A Russian Treat

Ivan Aleksandrov as seen through a reflective glass

 2011 is the official Italian-Russian cultural year, with many interesting events planned including

an Alexander Rodhencko exhibition in Rome and one about the Russian Avant-gardes in Palermo next fall.  

This also led to Russia having a booth at the Bologna book fair for the first time,

an event which as you may imagine was one of my personal highlights. 

The brave and charming Vladimir Semenikhin

The pièce de résistance of the exposition was the massive two volume edition

Children's Picture Books in the History of Russia, 1881-1939, produced by Vladimir Semenikhin at Samolet Design Studio. 

This visually stunning historical presentation includes hundreds of pages of children's books by leading Russian artists, 

some only published once, many lost to censorship and a series of dramatic political shifts. All the materials come from 

one of the best world collections of Russian, Ukrainian and Jewish books, compiled by Alexander (Sasha) Lurye.

Unfortunately the two volumes cost about 500 euros, so I am just going to keep on dreaming...

Young illustrator Ivan Aleksandrov held open workshops on Play with letters,

Photomontage Exercises and Diary/Collection

A variety of books was available for perusal and I took a number of photos.

As you can see, quite a few were of my favorite bright folk and trippy variety.

Many thanks to quete for providing the following translations and informations:

Lukomorye. Fairy-tale worlds by Tatiana Mavrina. 

You can read about what Lukomorye is here. 

This is part of Pushkin's poem "Ruslan and Ludmila" (it begins with a tale about Lukomorye

 that everyone in Russia knows by heart as all've learned it at school).

So the page contains a verse about a mermaid sitting on some boughs.

A collection of Russian lullabies called Bayu bayushki bayu, illustrations by E. Vasnetsova. 

(sounding something like "buy-you buy-you-shki buy-you", these are meaningless words to make children sleep). 

This page is a lullaby which tells a cat not to walk around the neighbourhood, 

but to come and rock Masha to sleep; and for that he would be given a jug of milk,

 a piece of cake and his ears will be made gold, and his paws will be made silver.

Bukvaryonok (small ABC book) with illustrations by Georgy Yudin. 

On the right page is written "How the frog croaks? (croak croak)"

Between us by Vadim Levin and Renata Muha, illustrated by Sveta Ivanova

 "poetry, fairy tales and entertainments for communication with children". 

And here is a poetry about summer, morning and about a chicken who wants 

to become a rooster and have his comb grown up.

Thanks again, quete! It's wonderful to have such helpful and knowledgeable readers!

Sunday Safari - Mothering

Kazumasa Nagai, 1993

My beloved puppies in 1992: Alice and Michelle holding newborn Julia

Pablo Amargo

Poster by Shino Suefusa

Diana Sudyka

Victor Dubrovsky, Sheep

Brian Wildsmith, illustration from Die Reise nach Bethlehem

Jacques Hnidzovsky, Wolverine, terracotta, 1951

Annegert Fuchshuber, two ilustrations from Zwei und Mehr

Leia Bell, He reminded of my two year old in so many ways

Lisa Congdon, Giraffes

Thanks to art.crazed's great collection of vintage children's books

A very happy day to all mothers and their children!

Reflections on Japanese Playing Cards

Illustration, 1977

"Artists of my generation tend to try things that are beyond their genres.

 A crossbreeding of different styles results and distinctions among different art forms

 become blurred. Artists often feel that they can leap into different genres and explore

 an unknown world. If we take fine art and graphic design more openly, a theatrical space

 is also an artistic space. But in today's age of specialization, it might be only us, 

the "WWⅡ generation" who started from a wide stretch of burned ruins, 

that have this conception about artistic styles." Kiyoshi Awazu

Hokusai patterns and awazu colors, 1981

On April 29th last year, Kiyoshi Awazu died of pneumonia in Kawasaki, Japan 

at the age of 80. A self taught painter and graphic designer, Awazu was a man full 

of curiosity and imagination. Born in Tokyo, he started working at 12, and soon 

became interested in Christianity, philosophy, communism and western cinema. 

At 18 he started to teach himself drawing by copying from old art magazines and sketching

 fellow commuters on the train to work. At 21 he started working in the animation field 

making rough sketches, and at 25 had his first opportunity to design a poster,

 commissioned by a theater group. He went on to become a famous multifaceted 

graphic designer and artist involved in book design, illustration, printmaking, painting,

 sculpture, exhibition and urban design, playwriting, film production and art direction.

Awazu also wrote extensively on design and fine art. In 1981 he was the art director 

of the fantastic "Great Japan Exhibition" at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. 

In the same year he held the "Kiyoshi Awazu One Man Show-Printed Works" at 

50 Earlham St. Gallery in London, and produced a series of 12 wood cut prints inspired 

by traditional art forms titled "Reflections on Japanese Playing Cards". 

All the information and card pictures come from the well designed and extensive 

Kiyoshi Awazu website, where you can learn and see a lot more of this wonderful artist.

January

February

June

July

October

November

And if you haven't seen them already, check out the posts featuring Awazu's more 

wildly experimental artworks at A Journey Round my Skull's and But it Does Float.