Graphics from Childhood. Excerpt from the book "Vladimir Lebedev"

Contents:

A+A Publishing House has published a book by art historian Vsevolod Petrov dedicated to the renowned illustrator Vladimir Lebedev. In this excerpt, the author shares interesting facts about the process of creating books that are familiar to many from childhood. The book illuminates not only Lebedev's artistic style but also his influence on children's literature, emphasizing the importance of illustration in shaping reader perception. Studying Lebedev's work allows for a deeper understanding of how visual images can enrich a text and make it more accessible to young readers.

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During this time, Lebedev and Marshak became close, which became the basis for their long and productive creative collaboration. This collaboration proved mutually beneficial for both the artist and the poet, despite their differences in talent, individuality, and artistic direction. A shared understanding of the goals of children's literature formed the basis of their collaboration, as did their desire to provide children with true art and genuine poetry. This collaboration significantly enriched the world of children's books, making them more accessible and engaging for young readers.

The gentle lyricism of Samuil Marshak and the sharp irony of Alexander Lebedev complemented each other harmoniously. Speaking about the artist's importance in children's literature, Marshak emphasized that Lebedev did more than just illustrate or design books. "Along with a writer—a poet or a prose writer—he can rightfully be considered a co-author," Marshak noted. Their collaboration created unique works in which text and images mutually enriched each other, shaping a vibrant perception of children's literature.

In 1925, four books by Samuil Marshak, illustrated by artist Vladimir Lebedev, were published simultaneously. These works include "Circus", "Ice Cream", "About a Silly Little Mouse", and "Yesterday and Today". Each of these books became a significant contribution to children's literature, combining captivating plots with vibrant illustrations that attract the attention of readers of all ages. The work of Marshak and Lebedev continues to be relevant, inspiring new generations.

The first work, entitled "Circus", reflects Lebedev's style more than Marshak's. The idea and main theme of the work belong to the artist, while the poet only added poetic captions to Lebedev's finished watercolors. The success of "Circus" is primarily due to the artist's talent.

This color book by Lebedev is one of the most captivating and creatively designed. Its artistic techniques evoke the graphics of the "ROSTA Windows" collection. Visual images such as clowns, athletes, equilibrists, jugglers, horsewomen, and trained animals are created using contrasting and brightly colored surfaces. The colors used in the illustrations remain localized, intense, and pure, creating a stylish and carefully considered decorative harmony. The pictures resemble a series of circus posters, each one attracting attention. Without imitating children's drawings, the artist was able to achieve a closeness to the style of perception and thinking of children. The figures of people and animals are rendered in a simplified, schematic manner, yet they convey key elements—the swiftness and eccentricity of movement—which makes the book appealing to young readers and develops their imagination.

The series of color illustrations for "Ice Cream" is executed in a similar manner, employing the generalized, almost schematic techniques of Cubist poster graphics. These images lack narrative action, and the characters lack individual characteristics. The artist creates conventional images that evoke stereotypical figures, such as a bearded ice cream vendor, a cheerful skater, and a dashing skier, which corresponds to the characters in Korney Chukovsky's verse story. The main character, "the fat man," combines the traits of a clown and a caricatured NEPman. Through the power of typification, the artist makes his drawings accessible and engaging for young viewers, facilitating their engagement with a world of creativity and inspiration. These illustrations not only complement the text, but also help develop children's imaginations, making reading more fun.

The illustrations for the fairy tale "About the Silly Little Mouse" and for "Azbuka," Lebedev's only book from 1925 created without Marshak, are distinguished by their distinctive style. These works continue the creative line Lebedev began with his illustrations for "The Little Elephant" and "The Hunt," but introduce significant innovations. The images become more realistic and concrete, while retaining the power of generalization. The drawings gradually free themselves from poster-like schematism, indicating new trends in the artistic approach. These changes became the basis for the further development of the artist's creativity in his later works.

The design of the book "Yesterday and Today" requires careful analysis. It would be no exaggeration to say that this work is not only an outstanding example of the artist's graphic art, but also one of the pinnacles of 20th-century book art. The pictorial system developed by Lebedev fully demonstrates all its inherent potential. Every detail of the design contributes to a deep perception of the content, making the book a unique work of art.

Marshak and Lebedev's book presents a poetic and satirical dialogue between objects. An electric light bulb argues with a stearin candle and a kerosene lamp, a typewriter debates its place with a pen and inkwell, and plumbing competes with a yoke and buckets. The authors' concept can be considered programmatic for children's literature of the 1920s. In the form of a fairy tale, understandable to the youngest children, they describe the most important processes taking place in the country, changes in lifestyle, and the confrontation between old traditions and new realities, culminating in the victory of modernity. The artist used all available means of artistic expression with outstanding ingenuity, which makes the work relevant and interesting for young readers.

The contrast between past and present is expressed not only in the themes of the images, but also in the language of art, color palette, rhythm, and execution techniques. The comparison of "yesterday" and "today" begins with the cover. Under the large black inscription "Yesterday," silhouettes of the past are outlined in blurry black-and-gray spots: an old woman in a cap and shawl with a kerosene lamp, a bearded water carrier in a cap and apron, and a decrepit official in a tailcoat with an inkwell and pen. Opposite, under the bright red letters "Today," the clear, brightly colored figures of an electrician, a plumber, and a girl with a typewriter confidently march. The cover's color scheme and rhythm evoke ROSTA posters, while the next page, with its images of "old world" objects and deliberately casual handwritten font, harks back to the traditions of sign art. Thus, the visual elements emphasize the transition from the archaic to the contemporary, demonstrating the evolution in artistic expression and perception of time.

The debate between old and new, a polemic between various objects, permeates the entire book. Avoiding anthropomorphic comparisons, the artist reveals a unique "psychology of the object." This psychology is manifested not through narrative action, which is absent from Lebedev's works, but through the graphic composition, color palette, and execution style. A burnt stearin candle appears broken and twisted, while a kerosene lamp resembles an old woman, its lampshade and crooked glass rendered in dull shades. In depicting an electric light bulb, the artist intensifies the color and masterfully uses contrasts of red, white, and black, causing the entire page to seem to glow. This approach not only conveys the emotional state of the objects but also creates a deep connection between the viewer and the art, emphasizing the significance of each element in a modern context.

Critics note that Lebedev was the first to use type as a means of artistic expression in children's literature. For example, on the page mentioning a long candle, the text is written in an ancient, narrow grotesque. In the section on pens and ink, the typeface is a calligraphic font. The poems about the typewriter, in turn, are set in a font typical of this typewriter. This approach to text design not only attracts attention but also strengthens the emotional connection with the reader, making the reading more engaging and memorable.

The pictorial and decorative elements of the book's design represent a diverse and stylistically diverse range of motifs, including genre satirical graphics, production drawings, and detailed recreations of handwritten pages with ink blots and drawings in the margins. Vibrant and simplified images of village girls with yokes, from the cover to the final illustrations, are united by a common rhythm and form a harmonious whole. Lebedev succeeded in achieving a mutual dependence of all graphic elements, creating an architectural clarity that was lacking in the masters of the "World of Art." This testifies to the high level of artistic design of the book and its significance in the context of graphic design.

The principles laid down in "Baggage" remain relevant today. This cheerful and witty work, first published in 1926, has been reprinted numerous times. Samuil Marshak's literary style imbues the book with a sly humor, while Mikhail Lebedev adds harsh social satire. The book continues to attract readers thanks to its unique combination of comedy and critique of social phenomena.

The text omits the characterization of the "lady" checking in the luggage, which emphasizes the poet's attention to detail. The artist concretizes this idea by depicting a heavy suitcase, a tight travel bag, a cardboard box, a pot-bellied sofa, and a strange painting of a smug, mustachioed man. These objects appear on every page, changing their position and perspective. Lebedev displays an ugly and bourgeois assortment of soulless objects, while almost turning the NEP woman herself into an object. She "seems to be cobbled together from separate items—a fur coat, gloves, a handbag, and boots," as a later critic notes. "Baggage" is a satire on the NEP and its everyday life, focusing on material values ​​​​and their impact on the individual.

Objects can acquire soul, intelligence, and poetry, and in this case, the artist acts as their protector. The book "How a Plane Made a Plane" (1927) showcases precisely such objects. In it, text and graphics form an inseparable unity. The main theme of the work is the poetry of labor, which imbues work tools with life and meaning.

The artist achieves a unique concreteness and materiality of imagery in his book illustrations. The book pages masterfully convey the texture of wood, the flexibility and shine of a steel saw, as well as the weight and density of an unplaned log. In creating these illustrations, Lebedev drew on the experience of his early still lifes, completed before the Cubist period. These works mark the completion of the first, most vibrant and productive stage of Lebedev's career in the field of book illustrations and summarize the initial period of the formation of the new children's illustrated book.

Marshak S. Ya. is an outstanding artist whose work has left a significant mark on literature and art. His works are distinguished by their originality and depth, which makes them relevant to this day. An article published in the journal "Literature and Life" on May 28, 1961, examines key moments in his career and his influence on contemporary art. An examination of Marshak's work allows us to better understand his contribution to the development of artistic culture and the literary process. B. G. Kreitzer, in his work, published in the journal "Children's Literature" in 1968, issue 4, page 60, examines important aspects of children's reading and literature. The author emphasizes the importance of books in the lives of children, emphasizing that quality literature shapes personality and develops imagination. The article also discusses methods for selecting literature for children and the role of parents and teachers in this process. Kreutzer emphasizes the need to create interesting and accessible content for young readers, which contributes to their emotional and intellectual development.

In her article "The World of Things in V. Lebedev's Drawings," published in the journal "Decorative Art of the USSR" in 1965, Yu. Ya. Gerchuk examines the artistic features and conceptual significance of V. Lebedev's works. The author analyzes the influence of Lebedev's work on the development of decorative art, focusing on his unique approach to depicting objects and their role in visual culture. The article emphasizes the importance of artistic understanding of things and their place in everyday life, which is relevant for contemporary art and design.

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