Illustration for Dostoevsky's "The Possessed" 1913

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, a prominent Russian artist known for his Art Nouveau style, created this illustration for Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel *The Possessed* in 1913. The work depicts a solitary figure walking under an umbrella in the rain, their path illuminated by a solitary streetlamp. The muted tones and elongated figures are characteristic of Dobuzhinsky's style, often employed to evoke a sense of melancholic mood, a feeling that resonates with the themes of alienation and despair explored in Dostoevsky's novel. This artwork exemplifies the close relationship between the visual arts and literature during this period, as artists sought to visually interpret and enhance the textual experiences of renowned works.