Illustration for the Russian Fairy Story "Maria Morevna" 1900

Editor: Here we have Ivan Bilibin's "Illustration for the Russian Fairy Story 'Maria Morevna'," created around 1900 using tempera. The composition is intense—you have this carnage in the foreground, then this dark rider looming in the background, set against a spooky forest. The framing is equally eye-catching. What's your interpretation of it? Curator: Well, isn't it a scene straight from a whispered fireside tale! Bilibin masterfully blends the brutal with the beautiful. The fallen warriors, a rather grim tableau, clash vibrantly with the almost decorative Art Nouveau elements, doesn't it? Notice the border—it’s like the tale itself is framed, preserved. Does the rider bring any figures from our history to your mind? Perhaps some dark tsar or a vengeful spirit? Editor: I hadn't really thought of the historical connection. To me, he looks almost indifferent to the carnage below. The dark color palette reinforces that feeling. Is that detachment typical of this kind of narrative art? Curator: Detachment… Or perhaps, acceptance? Fairy tales, especially Russian ones, don't shy from showing the grit and harshness of life. They present events without necessarily judging. Think of Baba Yaga—terrible and fearsome, yes, but also a source of wisdom and power. Bilibin captures that ambiguity perfectly, I think. What's your take on the subdued color choices? Do you see something hopeful in them? Editor: Now that you mention it, the rider in the back is moving away from the yellow glow in the trees and heading into a grey, unknown expanse. And with the fallen soldiers – such intense and brutal imagery encased in an almost decorative frame – I almost missed how delicate it is. Thank you for that perspective. Curator: It's all in the details, isn't it? Art Nouveau does often this dance of delicacy, of ornament, masking something much deeper, perhaps darker. Glad to have helped shed some light on that mysterious rider, or perhaps illuminate him less.