Illustration to 'Wooden Eagle' 1909

Curator: Here we have Heorhiy Narbut’s 1909 “Illustration to ‘Wooden Eagle.’” It’s a mixed-media piece; a combination of drawing, painting and printmaking. What’s your initial take? Editor: Well, it immediately strikes me as… fantastically decorative! The composition feels almost theatrical, and there’s something enchanting in its bright palette of gold, red and greens that captures the viewer. Curator: The work very clearly draws on Art Nouveau aesthetics with that flattened perspective and emphasis on line. But I see something more interesting than simple stylistic choices here. The deliberate medievalism speaks to a fascination with Ukrainian cultural heritage and national identity formation at the time. Look at how Narbut is incorporating what is possibly the Kievan Rus' coat of arms. Editor: Good point. And, certainly, the subject—a figure riding a massive, stylized eagle over a somewhat fantasized landscape—it evokes classic folk tales, myths, perhaps even power dynamics? A female figure rides on the eagle - a striking assertion if we think about women being written out of History. What roles are given to the powerful versus the powerless here? Curator: Right, exactly! This was done at a pivotal moment, when Ukrainian intellectuals were actively reclaiming their past. Placing a figure on top of such a traditional powerful symbol like the eagle definitely brings a reinterpretation of power as opposed to more typical symbols associated with men. The deliberate harking back to that imagery creates this immediate connection to a distinct cultural narrative that attempts to reclaim agency and representation. Editor: I love how that reclamation plays out in a visual form. So, thinking about its role as an illustration… was it intended for a mass audience, thus attempting a certain collective cultural re-imaging? And the symbolic role the Sun is granted in the top corner of the frame to further create impact? Curator: Indeed! These were political times for Ukraine and its self-definition. Looking at Narbut, and artists from this period in general, through such prisms shows their conscious interventions. Editor: It shifts my perspective on the work considerably, recognizing that playful fantasy hides very specific sociopolitical ideas. Curator: Exactly, there is definitely complexity under its vibrant surface. Editor: Understanding these pieces with context gives them greater value as social imagery, truly remarkable.