Illustration for the poem 'Two Crow' by Alexander Pushkin 1910

Ivan Bilibin made this illustration for Pushkin’s poem 'Two Crows' around 1910, and it's all about stark contrasts. Just imagine Bilibin, pen in hand, meticulously building up these scenes with countless tiny lines. Look at those crows, how the lines give them such a dramatic presence against the sky! Are they ominous, or just trying to catch a thermal? I love how the landscape below mirrors the turmoil above. It makes you wonder about the poem itself. What did Bilibin want us to feel when we look at it? There's something deeply satisfying about the way he captures the emotional tone of Pushkin’s words in visual form. Artists are always talking to each other, aren't they? Through words, images, gestures. That exchange is so cool, where one art form inspires another!