Illustration for the Russian Fairy Story "The Frog Princess" 1930

Ivan Bilibin made this illustration for the Russian fairy story “The Frog Princess” in 1930. I imagine him using inks, perhaps watercolor, to achieve those flat planes of color and decorative patterning. The artwork is striking and very elegant. The palette is quite restrained and the composition sophisticated. We see Ivan Tsarevich upside down in a forest. I can imagine Bilibin making the preliminary sketch and deciding exactly where to place the figure within the landscape. It’s a challenging pose, but one that really captures the fairy-tale quality of the story. I love the way that Bilibin uses line and color to create depth and texture, from the trees to the character’s elaborately decorated clothing. It must have been a real pleasure to use such skill to illustrate a popular Russian fairy tale. And it goes to show, artists have always been inspired by stories and folklore, reinterpreting them in their own way.