Portraits of children's illustrators. Pictures from childhood

Artistic legacy masters are not exhausted only book graphics. A. F. Pakhomov - the author of monumental murals, paintings, easel graphics: drawings, watercolors, numerous prints, including exciting sheets of the series "Leningrad in the days of the blockade". However, it so happened that in the literature about the artist there was an inaccurate idea of ​​the true scale and time of his activity. Sometimes the coverage of his work began only with the works of the mid-30s, and sometimes even later - with a series of lithographs of the war years. Such a limited approach not only narrowed and curtailed the idea of ​​the original and vibrant heritage of A.F. Pakhomov, created over the course of half a century, but also impoverished Soviet art as a whole.

The need to study the work of A.F. Pakhomov is long overdue. The first monograph about him appeared in the mid-1930s. Naturally, only a part of the works was considered in it. Despite this and some limited understanding of traditions inherent in that time, the work of the first biographer V.P. Anikieva retained its value from the factual side, and also (with necessary adjustments) conceptually. In the essays about the artist published in the 1950s, the scope of material from the 1920s and 1930s turned out to be narrower, and the coverage of the work of subsequent periods was more selective. Today, the descriptive and evaluative side of the works on A.F. Pakhomov, two decades distant from us, seem to have lost their credibility in many ways.

In the 60s, A.F. Pakhomov wrote the original book "About his work." The book clearly showed the fallacy of a number of common ideas about his work. The artist's thoughts about time and art expressed in this work, as well as the extensive material of the recordings of conversations with Alexei Fedorovich Pakhomov, made by the author of these lines, helped to create the monograph offered to readers.

A.F. Pakhomov owns an extremely large number of paintings and drawings. Without claiming to cover them exhaustively, the author of the monograph considered it his task to give an idea of ​​the main aspects creative activity masters, about her wealth and originality, about teachers and colleagues who contributed to the formation of the art of A.F. Pakhomov. Citizenship, deep vitality, realism, characteristic of the artist's works, made it possible to show the development of his work in constant and close connection with the life of the Soviet people.

As one of the greatest masters Soviet art, A.F. Pakhomov, throughout his long life and creative path, carried an ardent love for the Motherland, for its people. High humanism, truthfulness, figurative richness make his works so soulful, sincere, full of warmth and optimism.

AT Vologda region near the city of Kadnikova, on the banks of the Kubena River, the village of Varlamov is located. There, on September 19 (October 2), 1900, a boy was born to a peasant woman, Efimiya Petrovna Pakhomova, who was named Alexei. His father, Fyodor Dmitrievich, came from "specific" farmers who did not know the horrors of serfdom in the past. This circumstance played an important role in the way of life and the prevailing character traits, developed the ability to behave simply, calmly, with dignity. The traits of special optimism, breadth of views, spiritual directness, and responsiveness were also rooted here. Alexei was brought up in a working environment. They lived poorly. As in the whole village, there was not enough of their own bread until spring, they had to buy it. Additional income was required, which was done by adult family members. One of the brothers was a stonemason. Many of the villagers were carpenters. And yet the early time of life was remembered by young Alexei as the most joyful. After two years of study at a parochial school, and then another two years at a zemstvo school in a neighboring village, he was sent "at state expense and on state food" to a higher primary school in the city of Kadnikov. The time of classes there remained in the memory of A.F. Pakhomov as very difficult and hungry. “Since then, my carefree childhood in my father’s house,” he said, “forever began to seem to me the happiest and most poetic time, and this poeticization of childhood later became the main motive in my work.” Aleksey's artistic abilities manifested themselves early, although where he lived there were no conditions for their development. But even in the absence of teachers, the boy achieved certain results. The neighboring landowner V. Zubov drew attention to his talent and presented Alyosha with pencils, paper and reproductions from paintings by Russian artists. Early drawings Pakhomov, which have survived to this day, reveal something that later, being enriched by professional skill, will become characteristic of his work. The little artist was fascinated by the image of a person and, above all, a child. He draws brothers, sister, neighborhood kids. It is interesting that the rhythm of the lines of these artless pencil portraits echoes the drawings of his mature pores.

In 1915, by the time he graduated from the school in the city of Kadnikov, at the suggestion of the district marshal of the nobility Yu. Zubov, local art lovers announced a subscription and sent Pakhomov to Petrograd to the school of A. L. Stieglitz with the money raised. With the revolution, changes also came to the life of Alexei Pakhomov. Under the influence of new teachers who appeared at the school - N. A. Tyrsa, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, S. V. Chekhonin, V. I. Shukhaev - he seeks to better understand the tasks of art. A short training under the guidance of a great master of drawing Shukhaev gave him a lot of value. These classes laid the foundations for understanding the structure of the human body. He strove for a deep study of anatomy. Pakhomov was convinced of the need not to copy the environment, but to represent it meaningfully. When drawing, he got used not to be dependent on the light and shade conditions, but, as it were, to “illuminate” nature with his own eye, leaving light close parts of the volume and darkening those that are more distant. “True,” the artist remarked at the same time, “I did not become a faithful Shukhaevite, that is, I did not begin to draw with sanguine, smearing it with an elastic band so that the human body looked spectacular.” Pakhomov admitted that the lessons of the most prominent book artists, Dobuzhinsky and Chekhonin, were useful. He especially remembered the advice of the latter: to achieve the ability to write fonts on a book cover immediately with a brush, without preparatory basting with a pencil, "like an address on an envelope." According to the artist, such a development of the necessary eye subsequently helped in sketches from nature, where he could, starting with some detail, place everything depicted on the sheet.

In 1918, when living in cold and hungry Petrograd without permanent income became impossible, Pakhomov left for his homeland, enrolling as an art teacher at a school in Kadnikovo. These months were of great benefit to the completion of his education. After lessons in the classes of the first and second steps, he read voraciously, as long as the lighting allowed and his eyes did not get tired. “All the time I was in an excited state, I was seized by a fever of knowledge. The whole world opened before me, which, it turns out, I hardly knew, - Pakhomov recalled this time. “I accepted the February and October revolutions with joy, like most of the people around me, but only now, reading books on sociology, political economy, historical materialism, history, I began to truly understand the essence of the events that took place.”

The treasures of science and literature opened up before the young man; quite natural was his intention to continue his interrupted studies in Petrograd. In a familiar building in Salt Lane, he began to study with N. A. Tyrsa, who was then the commissioner of the former Stieglitz school. “We, the students of Nikolai Andreevich, were very surprised by his costume,” Pakhomov said. - The commissars of those years wore leather caps and jackets with a belt and a revolver in a holster, and Tyrsa walked with a cane and in a bowler hat. But his talks about art were listened to with bated breath. The head of the workshop wittily refuted outdated views on painting, acquainted students with the achievements of the Impressionists, with the experience of post-impressionism, unobtrusively drew attention to the searches that are visible in the works of Van Gogh and especially Cezanne. Tyrsa did not put forward a clear program for the future of art; he demanded spontaneity from those who worked in his workshop: write as you feel. In 1919, Pakhomov was drafted into the Red Army. He closely recognized the previously unfamiliar military environment, understood the truly popular character of the army of the Land of Soviets, which later affected the interpretation of this topic in his work. In the spring of the following year, Pakhomov, demobilized after an illness, arrived in Petrograd and moved from the workshop of N. A. Tyrsa to V. V. Lebedev, deciding to get an idea of ​​the principles of cubism, which were reflected in a number of works by Lebedev and his students. Of the works of Pakhomov, made at this time, little has survived. Such, for example, is "Still Life" (1921), which is distinguished by a subtle sense of texture. In it, one can see the desire learned from Lebedev to achieve “madeness” in the works, to look not for superficial completeness, but for the constructive pictorial organization of the canvas, not forgetting the plastic qualities of the depicted.

The idea of ​​a new great work Pakhomov - paintings "Haymaking" - originated in his native village of Varlamov. There, material was collected for it. The artist depicted not an ordinary everyday scene at the mowing, but the help of young peasants to their neighbors. Although the transition to collective, collective-farm labor was then a matter of the future, the event itself, showing the enthusiasm of youth and enthusiasm for work, was already in some ways akin to new trends. Etudes and sketches of mowing figures, fragments of the landscape: grasses, bushes, stubble testify to the amazing consistency and seriousness of the artistic concept, where bold textural searches are combined with the solution of plastic problems. Pakhomov's ability to catch the rhythm of movements contributed to the dynamism of the composition. For this picture, the artist went for several years and completed many preparatory works. In a number of them, he developed plots close to or accompanying the main theme.

The drawing “Killing the Scythes” (1924) shows two young peasants at work. They were sketched by Pakhomov from nature. Then he went through this sheet with a brush, generalizing the image without observing his models. Good plastic qualities, combined with the transmission of strong movement and the general picturesque use of ink, are visible in the earlier work of 1923 "Two Mowers". With a deep truthfulness, and one might say, the severity of the drawing, here the artist was interested in the alternation of plane and volume. The sheet has skillfully used ink wash. Landscape surroundings are hinted at. The texture of cut and standing grass is palpable, which brings rhythmic diversity to the drawing.

Among the considerable number of developments in the color of the "Haymaking" plot, the watercolor "Mower in a pink shirt" should be mentioned. In it, in addition to painterly washes with a brush, scratching on a wet paint layer was used, which gave a special sharpness to the image and was introduced into the picture in a different technique (in oil painting). Colorful large leaf "Haymaking", painted in watercolor. In it, the scene seems to be seen from high point vision. This made it possible to show all the figures of the mowers going in a row and to achieve a special dynamics in the transmission of their movements, which is facilitated by the arrangement of the figures diagonally. Having appreciated this technique, the artist built the picture in the same way, and then did not forget it in the future. Pakhomov achieved the picturesqueness of the general gamut and conveyed the impression of a morning haze pierced sunshine. The same theme is solved differently in the oil painting “On the Mowing”, depicting working mowers and a horse grazing near the cart to the side. The landscape here is different than in other sketches, variants and in the picture itself. Instead of a field, there is a bank of a fast river, which is emphasized by the jets of the current and a boat with a rower. The color of the landscape is expressive, built on various cold green tones, only warmer shades are introduced in the foreground. A certain decorative effect was found in the combination of figures with the environment, which enhanced the overall color sound.

One of Pakhomov's paintings on sports in the 1920s is Boys Skating. The artist built the composition on the image of the longest moment of movement and therefore the most fruitful, giving an idea of ​​what has passed and what will be. In contrast, another figure is shown in the distance, introducing rhythmic diversity and completing the compositional idea. In this picture, along with an interest in sports, one can see Pakhomov's appeal to the most important topic for his work - the lives of children. Previously, this trend was reflected in the graphics of the artist. Starting from the mid-1920s, a deep understanding and creation of images of the children of the Land of the Soviets was Pakhomov's outstanding contribution to art. Studying great pictorial and plastic problems, the artist also solved them in works on this new important topic. At the exhibition of 1927, the canvas "Peasant Girl" was shown, which, although it had something in common with the portraits discussed above, was also of independent interest. The artist's attention was focused on the image of the girl's head and hands, painted with great plastic feeling. The type of a young face is captured in an original way. Close to this canvas in terms of immediacy of sensation is “Girl Behind Her Hair”, exhibited for the first time in 1929. It differed from the chest image of 1927 in a new, more detailed composition, including almost the entire figure in full growth, transmitted in a more complex movement. The artist showed the relaxed pose of a girl fixing her hair and looking into a small mirror lying on her knee. Sound combinations of a golden face and hands, a blue dress and a red bench, a scarlet sweater and ocher-greenish log walls of the hut contribute to the emotionality of the image. Pakhomov subtly captured the ingenuous expression baby face, touching posture. Bright, unusual images stopped the audience. Both works were part of foreign exhibitions of Soviet art.

Throughout his half-century creative activity, A.F. Pakhomov was in close contact with the life of the Soviet country, and this saturated his works with inspired conviction and the power of vital truth. His artistic personality developed early. Acquaintance with his work shows that already in the 1920s it was distinguished by depth and thoroughness, enriched by the experience of studying world culture. In its formation, the role of the art of Giotto and the Proto-Renaissance is obvious, but the influence of ancient Russian painting was no less profound. A. F. Pakhomov belonged to the number of masters who innovatively approached the rich classical heritage. His works are characterized by a modern feeling in solving both pictorial and graphic tasks.

Pakhomov’s mastering of new themes in the canvases “1905 in the Village”, “Riders”, “Spartakovka”, in a cycle of paintings about children is important for the development of Soviet art. The artist played a prominent role in creating the image of a contemporary, his series of portraits is a clear evidence of this. For the first time he introduced into art such bright and life images young citizens of the Land of Soviets. This side of his talent is exceptionally valuable. His works enrich and expand ideas about the history of Russian painting. Since the 1920s, the largest museums in the country have been purchasing Pakhomov's paintings. His works have received international fame at large exhibitions in Europe, America, Asia.

A.F. Pakhomov was inspired by socialist reality. His attention was attracted by the testing of turbines, the work of weaving mills and new things in life. Agriculture. His works reveal topics related to collectivization, and with the introduction of equipment into the fields, and with the use of combines, and with the work of tractors at night, and with the life of the army and navy. We emphasize the special value of these achievements of Pakhomov, because all this was displayed by the artist back in the 20s and early 30s. His painting “Pioneers at the Sovereign Farmer”, a series about the commune “The Sower” and portraits from “Beautiful Swords” are among the most deep works of our artists about changes in the countryside, about collectivization.

The works of A.F. Pakhomov are notable for their monumental solutions. In the early Soviet wall painting, the artist's works are among the most striking and interesting. In the Red Oath cardboards, in the paintings and sketches of the Round Dance of Children of All Nations, in the paintings about reapers, as well as in the best creations of Pakhomov’s painting in general, there is a tangible connection with the great traditions of the ancient national heritage, which is part of the treasury of world art. The coloristic, figurative side of his murals, paintings, portraits, as well as easel and book graphics is deeply original. The brilliant successes of plein-air painting are demonstrated by the series “In the Sun” - a kind of hymn to the youth of the Land of the Soviets. Here, in the depiction of the naked body, the artist acted as one of the great masters who contributed to the development of this genre in Soviet painting. Pakhomov's color searches were combined with the solution of serious plastic problems.

It must be said that in the person of A.F. Pakhomov, art had one of the largest draftsmen of our time. Master masterfully owned various materials. Works in ink and watercolor, pen and brush side by side with brilliant drawings graphite pencil. His accomplishments go beyond domestic art and become one of the outstanding creations of world graphics. It is not difficult to find examples of this in a series of drawings made at home in the 1920s, and among sheets made in the next decade on trips around the country, and in cycles about pioneer camps.

The contribution of A.F. Pakhomov to graphics is enormous. His easel and book works dedicated to children are among the outstanding successes in this area. One of the founders of Soviet illustrated literature, he introduced a deep and individualized image of the child into it. His drawings captivated readers with vitality and expressiveness. Without teachings, vividly and clearly, the artist conveyed thoughts to children, aroused their feelings. And important topics of education and school life! None of the artists solved them as deeply and truthfully as Pakhomov. For the first time, he illustrated the verses of V. V. Mayakovsky so figuratively and realistically. An artistic discovery was his drawings for the works of Leo Tolstoy for children. The considered graphic material clearly showed that the work of Pakhomov, an illustrator of modern and classical literature, it is wrong to limit it to only the area of ​​a children's book. The artist's excellent drawings for the works of Pushkin, Nekrasov, Zoshchenko testify to great success Russian graphics of the 30s. His works contributed to the establishment of the method of socialist realism.

The art of A.F. Pakhomov is distinguished by citizenship, modernity, and relevance. During the most difficult trials of the Leningrad blockade, the artist did not interrupt his work. Together with the masters of art of the city on the Neva, he, as once in his youth in the civil war, worked on assignments from the front. Pakhomov's series of lithographs "Leningrad in the days of the siege", one of the most significant works of art of the war years, reveals the unparalleled valor and courage of the Soviet people.

The author of hundreds of lithographs, A.F. Pakhomov should be named among those enthusiastic artists who contributed to the development and dissemination of this type of printed graphics. The possibility of appealing to a wide range of viewers, the mass nature of the address of the circulation print attracted his attention.

His work is characterized by classical clarity and conciseness. visual means. The image of a person is his main goal. An extremely important side of the artist's work, which makes him related to classical traditions, is the desire for plastic expressiveness, which is clearly visible in his paintings, drawings, illustrations, prints, right up to his most recent works. He did this constantly and consistently.

A.F. Pakhomov is “a deeply original, great Russian artist who is completely immersed in the reflection of the life of his people, but at the same time he has absorbed the achievements of world art. The work of A. F. Pakhomov, a painter and graphic artist, is a significant contribution to the development of Soviet artistic culture. /V.S. Matafonov/

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VLADIMIR VASILIEVICH LEBEDEV

14 (26). 05.1891, St. Petersburg - 11.21.1967, Leningrad

People's Artist of the RSFSR. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR

He worked in St. Petersburg in the studio of F. A. Roubaud and attended the school of drawing, painting and sculpture of M. D. Bernstein and L. V. Sherwood (1910-1914), studied in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Arts (1912-1914). Member of the Four Arts Society. Collaborated in the magazines "Satyricon", "New Satyricon". One of the organizers Windows ROSTA" in Petrograd.

What is the use of a book, thought Alice, if there are no pictures or conversations in it? "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Surprisingly, the children's illustration of Russia (USSR) has an exact year of birth - 1925. In the year of literature of children's illustration, it turns 90 years old. This year, a department of children's literature was created at the Leningrad State Publishing House (GIZ). Before that, there were no books with illustrations specifically for children. Who are they - the authors of the most beloved, beautiful illustrations that have been remembered since childhood and our children like? Learn, remember, share your opinion. The article was written using the stories of the parents of today's kids and book reviews on the websites of online bookstores.

Vladimir Grigorievich Suteev (1903-1993, Moscow) - children's writer, illustrator and animator. His kind, funny pictures look like frames from a cartoon. Suteev's drawings have turned many fairy tales into masterpieces. So, for example, not all parents consider the works of Korney Chukovsky a necessary classic, and most of of them does not consider his works talented. But Chukovsky's fairy tales, illustrated by Vladimir Suteev, I want to hold in my hands and read to children.

Boris Alexandrovich Dekhterev (1908-1993, Kaluga, Moscow) - People's Artist, Soviet graphic artist (it is believed that the "Dekhterev School" determined the development of the country's book graphics), illustrator. Worked primarily in engineering pencil drawing and watercolors. The good old illustrations by Dekhterev are a whole era in the history of children's illustration, many illustrators call Boris Aleksandrovich their teacher. Dekhterev illustrated children's fairy tales by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen. As well as works by other Russian writers and world classics, such as Mikhail Lermontov, Ivan Turgenev, William Shakespeare.

Nikolai Alexandrovich Ustinov (born in 1937, Moscow), his teacher was Dekhterev, and many modern illustrators already consider Ustinov their teacher. Nikolai Ustinov - People's Artist, illustrator. Fairy tales with his illustrations were published not only in Russia (USSR), but also in Japan, Germany, Korea and other countries. Almost three hundred works were illustrated by the famous artist for publishing houses: "Children's Literature", "Kid", "Artist of the RSFSR", publishing houses of Tula, Voronezh, St. Petersburg and others. Worked in Murzilka magazine. Ustinov's illustrations for Russian folk tales remain the most favorite for children: Three Bears, Masha and the Bear, Sister Chanterelle, Frog Princess, Geese Swans and many others.

Yuri Alekseevich Vasnetsov (1900-1973, Vyatka, Leningrad) - People's Artist and Illustrator. All kids like his pictures for folk songs, nursery rhymes and jokes (Ladushki, Rainbow-arc). He illustrated folk tales, tales of Leo Tolstoy, Pyotr Ershov, Samuil Marshak, Vitaly Bianchi and other classics of Russian literature. When buying children's books with illustrations by Yuri Vasnetsov, make sure that the drawings are clear and moderately bright. Using the name famous artist, lately books are often published with fuzzy scans of drawings or with increased unnatural brightness and contrast, and this is not very good for children's eyes.

Leonid Viktorovich Vladimirsky (born 1920, Moscow) is a Russian graphic artist and the most popular illustrator of books about A. N. Tolstoy's Pinocchio and A. M. Volkov's Emerald City, thanks to which he became widely known in Russia and the countries of the former USSR. I painted with watercolors. It is Vladimirsky's illustrations that many recognize as classic for Volkov's works. Well, Pinocchio in the form in which he has been known and loved by several generations of children is undoubtedly his merit.

Viktor Alexandrovich Chizhikov (born 1935, Moscow) - People's Artist of Russia, author of the image of the bear cub Mishka, the talisman of summer Olympic Games 1980 in Moscow. The illustrator of the magazine "Crocodile", "Funny Pictures", "Murzilka", for many years he drew for the magazine "Around the World". Chizhikov illustrated the works of Sergei Mikhalkov, Nikolai Nosov (Vitya Maleev at school and at home), Irina Tokmakova (Alya, Klyaksich and the letter "A"), Alexander Volkov (The Magician emerald city), poems by Andrey Usachev, Korney Chukovsky and Agnia Barto and other books. In fairness, it should be noted that Chizhikov's illustrations are rather specific and cartoonish. Therefore, not all parents prefer to buy books with his illustrations, if there is an alternative. For example, the books "The Wizard of the Emerald City" are preferred by many with illustrations by Leonid Vladimirsky.

Nikolai Ernestovich Radlov (1889-1942, St. Petersburg) - Russian artist, art critic, teacher. Illustrator of children's books: Agnia Barto, Samuil Marshak, Sergei Mikhalkov, Alexander Volkov. Radlov painted for kids with great pleasure. His most famous book is cartoons for kids "Stories in Pictures". This is a book-album with funny stories about animals and birds. Years have passed, but the collection is still very popular. Stories in pictures were repeatedly reprinted not only in Russia, but also in other countries. On the international competition children's book in America in 1938, the book won the second prize.

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (1876-1942, Leningrad) - Russian artist, book illustrator and theater designer. Bilibin illustrated a large number of fairy tales, including Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He developed his own style - "Bilibino" - a graphic representation, taking into account the traditions of ancient Russian and folk art, a carefully traced and detailed patterned contour drawing, colored with watercolors. Bilibin's style became popular and began to be imitated. Fairy tales, epics, images of ancient Russia for many have long been inextricably linked with Bilibin's illustrations.

Anatoly Mikhailovich Savchenko (1924-2011, Novocherkassk, Moscow) - cartoonist and illustrator of children's books. Anatoly Savchenko was the production designer for the cartoons "Kid and Carlson" and "Carlson returned" and the author of illustrations for books by Astrid Lindgren. The most famous cartoon works with his direct participation: Moidodyr, the adventures of Murzilka, Petya and Little Red Riding Hood, Vovka distant kingdom, Nutcracker, Tsokotuha Fly, Kesha parrot and others. Children are familiar with Savchenko's illustrations from the books: "Piggy is offended" by Vladimir Orlov, "Kuzya Brownie" by Tatyana Alexandrova, "Tales for the smallest" by Gennady Tsyferov, "Little Baba Yaga" by Preysler Otfried, as well as books with works similar to cartoons.

Oleg Vladimirovich Vasiliev (born in 1931, Moscow). His works are in the collections of many art museums in Russia and the USA, incl. in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Since the 1960s, for more than thirty years he has been designing children's books in collaboration with Erik Vladimirovich Bulatov (born in 1933, Sverdlovsk, Moscow). The most famous are the artists' illustrations for fairy tales by Charles Perrault and Hans Andersen, poems by Valentin Berestov and fairy tales by Gennady Tsyferov.

Children's book illustrators. Who are the authors of the most favorite pictures

What's the use of a book, thought Alice.
- if there are no pictures or conversations in it?
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Surprisingly, the children's illustration of Russia (USSR)
there is an exact year of birth - 1925. This year
a department of children's literature was created in the Leningrad
State Publishing House (GIZ). Before this book
with illustrations specially for children were not published.

Who are they - the authors of the most beloved, beautiful illustrations that have been remembered since childhood and our children like?
Learn, remember, share your opinion.
The article was written using the stories of the parents of today's kids and book reviews on the websites of online bookstores.

Vladimir Grigorievich Suteev(1903-1993, Moscow) - children's writer, illustrator and animation director. His kind, funny pictures look like frames from a cartoon. Suteev's drawings have turned many fairy tales into masterpieces.
So, for example, not all parents consider the works of Korney Chukovsky to be a necessary classic, and most of them do not consider his works to be talented. But Chukovsky's fairy tales, illustrated by Vladimir Suteev, I want to hold in my hands and read to children.

Boris Alexandrovich Dekhterev(1908-1993, Kaluga, Moscow) - People's Artist, Soviet graphic artist (it is believed that the "Dekhterev School" determined the development of the country's book graphics), illustrator. He worked mainly in the technique of pencil drawing and watercolor. The good old illustrations by Dekhterev are a whole era in the history of children's illustration, many illustrators call Boris Aleksandrovich their teacher.

Dekhterev illustrated children's fairy tales by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Andersen. As well as works by other Russian writers and world classics, such as Mikhail Lermontov, Ivan Turgenev, William Shakespeare.

Nikolay Alexandrovich Ustinov(1937, Moscow), Dekhterev was his teacher, and many modern illustrators already consider Ustinov their teacher.

Nikolai Ustinov - People's Artist, illustrator. Fairy tales with his illustrations were published not only in Russia (USSR), but also in Japan, Germany, Korea and other countries. Almost three hundred works were illustrated by the famous artist for publishing houses: "Children's Literature", "Kid", "Artist of the RSFSR", publishing houses of Tula, Voronezh, St. Petersburg and others. Worked in Murzilka magazine.
Ustinov's illustrations for Russian folk tales remain the most favorite for children: Three Bears, Masha and the Bear, Sister Chanterelle, Frog Princess, Geese Swans and many others.

Yuri Alekseevich Vasnetsov(1900-1973, Vyatka, Leningrad) - people's artist and illustrator. All kids like his pictures for folk songs, nursery rhymes and jokes (Ladushki, Rainbow-arc). He illustrated folk tales, tales of Leo Tolstoy, Pyotr Ershov, Samuil Marshak, Vitaly Bianchi and other classics of Russian literature.

When buying children's books with illustrations by Yuri Vasnetsov, make sure that the drawings are clear and moderately bright. Using the name of a famous artist, recently books are often published with fuzzy scans of drawings or with increased unnatural brightness and contrast, and this is not very good for children's eyes.

Leonid Viktorovich Vladimirsky(born in 1920, Moscow) is a Russian graphic artist and the most popular illustrator of books about A. N. Tolstoy's Pinocchio and A. M. Volkov's Emerald City, thanks to which he became widely known in Russia and the countries of the former USSR. I painted with watercolors. It is Vladimirsky's illustrations that many recognize as classic for Volkov's works. Well, Pinocchio in the form in which he has been known and loved by several generations of children is undoubtedly his merit.

Viktor Alexandrovich Chizhikov(born in 1935, Moscow) - People's Artist of Russia, author of the image of the bear cub Mishka, the mascot of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The illustrator of the magazine "Crocodile", "Funny Pictures", "Murzilka", for many years he drew for the magazine "Around the World".
Chizhikov illustrated the works of Sergei Mikhalkov, Nikolai Nosov (Vitya Maleev at school and at home), Irina Tokmakova (Alya, Klyaksich and the letter "A"), Alexander Volkov (The Wizard of Oz), poems by Andrey Usachev, Korney Chukovsky and Agnia Barto and other books .

In fairness, it should be noted that Chizhikov's illustrations are rather specific and cartoonish. Therefore, not all parents prefer to buy books with his illustrations, if there is an alternative. For example, the books "The Wizard of the Emerald City" are preferred by many with illustrations. Leonid Vladimirsky.

Nikolai Ernestovich Radlov(1889-1942, St. Petersburg) - Russian artist, art critic, teacher. Illustrator of children's books: Agnia Barto, Samuil Marshak, Sergei Mikhalkov, Alexander Volkov. Radlov painted for kids with great pleasure. His most famous book is cartoons for kids "Stories in Pictures". This is a book-album with funny stories about animals and birds. Years have passed, but the collection is still very popular. Stories in pictures were repeatedly reprinted not only in Russia, but also in other countries. At the international children's book competition in America in 1938, the book won second prize.

Alexey Mikhailovich Laptev(1905-1965, Moscow) - graphic artist, book illustrator, poet. The artist's works are in many regional museums, as well as in private collections in Russia and abroad. Illustrated "The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends" by Nikolai Nosov, "Fables" by Ivan Krylov, "Funny Pictures" magazine. The book with his poems and pictures "Pik, Pak, Pok" is already very loved by any generation of children and parents (Briff, a greedy bear, foals Chernysh and Ryzhik, fifty hares and others)

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin(1876-1942, Leningrad) - Russian artist, book illustrator and theater designer. Bilibin illustrated a large number of fairy tales, including those of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He developed his own style - "Bilibino" - a graphic representation, taking into account the traditions of ancient Russian and folk art, a carefully traced and detailed patterned contour drawing, colored with watercolors. Bilibin's style became popular and began to be imitated.

Fairy tales, epics, images of ancient Russia for many have long been inextricably linked with Bilibin's illustrations.

Vladimir Mikhailovich Konashevich(1888-1963, Novocherkassk, Leningrad) - Russian artist, graphic artist, illustrator. I started illustrating children's books by accident. In 1918, his daughter was three years old. Konashevich drew pictures for her for each letter of the alphabet. One of my friends saw these drawings, he liked them. So the “ABC in Pictures” was printed - the first book by V. M. Konashevich. Since then, the artist has become an illustrator of children's books.
From the 1930s, illustrating children's literature became the main business of his life. Konashevich also illustrated adult literature, was engaged in painting, painted pictures in a specific technique he liked - ink or watercolor on Chinese paper.

The main works of Vladimir Konashevich:
- illustration of fairy tales and songs different peoples, some of which have been illustrated several times;
- fairy tales by G.Kh. Andersen, Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault;
- "The Old Man-Year-Old" by V. I. Dahl;
- works by Korney Chukovsky and Samuil Marshak.
Last work the artist was illustrating all the fairy tales of A. S. Pushkin.

Anatoly Mikhailovich Savchenko(1924-2011, Novocherkassk, Moscow) - cartoonist and illustrator of children's books. Anatoly Savchenko was the production designer for the cartoons "Kid and Carlson" and "Carlson returned" and the author of illustrations for books by Astrid Lindgren. The most famous cartoon works with his direct participation: Moidodyr, the adventures of Murzilka, Petya and Little Red Riding Hood, Vovka in Far Far Away, The Nutcracker, Fly-Tsokotukha, Kesha's parrot and others.
Children are familiar with Savchenko's illustrations from the books: “Piggy is offended” by Vladimir Orlov, “Kuzya Brownie” by Tatyana Alexandrova, “Tales for the smallest” by Gennady Tsyferov, “Little Baba Yaga” by Preysler Otfrid, as well as books with works similar to cartoons.

Oleg Vladimirovich Vasiliev(born in 1931, Moscow). His works are in the collections of many art museums in Russia and the USA, incl. at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Since the 1960s, for more than thirty years he has been designing children's books in collaboration with Erik Vladimirovich Bulatov (born in 1933, Sverdlovsk, Moscow).
The most famous are the artists' illustrations for fairy tales by Charles Perrault and Hans Andersen, poems by Valentin Berestov and fairy tales by Gennady Tsyferov.

Boris Arkadyevich Diodorov(born 1934, Moscow) - People's Artist. Favorite technique - color etching. Author of illustrations for many works of Russian and foreign classics. His most famous illustrations for fairy tales are:

- Jan Ekholm "Tutta Karlsson the First and Only, Ludwig the Fourteenth and others";
- Selma Lagerlöf "Niels' amazing journey with wild geese»;
- Sergey Aksakov The Scarlet Flower»;
- Hans Christian Andersen's works.

Diodorov has illustrated more than 300 books. His works have been published in the USA, France, Spain, Finland, Japan, South Korea and other countries. He worked as the chief artist of the publishing house "Children's Literature".

Evgeny Ivanovich Charushin(1901-1965, Vyatka, Leningrad) - graphic artist, sculptor, prose writer and children's writer-animalist. Basically, the illustrations are executed in the manner of a free watercolor drawing with a bit of humor. Kids love it, even toddlers. Known for illustrations of animals that he drew for his own stories: "About Tomka", "Volchishko and others", "Nikitka and his friends" and many others. He also illustrated other authors: Chukovsky, Prishvin, Bianki. The most famous book with his illustrations is "Children in a Cage" by Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak.

Evgeny Mikhailovich Rachev(1906-1997, Tomsk) - animal painter, graphic artist, illustrator. He illustrated mainly Russian folk tales, fables and fairy tales of the classics of Russian literature. He mainly illustrated works in which the main characters are animals: Russian fairy tales about animals, fables.

Ivan Maksimovich Semyonov(1906-1982, Rostov-on-Don, Moscow) - People's Artist, graphic artist, cartoonist. Semenov worked in the newspapers " TVNZ», « Pioneer Truth”, magazines “Change”, “Crocodile” and others. Back in 1956, on his initiative, the first humorous magazine for young children in the USSR, “Funny Pictures”, was created.
His most famous illustrations are for Nikolai Nosov's stories about Kolya and Mishka (Dreamers, Living Hat and others) and drawings "Bobik visiting Barbos".

The names of some other famous contemporary Russian children's book illustrators:

- Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Nazaruk(born in 1941, Moscow) – production designer for dozens of animated films: Little Raccoon, Adventures of Leopold the Cat, Mom for a mammoth, Bazhov's tales and illustrator of books of the same name.

- Nadezhda Bugoslavskaya (biographical information the author of the article did not find) - the author of good beautiful illustrations for many children's books: Poems and songs of mother goose, poems by Boris Zakhoder, works by Sergei Mikhalkov, works by Daniil Kharms, stories by Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Pippi long stocking» Astrid Lindgren and others.

- Igor Egunov (the author of the article did not find biographical information) - contemporary artist, author of bright, well-drawn illustrations for books: "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" by Rudolf Raspe, "The Little Humpbacked Horse" by Pyotr Ershov, fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hoffmann, fairy tales about Russian heroes

- Evgeny Antonenkov(born in 1956, Moscow) - illustrator, favorite technique is watercolor, pen and paper, mixed media. The illustrations are modern, unusual, stand out among others. Some look at them with indifference, others fall in love with funny pictures at first sight.
Most famous illustrations: to the tales of Winnie the Pooh (Alan Alexander Milne), "Russian Children's Tales", poems and fairy tales by Samuil Marshak, Korney Chukovsky, Gianni Rodari, Yunna Moritz. Stupid Horse by Vladimir Levin (English old folk ballads), illustrated by Antonenkov, is one of the most popular books of the outgoing 2011.
Evgeny Antonenkov collaborates with publishing houses in Germany, France, Belgium, the USA, Korea, Japan, and is a regular participant in prestigious international exhibitions, laureate of the competition "White Crow" (Bologna, 2004), winner of the diploma "Book of the Year" (2008).

- Igor Yulievich Oleinikov (born in 1953, Moscow) - animator, mainly works in hand-drawn animation, book illustrator. Surprisingly, such a talented contemporary artist does not have a special art education.
In animation, Igor Oleinikov is known for his films: The Secret of the Third Planet, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Sherlock Holmes and I, and others. Worked with children's magazines "Tram", "Sesame Street" Goodnight, kids! and others.
Igor Oleinikov cooperates with publishing houses in Canada, USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, participates in prestigious international exhibitions.
The artist's most famous illustrations for books: "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" by John Tolkien, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" by Erich Raspe, "The Adventures of Despero the Mouse" by Kate DiCamillo, " Peter Pan» James Barry. Latest books with illustrations by Oleinikov: poems by Daniil Kharms, Joseph Brodsky, Andrey Usachev.
A m I didn’t really want to introduce you to illustrators, to remember our childhood with you and recommend it to young parents.

(text) Anna Agrova

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E.M. Rachev. Illustrations for Russian fairy tales

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Artist Varvara Boldina

The artistic heritage of the master is not limited to book graphics. A.F. Pakhomov is the author of monumental murals, paintings, easel graphics: drawings, watercolors, numerous prints, among which are the exciting sheets of the Leningrad in the days of the blockade series. However, it so happened that in the literature about the artist there was an inaccurate idea of ​​the true scale and time of his activity. Sometimes the coverage of his work began only with the works of the mid-30s, and sometimes even later - with a series of lithographs of the war years. Such a limited approach not only narrowed and curtailed the idea of ​​the original and vibrant heritage of A.F. Pakhomov, created over the course of half a century, but also impoverished Soviet art as a whole.

The need to study the work of A.F. Pakhomov is long overdue. The first monograph about him appeared in the mid-1930s. Naturally, only a part of the works was considered in it. Despite this and some limited understanding of traditions inherent in that time, the work of the first biographer V.P. Anikieva retained its value from the factual side, and also (with necessary adjustments) conceptually. In the essays about the artist published in the 1950s, the scope of material from the 1920s and 1930s turned out to be narrower, and the coverage of the work of subsequent periods was more selective. Today, the descriptive and evaluative side of the works on A.F. Pakhomov, two decades distant from us, seem to have lost their credibility in many ways.

In the 60s, A.F. Pakhomov wrote the original book "About his work." The book clearly showed the fallacy of a number of common ideas about his work. The artist's thoughts about time and art expressed in this work, as well as the extensive material of the recordings of conversations with Alexei Fedorovich Pakhomov, made by the author of these lines, helped to create the monograph offered to readers.

A.F. Pakhomov owns an extremely large number of paintings and drawings. Without claiming to cover them exhaustively, the author of the monograph considered it his task to give an idea of ​​the main aspects of the master's creative activity, its richness and originality, teachers and colleagues who contributed to the development of A.F. Pakhomov's art. Citizenship, deep vitality, realism, characteristic of the artist's works, made it possible to show the development of his work in constant and close connection with the life of the Soviet people.

Being one of the greatest masters of Soviet art, A.F. Pakhomov carried his ardent love for the Motherland, for its people throughout his long life and career. High humanism, truthfulness, figurative richness make his works so soulful, sincere, full of warmth and optimism.

In the Vologda region, near the city of Kadnikova, on the banks of the Kubena River, the village of Varlamov is located. There, on September 19 (October 2), 1900, a boy was born to a peasant woman, Efimiya Petrovna Pakhomova, who was named Alexei. His father, Fyodor Dmitrievich, came from "specific" farmers who did not know the horrors of serfdom in the past. This circumstance played an important role in the way of life and the prevailing character traits, developed the ability to behave simply, calmly, with dignity. The traits of special optimism, breadth of views, spiritual directness, and responsiveness were also rooted here. Alexei was brought up in a working environment. They lived poorly. As in the whole village, there was not enough of their own bread until spring, they had to buy it. Additional income was required, which was done by adult family members. One of the brothers was a stonemason. Many of the villagers were carpenters. And yet the early time of life was remembered by young Alexei as the most joyful. After two years of study at a parochial school, and then another two years at a zemstvo school in a neighboring village, he was sent "at state expense and on state food" to a higher primary school in the city of Kadnikov. The time of classes there remained in the memory of A.F. Pakhomov as very difficult and hungry. “Since then, my carefree childhood in my father’s house,” he said, “forever began to seem to me the happiest and most poetic time, and this poeticization of childhood later became the main motive in my work.” Aleksey's artistic abilities manifested themselves early, although where he lived there were no conditions for their development. But even in the absence of teachers, the boy achieved certain results. The neighboring landowner V. Zubov drew attention to his talent and presented Alyosha with pencils, paper and reproductions from paintings by Russian artists. Pakhomov's early drawings, which have survived to this day, reveal what later, being enriched by professional skill, will become characteristic of his work. The little artist was fascinated by the image of a person and, above all, a child. He draws brothers, sister, neighborhood kids. It is interesting that the rhythm of the lines of these artless pencil portraits echoes the drawings of his mature pores.

In 1915, by the time he graduated from the school in the city of Kadnikov, at the suggestion of the district marshal of the nobility Yu. Zubov, local art lovers announced a subscription and sent Pakhomov to Petrograd to the school of A. L. Stieglitz with the money raised. With the revolution, changes also came to the life of Alexei Pakhomov. Under the influence of new teachers who appeared at the school - N. A. Tyrsa, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, S. V. Chekhonin, V. I. Shukhaev - he seeks to better understand the tasks of art. A short training under the guidance of a great master of drawing Shukhaev gave him a lot of value. These classes laid the foundations for understanding the structure of the human body. He strove for a deep study of anatomy. Pakhomov was convinced of the need not to copy the environment, but to represent it meaningfully. When drawing, he got used not to be dependent on the light and shade conditions, but, as it were, to “illuminate” nature with his own eye, leaving light close parts of the volume and darkening those that are more distant. “True,” the artist remarked at the same time, “I did not become a faithful Shukhaevite, that is, I did not begin to draw with sanguine, smearing it with an elastic band so that the human body looked spectacular.” Pakhomov admitted that the lessons of the most prominent book artists, Dobuzhinsky and Chekhonin, were useful. He especially remembered the advice of the latter: to achieve the ability to write fonts on a book cover immediately with a brush, without preparatory basting with a pencil, "like an address on an envelope." According to the artist, such a development of the necessary eye subsequently helped in sketches from nature, where he could, starting with some detail, place everything depicted on the sheet.

In 1918, when it became impossible to live in cold and hungry Petrograd without a permanent income, Pakhomov left for his homeland, becoming a drawing teacher at a school in Kadnikovo. These months were of great benefit to the completion of his education. After lessons in the classes of the first and second steps, he read voraciously, as long as the lighting allowed and his eyes did not get tired. “All the time I was in an excited state, I was seized by a fever of knowledge. The whole world opened before me, which, it turns out, I hardly knew, - Pakhomov recalled this time. “I accepted the February and October revolutions with joy, like most of the people around me, but only now, reading books on sociology, political economy, historical materialism, history, I began to truly understand the essence of the events that took place.”

The treasures of science and literature opened up before the young man; quite natural was his intention to continue his interrupted studies in Petrograd. In a familiar building in Salt Lane, he began to study with N. A. Tyrsa, who was then the commissioner of the former Stieglitz school. “We, the students of Nikolai Andreevich, were very surprised by his costume,” Pakhomov said. - The commissars of those years wore leather caps and jackets with a belt and a revolver in a holster, and Tyrsa walked with a cane and in a bowler hat. But his talks about art were listened to with bated breath. The head of the workshop wittily refuted outdated views on painting, acquainted students with the achievements of the Impressionists, with the experience of post-impressionism, unobtrusively drew attention to the searches that are visible in the works of Van Gogh and especially Cezanne. Tyrsa did not put forward a clear program for the future of art; he demanded spontaneity from those who worked in his workshop: write as you feel. In 1919, Pakhomov was drafted into the Red Army. He closely recognized the previously unfamiliar military environment, understood the truly popular character of the army of the Land of Soviets, which later affected the interpretation of this topic in his work. In the spring of the following year, Pakhomov, demobilized after an illness, arrived in Petrograd and moved from the workshop of N. A. Tyrsa to V. V. Lebedev, deciding to get an idea of ​​the principles of cubism, which were reflected in a number of works by Lebedev and his students. Of the works of Pakhomov, made at this time, little has survived. Such, for example, is "Still Life" (1921), which is distinguished by a subtle sense of texture. In it, one can see the desire learned from Lebedev to achieve “madeness” in the works, to look not for superficial completeness, but for the constructive pictorial organization of the canvas, not forgetting the plastic qualities of the depicted.

The idea of ​​Pakhomov's new big work - the painting "Haymaking" - arose in his native village of Varlamov. There, material was collected for it. The artist depicted not an ordinary everyday scene at the mowing, but the help of young peasants to their neighbors. Although the transition to collective, collective-farm labor was then a matter of the future, the event itself, showing the enthusiasm of youth and enthusiasm for work, was already in some ways akin to new trends. Etudes and sketches of mowing figures, fragments of the landscape: grasses, bushes, stubble testify to the amazing consistency and seriousness of the artistic concept, where bold textural searches are combined with the solution of plastic problems. Pakhomov's ability to catch the rhythm of movements contributed to the dynamism of the composition. For this picture, the artist went for several years and completed many preparatory works. In a number of them, he developed plots close to or accompanying the main theme.

The drawing “Killing the Scythes” (1924) shows two young peasants at work. They were sketched by Pakhomov from nature. Then he went through this sheet with a brush, generalizing the image without observing his models. Good plastic qualities, combined with the transmission of strong movement and the general picturesque use of ink, are visible in the earlier work of 1923 "Two Mowers". With a deep truthfulness, and one might say, the severity of the drawing, here the artist was interested in the alternation of plane and volume. The sheet has skillfully used ink wash. Landscape surroundings are hinted at. The texture of cut and standing grass is palpable, which brings rhythmic diversity to the drawing.

Among the considerable number of developments in the color of the "Haymaking" plot, the watercolor "Mower in a pink shirt" should be mentioned. In it, in addition to painterly washes with a brush, scratching on a wet paint layer was used, which gave a special sharpness to the image and was introduced into the picture in a different technique (in oil painting). Colorful large leaf "Haymaking", painted in watercolor. In it, the scene seems to be seen from a high point of view. This made it possible to show all the figures of the mowers going in a row and to achieve a special dynamics in the transmission of their movements, which is facilitated by the arrangement of the figures diagonally. Having appreciated this technique, the artist built the picture in the same way, and then did not forget it in the future. Pakhomov achieved the picturesqueness of the general range and conveyed the impression of a morning haze pierced by sunlight. The same theme is solved differently in the oil painting “On the Mowing”, depicting working mowers and a horse grazing near the cart to the side. The landscape here is different than in other sketches, variants and in the picture itself. Instead of a field, there is a bank of a fast river, which is emphasized by the jets of the current and a boat with a rower. The color of the landscape is expressive, built on various cold green tones, only warmer shades are introduced in the foreground. A certain decorative effect was found in the combination of figures with the environment, which enhanced the overall color sound.

One of Pakhomov's paintings on sports in the 1920s is Boys Skating. The artist built the composition on the image of the longest moment of movement and therefore the most fruitful, giving an idea of ​​what has passed and what will be. In contrast, another figure is shown in the distance, introducing rhythmic diversity and completing the compositional idea. In this picture, along with an interest in sports, one can see Pakhomov's appeal to the most important topic for his work - the lives of children. Previously, this trend was reflected in the graphics of the artist. Starting from the mid-1920s, a deep understanding and creation of images of the children of the Land of the Soviets was Pakhomov's outstanding contribution to art. Studying great pictorial and plastic problems, the artist also solved them in works on this new important topic. At the exhibition of 1927, the canvas "Peasant Girl" was shown, which, although it had something in common with the portraits discussed above, was also of independent interest. The artist's attention was focused on the image of the girl's head and hands, painted with great plastic feeling. The type of a young face is captured in an original way. Close to this canvas in terms of immediacy of sensation is “Girl Behind Her Hair”, exhibited for the first time in 1929. It differed from the chest image of 1927 in a new, more detailed composition, including almost the entire figure in full growth, transmitted in a more complex movement. The artist showed the relaxed pose of a girl fixing her hair and looking into a small mirror lying on her knee. Sound combinations of a golden face and hands, a blue dress and a red bench, a scarlet sweater and ocher-greenish log walls of the hut contribute to the emotionality of the image. Pakhomov subtly captured the ingenuous expression of a child's face, the touching posture. Bright, unusual images stopped the audience. Both works were part of foreign exhibitions of Soviet art.

Throughout his half-century creative activity, A.F. Pakhomov was in close contact with the life of the Soviet country, and this saturated his works with inspired conviction and the power of vital truth. His artistic personality developed early. Acquaintance with his work shows that already in the 1920s it was distinguished by depth and thoroughness, enriched by the experience of studying world culture. In its formation, the role of the art of Giotto and the Proto-Renaissance is obvious, but the influence of ancient Russian painting was no less profound. A. F. Pakhomov belonged to the number of masters who innovatively approached the rich classical heritage. His works are characterized by a modern feeling in solving both pictorial and graphic tasks.

Pakhomov’s mastering of new themes in the canvases “1905 in the Village”, “Riders”, “Spartakovka”, in a cycle of paintings about children is important for the development of Soviet art. The artist played a prominent role in creating the image of a contemporary, his series of portraits is a clear evidence of this. For the first time he introduced such vivid and vital images of young citizens of the Land of Soviets into art. This side of his talent is exceptionally valuable. His works enrich and expand ideas about the history of Russian painting. Since the 1920s, the largest museums in the country have been purchasing Pakhomov's paintings. His works have received international fame at large exhibitions in Europe, America, Asia.

A.F. Pakhomov was inspired by socialist reality. His attention was attracted by the testing of turbines, the work of weaving factories and the new in the life of agriculture. His works reveal topics related to collectivization, and with the introduction of equipment into the fields, and with the use of combines, and with the work of tractors at night, and with the life of the army and navy. We emphasize the special value of these achievements of Pakhomov, because all this was displayed by the artist back in the 20s and early 30s. His painting "Pioneers at the Sower", a series about the commune "The Sower" and portraits from "Beautiful Swords" are among the most profound works of our artists about changes in the countryside, about collectivization.

The works of A.F. Pakhomov are notable for their monumental solutions. In the early Soviet wall painting, the artist's works are among the most striking and interesting. In the Red Oath cardboards, in the paintings and sketches of the Round Dance of Children of All Nations, in the paintings about reapers, as well as in the best creations of Pakhomov’s painting in general, there is a tangible connection with the great traditions of the ancient national heritage, which is part of the treasury of world art. The coloristic, figurative side of his murals, paintings, portraits, as well as easel and book graphics is deeply original. The brilliant successes of plein-air painting are demonstrated by the series “In the Sun” - a kind of hymn to the youth of the Land of the Soviets. Here, in the depiction of the naked body, the artist acted as one of the great masters who contributed to the development of this genre in Soviet painting. Pakhomov's color searches were combined with the solution of serious plastic problems.

It must be said that in the person of A.F. Pakhomov, art had one of the largest draftsmen of our time. The master masterfully mastered various materials. Works in ink and watercolor, pen and brush side by side with brilliant graphite pencil drawings. His achievements go beyond the limits of domestic art and become one of the outstanding creations of world graphics. It is not difficult to find examples of this in a series of drawings made at home in the 1920s, and among sheets made in the next decade on trips around the country, and in cycles about pioneer camps.

The contribution of A.F. Pakhomov to graphics is enormous. His easel and book works dedicated to children are among the outstanding successes in this area. One of the founders of Soviet illustrated literature, he introduced a deep and individualized image of the child into it. His drawings captivated readers with vitality and expressiveness. Without teachings, vividly and clearly, the artist conveyed thoughts to children, aroused their feelings. And important topics of education and school life! None of the artists solved them as deeply and truthfully as Pakhomov. For the first time, he illustrated the verses of V. V. Mayakovsky so figuratively and realistically. An artistic discovery was his drawings for the works of Leo Tolstoy for children. The considered graphic material clearly showed that the work of Pakhomov, an illustrator of modern and classical literature, is unjustifiably limited to the area of ​​children's books. The artist's excellent drawings for the works of Pushkin, Nekrasov, Zoshchenko testify to the great success of Russian graphics in the 1930s. His works contributed to the establishment of the method of socialist realism.

The art of A.F. Pakhomov is distinguished by citizenship, modernity, and relevance. During the most difficult trials of the Leningrad blockade, the artist did not interrupt his work. Together with the masters of art of the city on the Neva, he, as once in his youth in the civil war, worked on assignments from the front. Pakhomov's series of lithographs "Leningrad in the days of the siege", one of the most significant works of art of the war years, reveals the unparalleled valor and courage of the Soviet people.

The author of hundreds of lithographs, A.F. Pakhomov should be named among those enthusiastic artists who contributed to the development and dissemination of this type of printed graphics. The possibility of appealing to a wide range of viewers, the mass nature of the address of the circulation print attracted his attention.

His works are characterized by classical clarity and conciseness of visual means. The image of a person is his main goal. An extremely important side of the artist's work, which makes him related to classical traditions, is the desire for plastic expressiveness, which is clearly visible in his paintings, drawings, illustrations, prints, right up to his most recent works. He did this constantly and consistently.

A.F. Pakhomov is “a deeply original, great Russian artist who is completely immersed in the reflection of the life of his people, but at the same time he has absorbed the achievements of world art. The work of A. F. Pakhomov, a painter and graphic artist, is a significant contribution to the development of Soviet artistic culture. /V.S. Matafonov/

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

VLADIMIR VASILIEVICH LEBEDEV

14 (26). 05.1891, St. Petersburg - 11.21.1967, Leningrad

People's Artist of the RSFSR. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR

He worked in St. Petersburg in the studio of F. A. Roubaud and attended the school of drawing, painting and sculpture of M. D. Bernstein and L. V. Sherwood (1910-1914), studied in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Arts (1912-1914). Member of the Four Arts Society. Collaborated in the magazines "Satyricon", "New Satyricon". One of the organizers Windows ROSTA" in Petrograd.

Illustrations for children's books are a very broad and very interesting topic. And she needs not only admiration: book illustrations they teach to perceive the beautiful, educate in their own way, influence the ability to be creative - that is, they work. A deep interest in the topic and respect for true creativity permeate every line of this work, and the names of the artists mentioned here will open new or forgotten horizons for us.

I have long wanted to write a review on children's books with good illustrations. I gathered my courage and asked myself the question - how best to approach the topic? It is already very rich and many-sided, and approaches here can be different, but I am not an art critic, not a cultural historian ...

And then I realized: I have something to rely on - on my personal experience, on my vision of the topic, the conclusions that I made while observing and communicating with children, on my childhood memories and impressions.

Let this be not quite a review, but rather a conversation about illustrations for children's books. Let's talk?

Before the appearance of the eldest daughter, I did not think about this topic at all. Personally, for myself, I did not buy children's books and did not fit the shelves of the children's section in stores.

Imagine my surprise when the question arose of buying the first books for the baby: I was literally on the verge of discoveries.

For some reason, I was sure that a children's book is a priori a sign of quality. I thought that a book for a baby - both text and illustrations - is always the result great work the best professionals, the fruit of responsibility to the little reader. But no, it turns out that buying a good book for a child is almost like a prize for hours of searching and careful selection.

I will not talk about book design and picture books now - these are two separate big topics. My conversation will be about those books where text and illustration go hand in hand.

So, the book was the first purchase for my daughter. 100 favorite poems for kids publishing house AST. I reviewed many collections before buying, but when I saw the photographs of the inner pages of this book, I realized: here they are - illustrations for the poems that I need: drawings by V. Chizhikov, E. Bulatov and O. Vasiliev, V. Suteev, V. Kanevsky and others .

It is I who have already reacquainted myself with these and other names of children's illustrators, and then I realized the first important thing for myself: several decades have passed, and I know exactly what “twisted jackdaw”, “our Masha”, “sleepy elephant” looks like. This means that my children will also remember there, deep inside, pictures from childhood, and these future memories are in my hands .

For this reason, in our home library we now have many reprints of Soviet books with beautiful illustrations that have become classics. By no means do I claim that there are no worthy modern illustrators. There is! But… I want my children to associate certain texts with certain pictures.

For example, Russian folk tales, such as "Turnip", "Wolf and Goats", "Three Bears", nursery rhymes, patties, I associate only with drawings Yuri Alekseevich Vasnetsov . When I pick up a collection Chatting two magpies or any other book with illustrations of this wizard, something freezes inside, and then starts to beat more and more.

The artist's imagination never ceases to amaze me, his ability to see in five phrases a full-fledged world that does not fit even on a dozen pages. When I look at Vasnetsov's illustrations, it seems to me that I see only one span of the Universe through the window of the page, and I urgently want to shrink down and settle in a fairy tale Fox and mouse V. Bianchi forever.

Now Vasnetsov is being reprinted a lot. can be found and stolen sun K. Chukovsky, and cat house S. Marshak, and others. There is also a great series. Ladushki publishing house ABC. Convenient thin books of a small format allow you to read when you can’t hold a collection from your hand, or you need to take a book to read on the road or in line. And you can consider and discuss each spread of a book with such illustrations until the last meter of the way.

My second absolute conviction-association is how the Little Humpbacked Horse, Sivka-Burka and other fabulous horses look like - just the way I painted them Nikolai Mikhailovich Kochergin . There are several collections of his work on YouTube.

Today you can buy a fairy tale by P. Ershov "The Little Humpbacked Horse" with illustrations by Kochergin of the Amphora publishing house or a version of the NIGMA publishing house. I have never regretted that I have a “Nigm” option. Thanks to the heirs and publishers! You can even look at the sketches and sketches for the fairy tale, as if looking with one eye into the artist's studio.

In general, the book is magnificent, and also weighty, one-handed reading in the bustle is not lifting. Such publications must be in the children's library in order to to learn by taking a book off the shelf, to be “bewitched”, to feel and distinguish the present, to appreciate and respect the work of masters .

Back in 2012, the NIGMA publishing house began releasing an amazing series "Heritage of N. Kochergin". I look, for example, "Russian folk tales", admire ... Maybe I will decide to buy, maybe not. The fact is that I came across some children's books of the Soviet era, including "Ivan the Cow's Son" and "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf" with illustrations by P. Bagin, and "Go there, I don't know where, bring it, don't I know what” with drawings by V. Milashevsky, “Sivka-burka” with drawings by S. Yarovoy - all are beautiful, each is a treasure.

I can't remember these books from my childhood. I remember only plump collections, where the largest pictures are the ornate first letters of the names of fairy tales. I read excitedly, the lack of full-fledged illustrations never stopped, in my head I drew my own drawings, and even entire fairy tale films, which would be simply impossible without a well-learned set of images that filled my childhood.

Imagination feeds on memory: previously received impressions, experiences, sensations, experiences. And under artistic images there is a lot of space here. Understanding this, I realize the second very important thing: the quality of the pantry that will form the basis of the future creations of my children depends on me , whether it's the first portrait of a mother, an original architectural solution or a new nanotechnology.

"Human thought without imagination is fruitless", - said K. Paustovsky, and immediately continued: "Likewise, imagination is fruitless without reality". So, I read, for example, about Tatyana Alekseevna Mavrina : "For many years, the artist, together with her husband Nikolai Kuzmin, traveled to ancient Russian cities, collecting icons and popular prints, drawing from nature."

Capturing the beauty of the present, Mavrina created surprisingly truthful fabulous illustrations: "Princess Frog", "Tales of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin", "On the island of Buyan"(folk tales) - priceless publications. Oh, it's not for nothing that Tatyana Mavrina, the only Russian artist, was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Gold Medal for her contribution to illustrating children's books.

Only the priceless truth of reality allows us to believe and accept the most magical fairy world. But there are children's books in which this very truth has even greater value - this animal books. It is from them that children draw knowledge about the real world, get the first experience of communicating with nature.

By the way, for young children, photographs, although they are the most reliable, are very difficult to perceive.

Is it another matter - the artist's drawing, in which the very essence, the spirit of a living organism is caught. And here the inaccuracy, irresponsibility, lack of professionalism of the illustrator are very dangerous: children will get distorted ideas about the magical beautiful world in which they live.

Can they play fun games? Alexei Mikhailovich Laptev (from book "Pick, Pak, Pock")?

Our first books on nature, our first animal encyclopedias, books by Evgeny Ivanovich and Nikita Evgenievich Charushin, Natalya Nikitichna Charushina-Kapustina. Akvarel publishing house is slowly releasing a wonderful series "Charushinsky animals". Thin books of a small format open the widest world of nature in all its beauty and harmony.