Design for a puppet show, the priest`s daughter, "The tale of the priest and Balda" 1920

Lyubov Popova made this puppet design for "The Tale of the Priest and Balda" out of watercolour, with a clear sense of playful invention. Look at how Popova approaches colour; she uses a limited palette of reds, blues, and creams, and organizes the colour into flat geometric shapes. This gives the figure a kind of architectural feel, like she's been built up from a kit of parts! The physicality of the medium is really clear here. The washes of colour aren’t overworked, and there are visible outlines in pen which keep the composition tight and structured. Notice how the sharp angular shapes intersect and overlap, creating a sense of dynamism and energy. This helps to bring the character to life! The pink blush on her cheeks, for example, humanizes the rigid geometric construction, making her seem almost real. Popova’s work has echoes of Picasso and Braque, but she pushes it in her own direction. She shows us how art is a conversation across time, borrowing and innovating, again and again.