Illustration to Volodymyr Narbut's poem 'Before the Easter' 1919

Heorhiy Narbut created this illustration to Volodymyr Narbut's poem 'Before the Easter' with striking use of red, black, and white. The composition is divided into distinct zones, each filled with symbolic imagery. The eye is drawn to the central figure, a nude woman, whose pale skin contrasts sharply with the dark background and the red fabric draped across her body. Her presence introduces themes of fertility and vulnerability, juxtaposed against the stark realities of death depicted on the right side of the image. The linear quality in the woman's figure is echoed in other forms, creating a semiotic play. The symbols around her—a sacrificial animal, a skeleton holding a scythe—create a visual commentary on life, death, and sacrifice. Through these stark contrasts and symbolic elements, Narbut's work challenges fixed meanings, inviting a reconsideration of cultural and philosophical discourses surrounding life and mortality.