Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin
16 August [O. S. 4 August] 1876 – 7 February 1942
Билибин Иван Яковлевич
4 (16) августа 1876 - 7 февраля 1942
Основной темой работ художника (и иллюстраций, и оформления театральных постановок) были русские сказки и былины. Его талант ярко проявился в изображении сцен, где был показан быт Руси - одежды бояр, крестьян, самобытные наряды русских красавиц, богатыри, деревянные избы, терема, палаты, внутреннее убранство комнат, природа средней полосы России и многое другое. Дополняя образ, показанный в самой иллюстрации, он подчёркивал и поддерживал его рамкой с активным славянским орнаментом. Билибин всегда стремился быть предельно точным и правдивым в изображении деталей, т.к. серьёзно интересовался культурой Древней Руси и имел о ней точные представления.
Famous book illustratior and graphic artist (i guess lots of russians had Pushkin`s fairy-tales book in childhood, with illustrations of Bilibin? :) ). Also Ivan Jakovlevich was an artist, theatre decorator. He is regarded as one of first russian persons, who could manage to come to harmony between illustration and text within one book. Covers and other parts of journals `World of art`, `Golden Fleece` were decorated by him. At times of revolution of 1905 Ivan Jakovlevich drew revolutional caricatures. He even created an advertising poster for beer/honey factory. Bilibin had good understanding of fonts of different times, especially old russian and he widely used this knoledge in book decoration - titles of fairy-tales were written with old, slavic ligature.
The basic theme of artist`s works (of illustrations and theatre plays as well) was russian fairy-tales, epics and bylinas. His talent is fully expressed in scenes where shown live of Russ - clothes of boyars, russian beauties, villains, heroes - bogatyrs, wooden cottages, chambers of princes, decoration of houses` inner spaces, Russian nature and so on. To complete picture`s image he stressed it`s idea and theme with frame, ornamented with rich slavic deco. Bilibin always tried to be as truethful and accurate as possible in drawing details, because he had deep interest to culture of Russ and had precise knoledge of it.