist creates patriotic postcards for the front, writes articles and appeals to heroic defenders Leningrad. Bilibin died of hunger in the first winter of the siege and was buried in a mass grave of professors of the Academy of Arts near the Smolensk cemetery.
