Description and analysis of illustrations by A. Benois for the poem "The Bronze Horseman"

FEDERAL AGENCY FOR EDUCATION

State educational institution of higher

professional education

"RUSSIAN STATE HUMANITARIAN UNIVERSITY"

Faculty of Art History

Department of General Art History

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF A. N. BENOIT’S ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE “BRONZE HORSEMAN” A. S. PUSHKININ EDITIONS1903-23 ​​GODOV

Coursework of a 1st year student of the evening department

Petrova Maria Igorevna

Scientific adviser:

Ph.D. in History of Arts,

Associate Professor Yakimovich E. A.

Moscow 2011

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..…. 3

CHAPTERI. Book graphics. Alexander Benois.

I.1 . Book illustration in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century ………… 4

I.2. Alexandra Benois in art ……………............................ 7

CHAPTERII

II. 1 . Creating and publishing illustrations ……….…………... 11

II. 2 . Description and analysis of illustrations ………….……………... 14

CONCLUSION …………………………………………...…………….. 20

LIST OF SOURCES AND LITERATURE …………………...….. 21

INTRODUCTION

In this work, we will talk about a series of graphic works performed by the famous Russian artist and art critic - Alexander Benois, as illustrations for the poem by A.S. Pushkin - "The Bronze Horseman", as well as the chronology of its creation and publications. We will get acquainted with the concept of "the art of the book", with its development and principles.

The main task of the work is to analyze and compare the illustrations in the 1903 edition, published in the journal "World of Art" with later ones, published with the assistance of the St. Petersburg Committee for the Popularization of Artistic Publications in 1923. And also to follow the stylistic and content changes in the illustrations over the course of two decades and the artist's view of Pushkin's work, its symbolism and topicality.

CHAPTERI. Alexandre Benois and the "art of the book"

"The Art of the Book"

According to B. R. Vipper, book graphics is one of the main areas of application of graphic art. The book is associated with the development of graphic drawing, as well as engraving, type and other graphic forms.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the rise of Russian graphic art took place. In Russia, there were a large number of different trends and conflicting artistic movements. At the same time, the art of book graphics also underwent changes, which, in the opinion of artists of new formations, had previously been treated insufficiently seriously and carelessly. There was rather the concept of "art in the book", rather than "art of the book" as a harmonious coexistence of all elements within the space of each publication.

A fundamentally new approach to book illustration was announced by Alexander Benois, he introduced the very concept of "art of the book", although they paid attention to this term only in 1922, after the publication of the book by A. A. Sidorov, the future famous Russian art historian and bibliographer, which and was called "The Art of the Book". In it, he wrote: "Decorated" book - no better than that; the purpose of the illustrations is not at all to decorate the book, to explain the story or to lead one's own parallel ... Illustrations, if they are good, will be good outside the text (Dürer, Beardsley, Holbein); the highest danger is where it is not known what is what: illustration to the text or text to the illustration; but the ideal book does not need any embellishments or tricks of typographic art. But he sees a direct connection between the content of the text and illustration, calls on artists to be even more "readers" than draftsmen.

Benois also argued for the harmony of text and illustration: “Even when the artist is called only to decorate the book, he is obliged to remember its integrity, that his role is subordinate and that it can become beautiful and exemplary only if he succeeds in creating beauty in this submission, in this harmony. ..” 2 , but, adhering to the same position as that of Sidorov, regarding the “architecture” of the book, he saw the true “art of the book” not in the complete subordination of the drawing to the text, as in Sidorov, but rather in the expression of the spirit and mood of the work, as Whipper puts it: “The task of the illustrator is not only to repeat the text exactly, not only to turn verbal images into optical ones, but also to try to create anew those positions, moods and emotions that the poet cannot give, in the ability to read between the lines , to interpret the spirit of the work by completely new stylistic means and at the same time to determine one’s attitude to the main idea of ​​the book, to give a judgment about it” 3 . Subsequently, Sidorov will write: “from a book, as from any product of human hands, we have the right to first demand mastery. It must be “appetizingly” made” 4 , thus refuting his categorical statement about the self-sufficiency of a “naked” book in favor of an aesthetic close to Benois.

Techniques, methods and techniques of drawing are also closely related to the technical capabilities of reproduction. Those. each drawing that came out from the pen, brush or cutter of the artist must become an impression and be processed into a printing form, due to which the image quality sometimes suffers not in favor of the original. This feature also needs to be taken into account by a book illustrator. All this endows book graphics in the 20th century with a special, dual position. On the one hand, it was closely connected with literature and, in general, with a wide range of artistic and spiritual interests, i.e. - belonged to high art, on the other hand, each edition was subject to strict technical requirements, and thus became the object of industrial and applied art. It was precisely due to this duality that the development of book graphics of that time was determined.

The section can be summed up and completed with the words of B. R. Vipper about the art of book illustration: “Here it is especially difficult to establish the fundamental foundations and tasks, here the change of tastes and the evolution of artistic needs are especially pronounced. In any case, the basic proposition that an illustration best suits its purpose, if it adjoins the text as closely as possible, if it accurately and fully embodies the images created optically by the poet, is subject to peculiar changes in the course of evolution.

2. Alexandre Benois in art

Alexander Nikolaevich Benois was born in St. Petersburg in 1870. He belonged to a Russified French family. His grandfather moved from France to St. Petersburg almost a hundred years before the birth of the artist. Benois himself speaks of his origin: “I have no homeland” 6 . And in 1934, in his “Memoirs”, he admits that he lacks any patriotism and writes: “... in my blood there are several (so hostile) homelands at once - France, Nemetchyna, and Italy. Only the processing of this mishmash was carried out in Russia, and it must also be added that there is not a drop of Russian blood in me. But, despite the denial of any patriotism: “Only the motherland, St. Petersburg and so on. After all, this is vile literature” 8 , Benois throughout his life continually returns to St. Petersburg subjects, and, working abroad, actively promotes Russian art.

Art can rightfully be called the birthplace of Benois. The artist himself was ironic, suggesting that, according to his activity, he would have to write on the card: “ Alexander Benois, Attendant Apollo» 9 .

Each member of the Benois family was related to art, and Alexander could not but connect his life with art: “My interest in works of art, which naturally led me to “knowledge”, began to manifest itself from a very early age. They will say that born and raised in an artistic family, I simply could not avoid such a “family infection” that I could not help but be interested in art - since there were so many people around me, starting with my father, who knew a lot about it and had artistic talents . However, the environment was the environment (it is not for me to deny its significance), but nevertheless, undoubtedly, something was laid in me that was not in others who were brought up in the same environment, and this made me absorb all sorts of things in a different way and with greater intensity. impressions" 10 . His grandfather and father were architects, his great-grandfather was a composer and conductor. The older brother taught Alexandre Benois watercolor painting when, disillusioned with the Academy of Arts and enrolling in the Faculty of Law, he decided to pursue fine arts on his own program.

He comprehended both the practice and the theory of fine arts with the same perseverance and diligence, not yielding to those of his peers who studied at the Academy.

In the late 1890s, together with Sergei Diaghilev, they created the World of Art association, which included friends and associates of Alexander Benois: L. Bakst, K. Somov, M. Dobuzhinsky, E. Lansere and others. Their main idea was a protest against everything inert and unreal, which, in their opinion, was the Academy of Arts and the Wanderers at that time. The World of Arts talked about the aesthetic beginning in art; and the main thing, in their opinion, in art is beauty, expressed through the personality of each individual artist. Diaghilev wrote about this in one of the issues of the World of Art: "A work of art is important not in itself, but only as an expression of the creator's personality." The World of Arts saw contemporary culture as little attractive and unaesthetic and turned to the ideals of the past. Alexandre Benois has "Versailles landscapes" on the theme of the era of Louis XIV, but he is not interested in the historical picture itself, although, as a costume designer and art historian, he pays great attention to historical details. He is much more interested in aesthetics, mood and atmosphere, poetry of the era.

Book illustrations occupy a separate page of Benois' creativity. Before him, illustrators had little connection with their drawings with the printed text and space of the book, or completely subordinated the image to the text, one way or another, they did not think at all about the “architecture” of the book, about the harmonious combination of text and illustrations in it. And so Benois writes: “Russian books and Russian illustration from the 1860s to the 1890s. represent some kind of systematic demonstration of bad taste and, what is even more significant, simply negligence, indifference” 11 . Introducing the concept of “book art”, he is convinced: “Even when an artist is called only to decorate a book, he must remember about its integrity, that his role is subordinate and that it can become beautiful and exemplary only if he succeeds in to create beauty in this submission, in this harmony…” 12

Benois worked a lot with the book. Among his works are the famous "ABC in Pictures" and an unrealized edition of "The Last of the Mohicans" by Fenimore Cooper. But the main place in this list is occupied by the illustrations of A. S. Pushkin. A. Benois illustrates it a lot and willingly. In general, a kind of "Pushkin cult" was characteristic of many World of Art students. Benois made several illustrations for The Queen of Spades for the three-volume collected works of A. S. Pushkin, published on the centenary of the poet in 1899, a number of illustrations for The Captain's Daughter in 1904. And, of course, his grandiose cycle, his, according to many contemporaries, his most significant work - illustrations for The Bronze Horseman, which will be discussed in the next chapter.

In addition, Alexandre Benois was an outstanding set and costume designer, director, and librettist. The theater occupied a separate, almost the main page in his life. He himself said that, no matter what kind of art he was engaged in, one way or another it leads him to the theater. He worked at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, at the Paris Grand Opera, Milan's La Scala, collaborated with other opera and drama theaters in Russia and Europe. For some time, Benois directed the Moscow Art Theater together with K. S. Stanislavsky, organized tours of the Russian ballet in Paris with Diaghilev.

Alexandre Benois died in Paris on February 9, 1960. A versatile artist, he made an invaluable contribution to Russian art.

CHAPTERII. Illustrations for "The Bronze Horseman"

I. 1. Create and publish illustrations

In 1903, the Circle of Lovers of Fine Editions approached Alexander Benois with a proposal to illustrate one of the Russian authors. At that time, Benois was working on materials for the "World of Art" dedicated to Peter I, and decided to illustrate the "Bronze Horseman" by A. S. Pushkin. Almost immediately he left for Rome, where he began, constantly interrupted by other studies, work on illustrations. In the summer he returned to St. Petersburg and with enthusiasm, caused by the lack of other things to do, he completed a series of 33 ink drawings with watercolors. In addition, he developed the layout of the publication, after which he gave the drawings to the printing house. He gave the resulting prints a light tone, and then the drawings were to be printed lithographically. Benois expected the book to be published by the end of the year, but the "Amateurs' Circle", represented by former "lyceum students" who knew Pushkin personally, despite the generally favorable assessment of his work, demanded a reworking of the image of the poet, whom the artist depicted with a lyre in his hand against the background Peter and Paul Fortress. Benoit refused on principle to remake anything, and he had to return the fee received in advance.

When Sergei Diaghilev saw the drawings, he insisted on placing them in the first issue of the World of Art magazine for 1904 with the full text of The Bronze Horseman. But in the magazine, the illustrations lost significantly. Benois intended them for a small-format publication, and the large sheets of the magazine distorted the proportions conceived by the artist. Later, Diaghilev wanted to publish them as a separate book, but this intention was not realized, and soon the right to publish was bought by the M. O. Wolf.

And in the autumn of 1903, a flood occurred in St. Petersburg, which, however, did not reach the scale of destruction that occurred during the flood of 1824, but vividly reminded many of this event, colorfully described by A. S. Pushkin in the same "Horseman". Benois made a new order, this time - the Commission of People's Publications under the Expedition for Procurement of State Papers. Above this series, consisting of six large sheets, the artist worked in the spring of 1905 (in Versailles) and in November of the same year. At that time, he is in dire need of money, sends numerous requests to the publishing houses with which he works. In addition, the artist is trying to find new forms to continue the cycle to the "Horseman". On November 23, 1905, he writes in his diary: “I composed the Bronze Horseman. Too much like the old one." And a week later, another unpleasant news: “the head of the Expedition, instead of the Bronze Horseman ordered by me, received another one” 14 . This series was never printed. The drawings were executed in ink with watercolors and whitewash, some of them were reproduced in books: “A. S. Pushkin. The Bronze Horseman (St. Petersburg: Literacy Society, 1912); "BUT. S. Pushkin. Works” (vol. 3, St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron, 1909) 15 . And one of them, depicting the persecution of Yevgeny by the "Horseman", was included in the well-known edition of 1923.

However, the artist does not leave work and continues to work on the “Horseman” in the winter: “I painted Evgeny anew. I like all my new illustrations of The Bronze Horseman better than the old ones. 3relay" 16 .

Benois resumed work on The Horseman only a decade later, commissioned by the Artistic Publications Commission at the community of St. Eugene of the Red Cross. On this, third, series of illustrations, consisting of 36 sheets, he worked in the Crimea, in the summer of 1916. The artist, in addition to illustrations, developed a cover, screensavers, and endings for the future edition. Here, Benois combined everything that he had created for the "Horseman" earlier. The first works, in 1903, he redrawn anew, with some changes. They turned out to be similar in plot, but their style and character are different. And the work of 1905 was repeated almost unchanged.

However, this time the publication, which had already been typed and prepared for printing in 1917, did not take place.

In 1921-1922, the book was already being printed, and in parallel, Benois made the last changes to the cycle. A full edition was finally published in 1923 in the form in which the artist intended.

II. 2. Description and analysis of illustrations

This chapter will deal primarily with the illustrations in the 1923 edition. But, since they have much in common and even repeat, with some changes, earlier ones, the comparison of the artistic techniques used by the artist at different times, the emotional and semantic content of the illustrations, as well as their place in the space of the book, is inevitable and necessary in the analysis cycle.

In 1903, Alexandre Benois wrote: “I conceived these illustrations in the form of compositions accompanying each page of the text. I set the format to a tiny, pocket size, like the almanacs of the Pushkin era” 17 . They were supposed to become such after the production of typographical prints, and Benois's drawings themselves were quite large for graphics format. It is known that the format of the magazine "World of Art" was significantly different from the one conceived by the artist for placing his illustrations. Therefore, the images are somewhat "lost" on the spacious magazine pages. In addition, Benois planned to place one drawing on each page, to the corresponding section of Pushkin's text, and in the World of Art illustrations either burst between fragments of the text, or were above it. Thus, the integrity of the perception of "text-picture" was violated. It should be noted that Benoit's goal was not strict adherence to the text, but he wanted to create a holistic poetic image, where the illustration is a guide to comprehending what was written by the poet, that is, as it were, read between the lines.

The later series of illustrations work well on this principle. Here, each picture occupies a separate page, located above the poetic piece related to it. She is closer to the viewer. This is characterized and about a larger format of illustrations on the pages, and greater openness: the artist seems to invite us into the picture, reducing the distance between the viewer and the foreground. However, the views of critics on this issue are very ambiguous. The Pushkinists considered that Benois was "pressing" Pushkin and, thus, did not fulfill the purpose of illustrating the Poet. Others have proclaimed Benoit's new illustrations as "the highest among attempts to illustrate Pushkin" 18 . Efros wrote: “Pushkin was not spoken about like this in the language of drawing, in the language of graphics. Benois created a single, almost congenial Pushkin page” 19 . Still others reproach the artist for the lack of balance between font, text and drawings in the book, speaking in favor of the publication in the World of Art, and even in favor of the edition illustrated by another artist.

Since the opinions of respected experts on book art differ to the opposite, we can conclude that different artistic and spatial interpretations of these publications are allowed, which will always be subjective. Therefore, we will adhere to the position that Alexandre Benois has achieved in the new edition exactly the principle that he claimed.

This work is not like the verbose luxurious colorful publications loved by the early World of Art, such as the Somov "Book of the Marquise" and "Daphnis and Chloe", or the same "ABC" by Benois. Monochrome and conciseness are its main features. This technique does not affect the quality of work. Petersburg, which is static in its architectonics, suits this austerity and conciseness. Illustration and text harmoniously complement each other, being at the same time that ideal ensemble, which we, following Alexandre Benois, call "the art of the book."

At the beginning of the publication, on the title page, the Bronze Horseman on his pedestal, rearing up and looking at us, greets the reader (viewer), as it were, but his greeting is more of an alarming, threatening character. However, there is no impression that he will now fall off the pedestal, the monument seemed to hang in the air. Purple-tinted dark paper, smoothing out the contrast, enhances the impression, that is, it expresses not a momentary emotion, but anxiety, as the beginning of a process. Even clouds, only outlined by a line, seem heavy (see Appendix I, Fig. 1). The plastic of the Etienne Falcone monument itself also works for this.

The next, largest illustration in this edition is placed on a separate page and is a preface to the "story", indicating its main motive - the pursuit of the "Horseman" for the main character (see Appendix I, Fig. 2) This full-page illustration, based on a cycle performed in 1906, depicts the climax of the “tale”, and, preceding the beginning of the poem, as if illustrates it “as a whole”. Therefore, being easel in nature, it does not violate the harmony of the book space.

Although the "story" is more metaphorical than narrative, more ideological than personal, the reader empathizes with the hero and fears the elements, hears the clatter of the horseman's copper hooves. Alexandre Benois brilliantly manages to convey this impression. He leads us throughout the "story", supplementing and saturating the vague pictures of the imagination with an emotional figurative picture. The illustration depicting in the foreground Eugene lurking around the corner of the building, and in the background a black menacing silhouette of a horse galloping behind him, is one of the most intense in this sense (see Appendix I, Fig. 3)

Behind him everywhere is the Bronze Horseman

galloped with a heavy thud.

Here, as nowhere else, the fear of the hero, who has already lost his mind, before the “Horseman” is felt: leaning against the wall and spreading his legs wide to maintain balance, he presses his right hand to his chest, trying to calm his heartbeat, listening to the inevitably approaching copper hoof beats on the uneven after the flood pavement. The empty streets emphasize Eugene's loneliness and despair. If we recall the analogue of this illustration, made in 1903 (see Appendix I, Fig. 4), then it seems emotionally paler. The figure of the rider is very far from the viewer and from the hero, therefore it does not seem so huge, although it is clear that it rises above the surrounding houses. The impression is forced by heavy gloomy clouds, but they, in comparison with the new version, are not convincing enough. The line is lively, uneven, the drawing is more like a sketch of the situation, and the new one, more static and solid, speaks of a frozen deep fear. Critics rightly note the immediacy in the early illustrations. The new ones are reproached for the excessive “stagedness” that appeared in the artist, according to their opinion, after a stormy theatrical activity.

Among the illustrations for the "Horseman" there are also sharply satirical ones. This illustration refers to Pushkin's lines about the old-fashioned "singer of the Neva" Count Khvostov, whom the poet mentions more than once with an extreme degree of irony in his various works, including in The Bronze Horseman:

Count Khvostov,
Poet beloved by heaven
Already sang immortal verses
The misfortune of the Neva banks.

Benois extremely witty portrayed the bust of Khvostov, resting on a cloud with a deliberately majestic look, surrounded by a radiant halo, with a notebook and a pen in his hand. However, under the clouds, irrigated by the sounds of his poems, all living things die. Benois made two illustrations to these lines (see Appendix I, figs. 5 and 6): one in 1903, and the next, much sharper, which has just been mentioned above - in 1916. This allows us to think that the artist could not but speak out together with the poet on the topic of everything inert, outdated and unreal. Pushkin was in general for the World of Arts “the embodiment of the Europeanism of the new Russian culture,” 20 despite the fact that they were separated by a whole century.

I.E. Grabar, after the illustrations were published in the World of Art, Benois wrote about his impressions: “They are so good that I still cannot recover from the novelty of impressions. The era and Pushkin are damned conveyed, while there is absolutely no smell of engraving material, no patina. They are terribly modern - and this is important ... "21

And L. Bakst at about the same time inspiredly wrote to the artist that these illustrations are the most significant in his work: “a mad love for“ Peter the Creation ”, here, indeed,“ a river of sovereign flow ”and“ boredom, cold and granite ”. And the "Bronze Horseman" will remain in Russian art as an example of a loving, artistic image. Motherland». Critics spoke of Petersburg's intrusiveness in the latest edition. However, it is possible that this feeling can be attributed not to shortcomings, but to virtues that correspond to the main ideas of the poem. Petersburg can be safely attributed to the heroes of the work. It is Petersburg, being at the same time the embodiment of power or its product, that oppresses the “little man” Yevgeny. Therefore, the details with which the illustrator is reproached also play a role in his artistic conception. Naturally, it is somewhat different from what it was twenty years earlier.

Alexandre Benois was quite far from politics, believing that art does not depend on social reality and is hardly connected with other cultural phenomena. However, in his drawings for the "Petersburg story" one can also notice political shades. Being a highly spiritual and educated person, he could not help but experience the events taking place in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. All this was reflected in his St. Petersburg images, and his solidarity with Pushkin, who condemned tyranny and lack of rights.

And he said: “With the element of God

Kings cannot be controlled."

Here Benois depicts the backs of high military officials, peering hopelessly into the foam of raging waters. Their backs, better than any facial expressions, tell that absolutely nothing can be done, but at the same time assert their significance. The same motif is repeated several times. In general, the whole cycle expresses some kind of hopelessness. The turbulent political situation: repressions, the Red Terror, no doubt, many factors influenced the conscious or unconscious rethinking of Alexandre Benois' works. Here, the metaphorical character characteristic of Benois was especially noticeable in the embodiment of his own experiences and painful reflections generated by reality. This served as the undoubted success of the cycle, putting it at the top not only of the work of Alexandre Benois himself, but of the "art of the book" in general.

Conclusion

Summing up, it is necessary to say how important Benoit's activity was in the "art of the book." But not only in it. Alexandre Benois made a great contribution to Russian art criticism, theatrical scenography, painting, graphics, and museum work.

One of his most significant works, according to the artist's contemporaries, are illustrations for The Bronze Horseman. In total, more than seventy of them were made in different periods, some of them echoed or repeated each other with minor changes, more often of a stylistic than content nature.

These illustrations have gone through a long, multi-stage journey before being published in a full-fledged edition. They had two main publications: in the journal "World of Art" in 1903 and in a separate book only in 1923. The illustrations were highly appreciated by critics and connoisseurs of the book, who did not agree on which publication to give the palm to. Their criticism can be generally reduced to the fact that the illustrations of the first cycle are more direct and lively, which is characteristic of youth in general, and the later ones are more mature, more accurate and strict. Their place in the space of the book was also hotly debated. But it must be said that both editions, of course, have a high artistic value and great significance for the Russian "art of the book", and are also one of the most complete and voluminous illustrated editions of the works of A. S. Pushkin.

Benois Alexander Nikolaevich. A set of postcards with illustrations by the artist for the poem by A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman" (Publishing "Soviet artist". Moscow. 1966)

1916 illustration
On the shore of desert waves
He stood, full of great thoughts,
And looked into the distance. Wide before him
The river rushed...

1903 illustration

A hundred years have passed, and the young city,
Midnight countries beauty and wonder,
From the darkness of the forests, from the swamp blat
Ascended magnificently, proudly;
Where before the Finnish fisherman,
The sad stepson of nature,
Alone by the low shores
Thrown into unknown waters
Your old net, now there
Along busy shores
The slender masses crowd
Palaces and towers; ships
Crowd from all corners of the earth
They strive for rich marinas;
The Neva is dressed in granite;
Bridges hung over the waters;
Dark green gardens
The islands covered her...

1916 illustration

I love you, Petra creation,
I love your strict, slender look,
Neva sovereign current,
Its coastal granite,
Your fences have a cast-iron pattern,
your thoughtful nights
Transparent dusk, moonless brilliance,
When I am in my room
I write, I read without a lamp,
And the sleeping masses are clear
Deserted streets, and light
Admiralty needle,
And, not letting the darkness of the night,
To golden skies
One dawn to replace another
Hurry, giving the night half an hour.

Illustration 1903
Above the darkened Petrograd
November breathed autumn chill.
Rushing in a noisy wave
At the edge of its slender fence,
Neva rushed about like a patient
Restless in your bed.
It was already late and dark;
The rain beat angrily against the window,
And the wind blew, sadly howling.
At the time of the guests home
Eugene came young ...

Illustration 1903

Terrible day!
Neva all night
Rushed to the sea against the storm,
Not having overcome their violent dope ...
And she couldn't argue...
In the morning over her shores
Crowded crowds of people
Admiring the splashes, the mountains
And the foam of furious waters

Illustration 1903

And Petropolis surfaced like Triton,
Immersed in water up to my waist.
Siege! Attack! evil waves,
Like thieves climbing through the windows. Chelny
With a running start, glass is smashed astern.
Trays under a wet veil,
Fragments of huts, logs, roofs,
thrifty commodity,
Relics of pale poverty,
Storm-blown bridges
A coffin from a blurry cemetery
Float through the streets!

Illustration 1916

Then, on Petrova Square,
Where the house in the corner has risen new,
Where above the elevated porch
With a raised paw, as if alive,
There are two guard lions
On a marble beast,
Without a hat, hands clenched in a cross
Sitting motionless, terribly pale
Evgeniy….

Illustration 1916

The water has drained, and the pavement
Opened, and my Eugene
Hurries, soul freezing,
In hope, fear and longing
To a barely calm river.
But, the triumph of victory is full,
The waves were still seething,
As if a fire smoldered under them,
Still their foam covered,
And Neva was breathing heavily,
Like a horse running from a battle.
Eugene looks: he sees a boat;
He runs to her as if to a find;
He calls the carrier...

Illustration 1903

And long with stormy waves
An experienced rower fought
And hide deep between their rows
Hourly with daring swimmers
The shuttle was ready...

Illustration 1903

What is this?...
He stopped.
Went back and turned back.
Looks... goes... still looks.
Here is the place where their house stands;
Here is the willow. There were gates here
They took them down, you see. Where is home?
And, full of gloomy care,
Everyone walks, he walks around...

Illustration 1903

But my poor, poor Eugene...
Alas, his troubled mind
Against terrible shocks
Didn't resist. Rebellious Noise
Neva and winds resounded
In his ears. Terrible thoughts
Silently full, he wandered.
... He will soon light
Became a stranger. Walked all day,
And slept on the pier; ate
In the window filed piece.
The clothes are shabby on him
It tore and smoldered. Evil children
They threw stones at him.

Illustration 1903
He found himself under the pillars
Big house. On the porch
With a raised paw, as if alive,
There were guard lions,
And right in the dark sky
Above the walled rock
Idol with outstretched hand
He sat on a bronze horse.
Eugene shuddered. cleared up
It has terrible thoughts. He found out
And the place where the flood played
Where the predatory waves crowded,
Revolting viciously around him,
And the lions, and the square, and that,
Who stood still
In the darkness with a copper head,
Togo, whose fateful will
The city was founded under the sea...

Illustration 1903

And since then, when it happened
Go that square to him
His face showed
Confusion. To your heart
He hastily pressed his hand
As if pacifying his torment
Worn-out symal cap,
I didn't raise my confused eyes
And walked to the side.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF RUSSIA

State educational institution of higher professional education

"RUSSIAN STATE HUMANITARIAN UNIVERSITY"

(RGGU)

FACULTY OF ART HISTORY

High School of Restoration

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF A. BENOIT'S ILLUSTRATIONS FOR A. S. PUSHKIN'S POEM "The BRONZE HORSEMAN"

Coursework of a 1st year student of the evening department

Moscow 2011

1. Introduction _________________________________________________ 3

2. Chapter I. Analysis of the historical and artistic context______ 5

3. Chapter II. Graphic sheets of the 3rd edition: description and analysis ____ 9

4. Chapter III. Features of the art of book graphics _____________ 15

5. Conclusion_______________________________________________ 19

6. List of sources and literature _____________________________ 21

Introduction

In the process of working on illustrations for the poem "The Bronze Horseman", which lasted almost 20 years, A. Benois created three editions of illustrations - 1903, 1905, 1916. The subject of analysis in this work is the illustrations of the third edition, which were published in the book edition of 1923. The original graphic sheets are made by Benois in ink, graphite pencil, watercolor. The illustrations are printed using the lithography technique.

A copy of the 1923 edition is in the RSL, also in the State Museum (GMP). The original sheets of different editions are divided into different museums: the Pushkin Museum im. Pushkin, GMP, Russian Museum, and are also in private collections.

The nature of the analyzed material, book illustration, determines two areas of analysis: book publication and graphic sheets.

The purpose of the work is to explore the relationship of artistic and technical features of illustrative material in the context of a book edition, the embodiment of the poetic images of the poem by artistic, graphic means.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks are solved - to identify Benois's artistic intention, the historical and cultural aspect in the creation of illustrative material, to identify the technical features of execution, to determine the significance of book graphics in the artist's work. The tasks of the work also include a comparison of illustrations in the 1916 edition with previous editions, which makes it possible to trace the development of the artist's creative thought.

In accordance with the goal and objectives, the subject of analysis, the work has a three-part structure. The first part is devoted to the analysis of the artistic and historical context of the artist's work, as well as Pushkin's poem. The second part is devoted to graphic sheets in the context of the general artistic outline of the poem. The third part discusses the features of book illustration in terms of technology and book architectonics.

ChapterI. Analysis of historical and artistic context

Studying, exploring the work of A. Benois, one should consider his artistic activity in the context of the World of Art association, which was one of the most significant cultural phenomena of the early 20th century. Benois, along with Somov, Bakst, Dobuzhinsky, was one of its founders. As N. Lapshina notes: “... the circle of interests of the World of Art, especially its largest representatives, was unusually wide and varied. In addition to easel painting and graphic art… they are the high achievers in the art of books… It can even be said that in theatrical scenery and book graphics, the work of the artists of the World of Art constituted an important stage in the history of not only Russian, but also world art.”

The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the flourishing of the art of book graphics, woodcuts and lithography. It should be noted the three-volume collected works for the 100th anniversary of Pushkin with illustrations by Benois, Repin, Surikov, Vrubel, Serov, Levitan, Lanceray, in which Benois presented two illustrations for The Queen of Spades. The artist extensively studies the history of book art and engraving, gives a course of lectures on the history of styles and ornament; he is known as a connoisseur and skillful connoisseur of the book.

The idea of ​​illustrating the poem "The Bronze Horseman" came to Benois in 1903. Then he completed 32 drawings, but disagreements with publishers did not allow the planned enterprise to be realized. A feature of Benois's creative concept was verse-by-strophe illustration, strict adherence to Pushkin's text. This is how Benois describes the solution to his idea: “I conceived these illustrations in the form of compositions accompanying each page of the text. I set the format to a tiny, pocket one, like the almanacs of the Pushkin era.

The illustrations for the poem can be viewed in the context of Benois' general artistic activity in the "rehabilitation" of the artistic and cultural status of St. Petersburg. For many, Petersburg by that time seemed to be the center of the spirit of bureaucracy, bureaucracy; modern buildings violated the integrity of the architectural ensemble. In this vein, Benois' artistic publications arise, including "Picturesque Petersburg", a series of Petersburg watercolors of the years. Benois defines his attitude to the events taking place in the life of the city as “historical sentimentalism”, caused by the contrasts of the old, “classic”, and the new, industrial way of life, the onset of alien architectural elements (factory buildings, factory buildings), the destruction of historical monuments. Therefore, the appeal to the "Petersburg Tale" has a solid justification for the artist. “Until now, it is customary to look at St. Petersburg as something sluggish and pale, devoid of its own life. Only in the very last few years have they begun to somehow understand that St. Petersburg has a completely original and peculiar beauty. … Petersburg is something truly precious for the whole of Russian culture.” In this we discover the commonality of Pushkin's and Benoit's intentions - to create a hymn to the creation of Peter. The city is present in the poem not only as a decoration, a space for ongoing events, but reveals its own character, dominates the fate of a person. Peter is the genius of this city, and the Falconet monument is his personification.

Researchers point to the deep rootedness of the work of the artists of the "World of Art" in the history of St. Petersburg. “Their art was born in Petersburg. … they made me see the graphic character of the city with their art.”

Benois is a wonderful, subtle historical painter. Here you can recall his work "Parade under Paul I". The city in Benois's illustrations for The Bronze Horseman is presented in all the richness of its architecture and everyday features. The illustrations represent, in fact, a historical reconstruction, embody the spirit of the Alexander era. Benois's work is rooted in the Pushkin era, poetry, because it was she who served as the key to recreating the world so dear to the artist's heart.

Undoubtedly, in the context of this study, Benoit's appeal to the topic of catastrophe, the elements is curious. The beginning of the 20th century is filled with premonitions of upheavals. Russia was on the eve of great changes. How much more philosophical and tragic content is filled with a poem, illustrations in the perspective of future events. In such a prophetic vein, many considered the drawing illustrating the scene of the chase, the flight of Eugene, which became the frontispiece of the 1923 edition. Let us also note the flood that occurred in St. Petersburg in the autumn of 1903. It did not have such tragic consequences as in 1824, "... the water in the Neva and in the canals overflowed its banks, and the streets ... turned into rivers for several hours," however, it provided the artist with the most valuable living material for work.

Another aspect of Pushkin's poem seemed essential to Benois in the perception of the relationship between the hero (Eugene) and the city, Peter's creation. This is the unreality, the fantasticness of St. Petersburg, which lies in the very essence of the city, without understanding which it is difficult to appreciate the depth of the hero's tragedy. Benois himself emphasizes his passion for this particular characteristic: "... it was this poem that captivated me, touched and excited me with its mixture of the real and the fantastic ...". Apparently, this is the characteristic “palette” of the city, where white nights create a feeling of illusory, illusive nature of the surrounding space, where marsh soil gives rise to crazy visions.

The second edition of the illustrations was made by Benois in 1905. The series consisted of six illustrations, including the famous frontispiece. The artist writes: “... I wanted the book to be “pocket”, in the format of almanacs of the Pushkin era, but I had to subordinate the drawings to the format of our magazine [World of Art, No. 1, 1904]. This is the reason why I decided in our other publishing house to release the same series of compositions in a much larger format.” The original frontispiece measures 42x31.5 cm, while the illustrations in the first edition measured 21.3x21.1 cm.

The illustrative material of the artistic edition of the poem "The Bronze Horseman" of 1923 is based on the third edition of Benois's drawings, made by him in 1916. He repeated six large sheets of the second edition almost without changes, the sheets of the first were drawn again with some corrections. Transferring the originals to the Russian Museum in 1918, the author made dedicatory and memorial inscriptions on almost each of them. These dedications are a kind of autobiographical subtext, an important link in understanding the illustrative material, bringing a personal aspect to their perception.

ChapterII. Graphic sheets of the 3rd edition: description and analysis

The drawings are made with ink, pen, graphite pencil with various tonal watercolor linings - gray, greenish, yellowish, applied with a brush. They create an atmosphere, convey the character of the city, its air space, the internal state of the protagonist. The color scheme of the drawings is quite monotonous, stingy, thereby more clearly denoting Evgeny's inner experiences, the dramatic nature of events. The techniques of watercolor, pastel, gouache were favorite in the work of the artists of the "World of Art", they served to embody such important sensations for artists as "the ephemeral nature of life, the fragility of dreams, the poeticity of experiences."

A feature of the illustrations is the coexistence of different graphic styles - color lithographs are interspersed with graphic screensavers that emphasize the final episodes of each of the parts. This gave rise to criticism of the artist, which contained a reproach for the lack of integrity, the fluctuation of the artistic idea. However, this approach was based on Benoit's desire to match "the generous variety of stylistic flows of Pushkin's St. Petersburg epos." Graphic headpieces are symbolic, reflecting the romantic, fantastic nature of the poem. Filling the pages with mythological images, such as Triton and a naiad (frequent characters in park sculpture), emphasizes the animation of the city, the elements, which in Pushkin's text are conveyed by various poetic images: “The Neva rushed about like a sick person in her bed”, “waves climb like animals through the windows "," The Neva breathed like a horse running from the battle. The outset of the conflict at the end of the first part of the poem is solved by Benois with the help of a graphic screen saver, which emphasizes the fantastic nature of the confrontation.

Let us dwell on the key episodes of the poetic and illustrative material. The edition opens with a frontispiece depicting a chase scene. As the basis of the poem, it seems to outline the leitmotif, the motive of confrontation, madness, phantasmagoria. In it, the contrast between the grandeur of the monument and the insignificance of Eugene is most significantly expressed - it seems to spread along the ground, representing rather its own shadow, the shadow of the Giant's Shadow. The shining reflection of the moon on the brow of the monument enhances the impression of the fantastic nature of what is happening.

The illustrations accompanying the introduction to the poem are devoted to the glorification of the city in its arts, and are directly related to the motifs of the art of Pushkin's time.

In contrast to the 1903 edition, in which Peter occupies the central part of the drawing, facing the viewer “en face”, in the 1916 drawing Peter stands at a distance and faces the viewer sideways, almost with his back. Here we observe the correspondence of Pushkin's "He stood", the replacement of the name with the pronoun. This gives Peter the character of sublime, unattainable greatness. In the illustration, Benoit solves this problem in the following way. The posture of Peter, in contrast to his retinue, literally blown off his feet, is balanced and calm. The waves seem to roll peacefully at his feet. We understand that we are not an ordinary person. Greatness in the text is revealed by his aspirations, in the figure it is the breadth of the horizon, Peter's aspiration into the distance. Peter's gaze is directed not only into the distance, but also beyond the border of the illustration, which reflects only his intentions. It is curious that Benois "clears" the horizon from Pushkin's images of "poor boat", "blackened hut". This reflected Benois's idea and the peculiarities of Pushkin's poetics - we perfectly see, feel the images outside the drawing; gusts of wind, uplifting clothes, make it possible to clearly distinguish the noisy forest behind the viewer. The rainy, hostile nature of the area is emphasized by expressive black lines and strokes.

“A hundred years have passed ...” we read in the Pushkin text, and the next illustration is a panorama of the city, which, according to N. Lapshina, goes back to the landscape works of the remarkable painter of the Alexander era F. Alekseev. To the right is the corner bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the distance the Stock Exchange building, rostral columns, to the left in the distance is the Admiralty. The space is organized by a perspective expanding in all directions. In the distance, in the background, we see a soaring, floating, fantastic city, ready to disappear into the ghostly white night, if it were not balanced by a corner bastion. In the boat floating on the river, arising from the previous stanza, we see a rower and two riders - a man and a woman. People almost completely disappeared into the surrounding landscape, the elements of granite and water.

This drawing is dedicated to "the wife and friend of Akita", and, perhaps, in the riders, the author represents himself and his girlfriend, thus transferring the graphic story through two centuries. Combining time layers, introducing his own element of the author-lyrical hero, Benois weaves personal feelings, his life into the fabric of the story. The poem takes on the character of historical continuity, and the events that take place take on a supra-historical character.

The next interior illustration, located on one spread in contrast with the panorama, takes us to the innermost abode of the artistic world of St. Petersburg. The poet, illuminated by the light of the white night, reads poetry to his friends in the twilight of the room. Poetry and graphics reign here. In this close circle, imperishable lines are born. The bright contrast between light and shadow of the composition emphasizes the mystery of what is happening.

In the introduction, we discovered the titanic aspirations of Peter, at the beginning of the first part we find out the modest, human dreams of Eugene, who will have to “break” on the granite of the monument. The room depicted in the illustration, in which Eugene is sitting, refers the reader to another Petersburg, the Petersburg of Dostoevsky’s “poor people”, Gogol’s “Overcoat”, thereby emphasizing the historical continuity, the significance of the theme of the little man raised by Pushkin in the poem.

The illustrations of the first part of the poem represent various scenes of the flood, the triumph of the elements, mythical natural forces. In the image of the elements, Benoit uses diagonal, broken lines, torn strokes. They destroy the integrity of the composition, the stability of the urban landscape. It can be said that the graphic harmonious rhythms of St. Petersburg are destroyed by the ragged diagonals of the waves and celestial outlines.

Let us turn to the illustration with Eugene on a lion (“on a marble beast, on horseback, without a hat, hands clasped in a cross”), which is the beginning of a dramatic conflict. Here we observe a departure from the figurative structure of the poem. "The idol on a bronze horse" rises above the Neva "in an unshakable height." However, the historical, topographic location of the lion on which Eugene sat did not allow Benois to realize the conflict in one illustration, the silhouette of the monument is only barely outlined by a spot in the distance. Therefore, the emergence of the conflict is transferred to the next page in the form of a graphic screen saver, giving a mythical character to future events. We see Peter on a pedestal, on which a mythical lion steps, as it were, woven from the elements. Such a decision, however, still somewhat detracts from the drama of the episode.

The illustrations of the second part are devoted to the personal tragedy of Eugene, his madness and opposition to Peter, the genius of St. Petersburg.

The scenes of Evgeny approaching the monument, the chases are cinematic in nature. Observing the monument from different angles, we seem to feel its materiality. Expressed in a series of successively unfolding scenes around the monument, Yevgeny's flight, the illustrative canvas conveys the dynamism and tension of the chase. The rider galloping after Eugene is not a revived sculpture, but an imprinted monument to Falcone. Depicting a jumping monument in the form of a silhouette, Benois emphasizes its phantasmagoric, ghostly character. The silhouette also means the conventionality of the background, transfers the characters from the depths of the scenery to the plane of the sheet.

The monument, towering at the level of a three-story house in the last scene, overwhelms with its grandeur, seems to be the apotheosis of hallucinations. Eugene, pressed his back against the building, no longer sees, does not feel the idol behind him, he is everywhere. From the night streets of St. Petersburg, we are transported into the inner world of Eugene, as if we look into his eyes and see a nightmare vision there.

Drawing scenes of a night chase, Eugene's madness, Benois uses contrasts, creating a sense of tension. The sky, filled with alternating, broken stripes of ink and white, conveys thunder, the emptiness of the streets intensifies the tension of what is happening, the white used by the author creates an illusion of lighting; the full moon arises as the apotheosis of madness.

In contrast to the last picture of madness, the following illustration has a mundane, realistic character. Eugene wanders among the passers-by, he is completely destroyed by his madness, and his tragedy seems to be lost in the general diverse rhythm of the city. The monument firmly and unwaveringly sits on a pedestal, as Peter once stood confidently on the shore of desert waves. We see the moment of movement when Eugene and the rider intersect on the same straight line of perspective, representing a complete opposite in their direction.

Let us additionally designate a number of artistic features of the illustrations. They are equally, sequentially placed on each page, determining the strict narrative nature of the illustrative material. In different places we see framing techniques. In the illustration “On the Shore of Desert Waves”, Peter looks into the distance, full of “great thoughts”, in the next frame we see, as it were, the image of his thoughts, the city that has arisen; The Emperor, looking towards the Exchange, and then the rostral column, with the waves crashing on it; Eugene, riding a lion, thinks about Parasha, and in the next illustration we see a house on an island flooded by waves. The illustrative material is also rich in plastic connections and repetitions. Watching Eugene destroyed by madness in the last scene against the background of the monument, we see the same monument, unshakably rising among the waves of the flood.

If we follow Whipper's apt remark that for evaluating the work of an illustrator "it is always ultimately decided by the criterion - ... whether the spirit of the work is captured by [the artist", then Benoit's work seems to be the pinnacle of book illustration skill. He achieved remarkable authenticity in conveying the spirit of the Alexander, Pushkin era, the depth of psychological confrontation, the tragedy of the contradiction between the greatness of Peter's work and the sad fate of the "little man". It can be argued that the depth of penetration into the text, its interpretation depends on the amount of artistic talent, which Benoit fully possessed. This determined the intrinsic value of his illustrations, which represent both an example of a remarkable unity of graphics and poetics, and an independent, self-valuable graphic cycle.

ChapterIII. Features of the art of book graphics

Speaking of a book as a single object, one should talk about its architectonics, that is, the correspondence of various parts to a common structure, a holistic impression. This is the form of the book, the features of type and illustrative material in the organization of the space of the white sheet. Text and illustration (printed graphics), thus, appear to be related phenomena, and their stylistic unity comes to the fore. Vipper highlights the following consonant features: “... the desire for consonance with white paper, the language of black and white contrasts, decorative functions, a certain freedom in relation to spatial and temporal unity. These properties help book graphics to get closer to literature, to poetry.

Stylistic unity is most fully realized when using the same technique for preparing clichés. This technique was woodcut. Clear, precise, concise lines drawn with a chisel, the conventionality of the background corresponded to the font set. Here we can mention the block book, where the text and illustration were printed from one board. Over time, other techniques developed - engraving, lithography. They bring to the illustration the plasticity of images, the depth of perspective, giving the illustration the character of its own weight, separation from the book page.

Book illustrations for the poem are made in the technique of lithography. Let us turn to the author's comment: "The prints received from the printing house, reproducing my drawings (made in the style of polytypes of the 30s), I immediately painted in "neutral" tones, which were then to be printed lithographically." Lithographs are characterized by the most complete transfer of the features of the original technique, wide pictorial possibilities. Technical features of lithographic technique - soft touch, smooth transitions, depth of contrasts. “Night and fog are closer to lithography than daylight. Her language is built on transitions and reticences.

What else could be more suitable for conveying the spirit of Petersburg, “the most deliberate and abstract city”, its illusory, ephemeral nature? The stylistic features of the lithography served to reveal the romantic image of the poem. Probably, in addition to purely handicraft features, it was the real-fictional, romantic nature of the "Petersburg Tale", the city itself, which Benois was so passionate about, determined the artist's choice in favor of lithography. The use of a pen and a graphite pencil allowed the artist to convey the classicism of the city, expressed with a laconic stroke, precise lines.

Book illustrations are a type of accompanying graphics. This determines the direction of the artist's work - the interpretation of poetic images by graphic means, rhythms. For Benois, the pictorial and poetic balance of the composition is especially important. Let us note that Pushkin's word has visual clarity, figurative richness of the poetic, sound range. Literally following the text could bring discord into the composition, weaken poetic experiences. So, we can talk about the validity of various reticences, or the introduction of innovations on the part of the artist.

Conceived for the format of a pocket almanac, the first edition of the illustrations was reflected in their character - this is conciseness, simplicity. The absence of a frame, a frame, takes the characters directly to the plane of the page. In rough sketches, Benois resorts to some ornamentation in the design of illustrations, but later refuses in favor of simplicity, naturalness, corresponding to the spirit of Pushkin's poetry.

The drawings of 1916 are framed with a black line, which gives the character of weightiness, some picturesqueness of the illustrations. This affects a certain isolation of illustrations from the text, which can be observed in comparison with graphic screen savers, which in some places appear among the illustrations. They have a great connection with text, font. For Benois theatrical artist, there may have been an element of theatricality, conventionality - the frame seems to separate the stage from the viewer.

Benois was characterized by the recognition of the own meaning of illustration, the responsibility of artistic interpretation. The main purpose of the illustration is "to sharpen the persuasiveness of those images that were generated by reading, ... to remain in close harmony with the main content of the book ...". Illustrations should serve as "decoration ... in the sense of genuinely enlivening the text, in the sense of explaining it ...". We see here an indication of two accompanying functions of book illustration - ornamental and figurative. Whipper argues in a similar way in his work: "... a book illustration should be both an image and an ornamental sign." Thus, united by the unity of the sheet and the fabric of history, the text and the drawing represent two planes of narration coexisting in a subtle unity.

The recognition of the dignity of Benois's graphic works was widespread, they were highly appreciated by Grabar, Repin, Kustodiev, they were enthusiastically received at the exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists in 1904. The frontispiece of 1905 was also recognized as a significant phenomenon and made a huge impression. In Benois 's work there was a convergence of Russian poetry with the Russian art book .

The “material” features of the publication, such as the quality of paper and printing, made it possible to speak of the book as “one of the largest printing achievements of the revolutionary time,” however, the separation of graphic styles, the pictorial, “non-bookish” nature of the illustrations that suppress thin columns of text, led to critical comments on the publication. The “failure” of the 1923 book was also recognized by the most serious critics: the book evoked a feeling of disharmony, lack of coherence, randomness. But there were other opinions as well. A. Ospovat writes: "The emptiness of the slips and fields, which arose due to the difference in the width of the text and illustrations ... reads like a chivalrous gesture of graphics towards poetry." The whiteness of the book sheet in this case personifies the receptacle of the author's voice, which represents the sound ornament of a poetic work.

Conclusion

Illustrations for Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman" are one of the peaks in the work of the artist Alexander Benois. He managed to embody in his work the spirit of the Pushkin era, the beauty of the arts that fill the space of St. Petersburg, and at the same time convey one of the most important motifs of Pushkin's story - the tragedy of a little man in the light of the greatness of the historical design.

An important moment in the birth of Benois' artistic conception is its commonality with Pushkin's conception - the creation of a hymn to the creation of Peter. Exploring the origins of the idea, it was important for us to turn to the work of the "World of Art" association, one of the directions of which was the "rehabilitation" of the artistic heritage of Russian culture of the 19th century.

Following the graphic narrative, we found a number of features - cinematic framing techniques, plastic repetitions, the use of contrasts and oppositions that reflect the dynamics, rhythm of the poem, the intensity of emotions, the dramatic nature of events. A feature of the illustrative material is also the coexistence of two graphic styles - these are colored lithographs and graphic headpieces, reflecting the versatility of the stylistic flows of Pushkin's text, the coexistence of the real and mystical layers of the poem.

To understand the unity of illustration and text, the commonality of their tasks is the development of the space of a white sheet. Having studied the artist's approach to book illustration, we have identified two components of the function: figurative and ornamental. It is the close unity of these functions that is the key to the coexistence of illustration and text.

Having determined the features of lithographic technique, such as soft strokes, smooth transitions, depth of contrasts, we came to understand their correspondence to the romantic, fantastic spirit of Pushkin's poem.

Having studied the development of the artist's creative concept in various editions, we have outlined their features. So, the first edition most closely matches the technique of woodcuts, reveals proximity to the text, type set. The illustrations of the latest edition have a more picturesque, weighty character, representing a valuable graphic cycle in itself. This approach reflected Benois' idea of ​​the proper meaning of illustration, the responsible interpretation of poetic images.

List of sources and literature

Sources

1. Benois A. My memories. In 5 books. Book. 1-3. - M.: Nauka, 1990. - 712 p.

2. Benois A. My memories. In 5 books. Book. 4, 5. - M.: Nauka, 1990. - 744 p.

3. Pushkin the horseman: Petersburg story / ill. A. Benois. - St. Petersburg: Committee for the Popularization of Artistic Publications, 1923. - 78 p.

4. Pushkin rider. - L.: Nauka, 1978. - 288 p.

Literature

5. Alpatov on the general history of arts. - M.: Soviet artist, 1979. - 288 p.

6. Alexandre Benois reflects... / edition prepared, . - M.: Soviet artist, 1968. - 752 p.

7. Vipper in the historical study of art. - M.: V. Shevchuk Publishing House, 2008. - 368 p.

8. Gerchuk graphics and art books: a study guide. - M.: Aspect Press, 2000. - 320 p.

9. Gusar's art. - L.: Artist of the RSFSR, 1972. - 100 p.

10. Silberstein finds: The era of Pushkin. - M.: Visual arts, 1993. - 296 p.

11. Lapshina of art: essays on history and creative practice. - M.: Art, 1977. - 344 p.

Lapshina of Art: Essays on History and Creative Practice. M., 1977. S. 7.

Benois A. My memories. In 5 books. Book. 4, 5. M., 1990. S. 392.

Gusarov art. L., 1972. S. 22.

Benoist A. Decree. op. S. 394.

Alexander Benois reflects ... M., 1968. S. 713.

Alexander Benois reflects… M., 1968. S. 713-714.

Gusarova. op. S. 28.

Ospovat. op. S. 248.

Vipper in the historical study of art. M., 2008. S. 91.

Gerchuk graphics and art books: a study guide. M., 2000. S. 5.

Whipper. op. pp. 87-88.

Benoist A. Decree. op. S. 393.

Whipper. op. S. 72.

Alexander Benois reflects… M., 1968. S. 322.

There. pp. 322-323.

Whipper. op. S. 84.

Ospovat. op. S. 228.

Ospovat. op. S. 233.

ILLUSTRATIONS
Benois Alexander Nikolaevich. A set of postcards with illustrations by the artist for the poem by A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman" (Publishing "Soviet artist". Moscow. 1966)

1916 illustration

On the shore of desert waves
He stood, full of great thoughts,
And looked into the distance. Wide before him
The river rushed...

1903 illustration

A hundred years have passed, and the young city,
Midnight countries beauty and wonder,
From the darkness of the forests, from the swamp blat
Ascended magnificently, proudly;
Where before the Finnish fisherman,
The sad stepson of nature,
Alone by the low shores
Thrown into unknown waters
Your old net, now there
Along busy shores
The slender masses crowd
Palaces and towers; ships
Crowd from all corners of the earth
They strive for rich marinas;
The Neva is dressed in granite;
Bridges hung over the waters;
Dark green gardens
The islands covered her...

1916 illustration

I love you, Petra creation,
I love your strict, slender look,
Neva sovereign current,
Its coastal granite,
Your fences have a cast-iron pattern,
your thoughtful nights
Transparent dusk, moonless brilliance,
When I am in my room
I write, I read without a lamp,
And the sleeping masses are clear
Deserted streets, and light
Admiralty needle,
And, not letting the darkness of the night,
To golden skies
One dawn to replace another
Hurry, giving the night half an hour.

Illustration 1903

Above the darkened Petrograd
November breathed autumn chill.
Rushing in a noisy wave
At the edge of its slender fence,
Neva rushed about like a patient
Restless in your bed.
It was already late and dark;
The rain beat angrily against the window,
And the wind blew, sadly howling.
At the time of the guests home
Eugene came young ...

Illustration 1903

Terrible day!
Neva all night
Rushed to the sea against the storm,
Not having overcome their violent dope ...
And she couldn't argue...
In the morning over her shores
Crowded crowds of people
Admiring the splashes, the mountains
And the foam of furious waters

Illustration 1903

And Petropolis surfaced like Triton,
Immersed in water up to my waist.
Siege! Attack! evil waves,
Like thieves climbing through the windows. Chelny
With a running start, glass is smashed astern.
Trays under a wet veil,
Fragments of huts, logs, roofs,
thrifty commodity,
Relics of pale poverty,
Storm-blown bridges
A coffin from a blurry cemetery
Float through the streets!

Illustration 1916

Then, on Petrova Square,
Where the house in the corner has risen new,
Where above the elevated porch
With a raised paw, as if alive,
There are two guard lions
On a marble beast,
Without a hat, hands clenched in a cross
Sitting motionless, terribly pale
Evgeniy….

Illustration 1916

The water has drained, and the pavement
Opened, and my Eugene
Hurries, soul freezing,
In hope, fear and longing
To a barely calm river.
But, the triumph of victory is full,
The waves were still seething,
As if a fire smoldered under them,
Still their foam covered,
And Neva was breathing heavily,
Like a horse running from a battle.
Eugene looks: he sees a boat;
He runs to her as if to a find;
He calls the carrier...

Illustration 1903

And long with stormy waves
An experienced rower fought
And hide deep between their rows
Hourly with daring swimmers
The shuttle was ready...

Illustration 1903

What is this?...
He stopped.
Went back and turned back.
Looks... goes... still looks.
Here is the place where their house stands;
Here is the willow. There were gates here -
They took them down, you see. Where is home?
And, full of gloomy care,
Everyone walks, he walks around...

Illustration 1903

But my poor, poor Eugene...
Alas, his troubled mind
Against terrible shocks
Didn't resist. Rebellious Noise
Neva and winds resounded
In his ears. Terrible thoughts
Silently full, he wandered.
... He will soon light
Became a stranger. Walked all day,
And slept on the pier; ate
In the window filed piece.
The clothes are shabby on him
It tore and smoldered. Evil children
They threw stones at him.

Illustration 1903

He found himself under the pillars
Big house. On the porch
With a raised paw, as if alive,
There were guard lions,
And right in the dark sky
Above the walled rock
Idol with outstretched hand
He sat on a bronze horse.
Eugene shuddered. cleared up
It has terrible thoughts. He found out
And the place where the flood played
Where the predatory waves crowded,
Revolting viciously around him,
And the lions, and the square, and that,
Who stood still
In the darkness with a copper head,
Togo, whose fateful will
The city was founded under the sea...

Illustration 1903

Around the foot of the idol
The poor madman walked around
And brought wild eyes
On the face of the ruler of the semi-world.
His chest was shy..

Illustration 1903

And he's empty
Runs and hears behind him -
As if thunder rumbles -
Heavy-voiced galloping
On the shaken pavement...
And, illuminated by the pale moon,
Stretch out your hand above
Behind him rushes the Bronze Horseman
On a galloping horse...

Illustration 1903

And all night the poor madman
Wherever you turn your feet
Behind him everywhere is the Bronze Horseman
Jumped with a heavy thud.

Illustration 1903

And since then, when it happened
Go that square to him
His face showed
Confusion. To your heart
He hastily pressed his hand
As if pacifying his torment
Worn-out symal cap,
I didn't raise my confused eyes
And walked to the side.

In the first decades of the 20th century, drawings by Alexander Nikolaevich Benois (1870 - 1960) for The Bronze Horseman were made - the best that was created in the entire history of Pushkin's illustration. In the drawings by A.N. essential than the artist's sense of style, understanding of the Pushkin era and the ability to skillfully theatricalize the action, having developed a number of "masterfully staged mise-en-scenes."

The Bronze Horseman (read by I. Smoktunovsky)

In the first decades of the 20th century, drawings by Alexander Nikolaevich Benois (1870 - 1960) for The Bronze Horseman were made - the best that was created in the entire history of Pushkin's illustration.
Benoist began working on The Bronze Horseman in 1903. Over the next 20 years, he created a cycle of drawings, intros and endings, as well as a huge number of options and sketches. The first edition of these illustrations, which were prepared for a pocket edition, was created in 1903 in Rome and St. Petersburg. Diaghilev printed them in a different format in the first issue of the magazine "World of Art" for 1904. The first cycle of illustrations consisted of 32 drawings made in ink and watercolor.
In 1905, A.N. Benois, while in Versailles, reworked six of his previous illustrations and completed the frontispiece for The Bronze Horseman. In the new drawings for The Bronze Horseman, the theme of the Horseman's persecution of the little man becomes the main one: the black horseman over the fugitive is not so much Falcone's masterpiece as the personification of brutal force, power. And Petersburg is not the one that captivates with its artistic perfection and scope of building ideas, but a gloomy city - a cluster of gloomy houses, shopping arcades, fences. The anxiety and anxiety that gripped the artist during this period turn here into a real cry about the fate of a person in Russia.
In 1916, 1921-1922, the cycle was revised for the third time and supplemented with new drawings.

In the drawings of A.N. Benois, the images of A.S. Pushkin’s “Petersburg Tale” are, as it were, colored by the reflections and experiences of a person at the beginning of the 20th century.
Therefore, it was the “modernity” of Benois’s illustrations that caught the eye of art connoisseurs at the beginning of the 20th century, it seemed to them no less significant than the artist’s inherent sense of style, understanding of the Pushkin era and the ability to skillfully theatricalize the action, having developed a number of “masterfully staged mise-en-scenes”. The artist and art critic Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar at that time wrote to Benois about these illustrations of his: “They are so good that I still cannot recover from the novelty of impressions. The era and Pushkin are damned conveyed, while there is absolutely no smell of engraving material, no patina. They are terribly modern - and this is important..."