Cover of 'Wooden Eagle' 1909

Heorhiy Narbut's cover of "Wooden Eagle" has a distinctly graphic quality. The limited colour palette is like a woodcut; the way the blocks of colour come together must have been such a joy! I wonder about Narbut's process. Did he begin with the lettering and then add the decoration? Or did the ornamentation come first, defining the overall structure? The black of the letterforms makes them feel so solid. They are not just communicating a message but also acting as a compositional element within the overall design. Think about the columns on either side, holding up the weight of that semi-circular arch. I am reminded of El Lissitzky, or even some of the early Bauhaus typography. Artists are always in conversation with one another, across time. It's like everyone is working on one big, never-ending project together!