Artist Bilibin short. Good storyteller Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin

2. Storyteller

Almost every Russian person knows Bilibin’s illustrations from the books of fairy tales that were read to him at bedtime as a child. Meanwhile, these illustrations are more than a hundred years old. From 1899 to 1902, Ivan Bilibin created a series of six “Fairy Tales” published by the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers. Afterwards, the same publishing house published Pushkin’s fairy tales about Tsar Saltan and the Golden Cockerel and the slightly less well-known epic “Volga” with illustrations by Bilibin.

It is interesting that the famous illustration for “The Tale of Tsar Saltan...” with a barrel floating on the sea is reminiscent of the famous “Great Wave” by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. The process of I. Ya. Bilibin’s graphic drawing was similar to the work of an engraver. First, he sketched a sketch on paper, specified the composition in all details on tracing paper, and then translated it onto whatman paper. After this, using a kolinsky brush with a cut end, likening it to a chisel, I drew a clear wire outline with ink along the pencil drawing.

Bilibin's books look like painted boxes. It was this artist who first saw a children's book as a holistic, artistically designed organism. His books are like ancient manuscripts, because the artist thinks through not only the drawings, but also all the decorative elements: fonts, ornaments, decorations, initials and everything else.

Few people know that Bilibin even worked in advertising. Where the Polustrovo mineral water plant is now located in St. Petersburg, there used to be the Joint Stock Company Beer and Mead Factory “New Bavaria”. It was for this plant that Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin created advertising posters and pictures. In addition, the artist created posters, addresses, sketches postage stamps (in particular, a series for the 300th anniversary of the House of Romanov) and about 30 postcards for the Community of St. Eugenia. Later, Bilibin painted postcards for Russian publishing houses in Paris and Berlin.

4. Double-headed eagle

The same double-headed eagle that is now used on the coins of the Bank of Russia belongs to the brush of the heraldry expert Bilibin. The artist painted it after the February Revolution as a coat of arms for the Provisional Government. The bird looks fabulous, not ominous, because it was drawn by a famous illustrator of Russian epics and fairy tales. The double-headed eagle is depicted without royal regalia and with lowered wings; the inscription “Russian Provisional Government” and the characteristic “forest” Bilibinsky ornament are written in a circle. Bilibin transferred the copyright to the coat of arms and some other graphic designs to the Goznak factory.

5. Theater artist

Bilibin's first experience in scenography was the design of Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Snow Maiden" for the National Theater in Prague. His next works are sketches of costumes and scenery for the operas “The Golden Cockerel”, “Sadko”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Boris Godunov” and others. And after emigrating to Paris in 1925, Bilibin continued to work with theaters: preparing brilliant sets for productions of Russian operas, designing Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird” in Buenos Aires and operas in Brno and Prague. Bilibin widely used old engravings, popular prints, and folk art. Bilibin was a true connoisseur of ancient costumes of different nations; he was interested in embroidery, braid, weaving techniques, ornaments and everything that created the national flavor of the people.

6. The artist and the church

Bilibin also has works related to church painting. In it he remains himself and maintains his individual style. After leaving St. Petersburg, Bilibin lived for some time in Cairo and actively participated in the design of a Russian house church in the premises of a clinic set up by Russian doctors. The iconostasis of this temple was built according to his design. And after 1925, when the artist moved to Paris, he became a founding member of the Icon society. As an illustrator, he created the cover of the charter and a sketch of the society's seal. There is also a trace of him in Prague - he completed sketches of frescoes and an iconostasis for the Russian church at the Olsany cemetery in the capital of the Czech Republic.

7. Return to homeland and death

Over time, Bilibin came to terms with Soviet power. He formalizes the Soviet embassy in Paris, and then, in 1936, returns by boat to his native Leningrad. Teaching is added to his profession: he teaches at the All-Russian Academy of Arts - the oldest and largest art educational institution in Russia. In September 1941, at the age of 66, the artist refused the proposal of the People's Commissar of Education to evacuate from besieged Leningrad to the rear. “They don’t run from a besieged fortress, they defend it,” he wrote in response. Under fascist shelling and bombing, the artist creates patriotic postcards for the front, writes articles and appeals to the heroic defenders of Leningrad. Bilibin died of hunger in the first winter of the siege and was buried in the mass grave of professors of the Academy of Arts near the Smolensk cemetery.

Ivan Bilibin is widely known, first of all, as an illustrator of Russian folk tales. He developed his own artistic style based on the then popular Art Nouveau and Russian folk arts and crafts. This style, called “Bilibinsky”, is still popular in our time. It is a kind of calling card of Russian illustration. Many modern artists strive to imitate his graphic style.

Biography of Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin: early years

The artist was born on August 4 according to the old style or August 16 according to the new style in 1876 in the village. Tarkhovka near St. Petersburg. The Bilibin family has very ancient roots. Their surname is mentioned in documents from the 17th century. And portraits of Bilibin’s great-grandfathers, famous merchants, occupy a place of honor in the Hermitage. His father was a naval doctor and privy councilor, and his mother was a composer.

Bilibin showed a penchant for drawing even in childhood. In parallel with his studies at the gymnasium, he studied at the school of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. However, despite young Ivan’s craving for creativity, his father wanted to see his son become a lawyer. Obedient Ivan, following his father’s will, enters the law faculty, but does not give up painting. After graduating from university, the artist went to Germany to study in the studio of the painter A. Ashbe. Students came here from all over the world. After a short study, he returned to St. Petersburg and attended classes in Ilya Repin’s workshop as a free student. A few years later he entered the art school at the Academy of Arts. Soon he becomes an honorary member of the creative organization "World of Art".

First illustrations

The young artist’s interest in folk style was influenced by Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting “Bogatyrs,” which he saw at one of the exhibitions. The atmosphere of Russian antiquity charmed him so much that he went on a journey through the rural hinterlands. There he walks through the dense forests, draws old wooden huts, ornaments and in every possible way imbues himself with the spirit of antiquity. After this, he begins to create drawings in his unique style. Ivan Bilibin draws his first book illustrations for fairy tales from the collection of Alexander Afanasyev.

“The Frog Princess”, “Ivan Tsarevich”, “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka” are the most of them. These books instantly became popular thanks not only to their unusual stylization, but also to their special vision of folk fairy-tale images of Baba Yaga, the Serpent Gorynych, heroes, and Ivan Tsarevich. Bilibin not only drew the characters, but also enclosed each illustration in a decorative frame with an ornament that corresponded to the character of the fairy-tale characters. He also designed book covers and wrote titles in a font stylized as ancient Slavic writing.

A trip to the north

However, the decisive role in the biography of Ivan Bilibin and his formation as an illustrator was played by trips to the Arkhangelsk and Vologda provinces, and from there to Karelia, where he was sent on a so-called business trip by the World of Art society. There the painter discovered the life of the Russian north, its architecture, and art. Time seemed to stand still in those places. The artist saw people in national costumes with embroidery, became acquainted with the popular style of painting kitchen utensils and household items, lived in a hut with carved shutters, and painted old wooden churches. All this will subsequently be reflected in the paintings of Ivan Bilibin. These trips were very productive. The artist brought with him many drawings, sketches, photographs, and then wrote several articles based on his notes. This material helped him in his work on theatrical scenery, as well as on the next series of illustrations, this time for Pushkin’s fairy tales.

Design of the works of the great poet

Bilibin began work with the famous and beloved "Tales of Tsar Saltan." He worked with high precision not only the environment of the characters, but also the costumes of the heroes, as well as the ancient architecture.

In these tales he allowed himself some experiments with style. For example, in the painting by Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, depicting a stormy sea, the wave is very similar to the work of the Japanese Katsushika Hokusai. And in “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” the popular print style is clearly visible. All illustrations for this work were purchased by the Tretyakov Gallery.

Bilibin's picture books were very popular with the public. They were distinguished by the beauty and harmony of both design and design, eye-catching color combinations, colorful characters, and detailed colorful outfits. The stylized font was also a highlight.

Behind all this was hidden the enormous work of the artist. He began work with a sketch, then transferred it to tracing paper, then drew it on paper, and only then traced the contours of the drawing with ink. At the final stage of work, he filled in the colors with watercolors. Moreover, he used exclusively local colors without a gradient. It is amazing how carefully he reproduced numerous ornaments and painted out small details.

Revolution and the double-headed eagle

During the heyday of Bilibin’s popularity, a revolution was brewing in the country. The artist begins to draw cartoons on revolutionary themes. He receives an order from the Provisional Government to design a coat of arms. Bilibin painted a fabulous double-headed eagle, which was destined to go down in history, because since 1992 it has been depicted on all Russian banknotes. In addition, Goznak owns the copyright to some of the artist’s sketches and designs.

Working in advertising

The illustrator also managed to work in the field of commercial illustration. He created advertising posters and brochures for the New Bavaria brewery. He also designed the covers of popular magazines and almanacs: “Golden Fleece”, “Rosehipnik”, “Moscow Publishing House”. Bilibin also drew theater posters and sketches for postage stamps. He was published with pleasure, and products with his pictures were in great demand.

Teaching activities and personal life

Ivan Bilibin successfully combined work on illustrations and teaching students. He taught graphics at the Drawing School for the Promotion of Arts, where he himself once studied. His students were artists Konstantin Eliseev, Nikolai Kuzmin, Georgy Narbut, as well as his two future wives.

Around that period, Bilibin got married, and his first wife was Maria Chambers, a graphic designer. She also graduated from the mentioned school. They had two sons. However, the marriage was not happy and after a few years they separated. After which Maria and her sons went to live in England.

Ivan married for the second time one of his students, Renee O'Connell. After training, she began working as an artist at a porcelain factory. There were no children in this marriage. Five years later they divorced.

His third and last wife was Alexandra Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya. She was also his former student and porcelain artist, like his previous wife. Alexandra will accompany Bilibin on all his travels and will remain with him until the very end.

Ivan Yakovlevich actively participated in the revival of artistic traditions and decorative and applied arts of Rus'. The following lines belong to him: “The old artistic Rus' was discovered quite recently, like America. Although it is covered with a thick layer of dust and is all moldy, it is still beautiful.” His activities contributed to interest not only in ancient Russian creativity, but also in everyday life, customs, and cultural heritage.

Moving to Crimea

Already a well-known and recognized illustrator, Ivan Yakovlevich acquired a plot of land on the southern coast of Crimea in Batiliman Bay. According to historical data, together with the painter, several other representatives of the intelligentsia bought a large plot of land, among whom were writers Alexander Kuprin, Vladimir Korolenko, artist Vladimir Derviz and professor Vladimir Vernadsky. They divided the land among themselves by drawing lots. Bilibin was given a plot of land on the seashore with a small fishing hut, which he turned into a workshop. He settled there for several years.

Life in Egypt

In the early 20s, Bilibin went to live in Egypt. One of the reasons for such a sudden change of residence could be disagreements with the Soviet government after the October Revolution.

He settled with his wife Alexandra in Cairo. There he lives and works on frescoes for temples in the Byzantine style, and also studies local art and architecture. At that time he traveled a lot around Cyprus and Syria. Having abandoned book graphics for a while, he creates mainly portraits and landscapes in a realistic manner. Then he decides to move with his family to Alexandria. The first personal exhibition of paintings by Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin took place there.

Work in Paris

Five years later, the painter left Egypt for Paris, where he showed himself as a talented theater decorator and costume designer, using the knowledge and experience gained in his homeland. He creates sets for operas and performances, such as the ballet by composer Stravinsky “The Firebird”, the opera “Boris Godunov”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. Ivan Bilibin also returns to illustrations and works on French fairy tales. In Paris, the painter created a charitable foundation to support emigrant artists.

Shortly before returning home, he works on a large mural "Mikula Selyaninovich" at the Soviet embassy in Paris.

Homecoming

Despite successful work in France, the artist decides to return to his hometown, now Leningrad. This was a very risky act, since in his homeland he could well have expected severe repression from the Soviet authorities, to which they subjected many artists, writers, actors and other members of the intelligentsia who returned from emigration. But Bilibin was lucky, and this fate passed him by. Apparently, his achievements in the field of culture were of decisive importance.

He now begins cooperation with Soviet publishing houses and theaters. Designs the performances "Commander Suvorov", "About Tsar Saltan". The last works of Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin were illustrations for the “Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich and the merchant Ivan Kalashnikov” and the novel “Peter the Great”, in which he tried to adhere to his style, despite the strict limiting framework of the Soviet system.

Death

The fact that returning is still a bad omen can be seen from the example of the sad death of a great artist. Five years after his return, the war began and the city was besieged. It is unknown whether he was unable to leave besieged Leningrad or whether he voluntarily refused to do so. But even in such difficult times, he continued his creative activity. Deeply worried about his war-torn homeland, he wrote an ode in verse, which was published after his death.

The artist Ivan Bilibin died in besieged Leningrad in the winter of 1942 from hunger. He was buried in a common grave along with the professors of the Art Academy.

The work of Ivan Yakovlevich made an incredible shift in Russian art in general and in illustration in particular. His paintings are stories in miniature, from which it is quite possible to study ancient Russian life, culture and customs. At the same time, the popularity of the Bilibin style has spread far beyond the borders of his homeland. Books with the artist’s works continue to be published in our time. His artistic heritage includes hundreds of illustrations not only for Russian fairy tales, but also for foreign ones, as well as many unique sets and costumes for plays and theatrical productions, numerous sketches of frescoes and wall panels. Ivan Bilibin revived the original creative traditions of the peoples of Rus', adapted them and made them accessible to his contemporaries.

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (August 4 (16), 1876 (18760816) - February 7, 1942) - Russian artist, book illustrator and theater designer, member of the World of Art association.

Source of plots: national epic, epics, fairy tales. A formal interpretation of the heritage of art of pagan and Ancient Rus', as well as folk art. Bilibin himself called his craving for Russian folk art “the voice of blood.”

Bilibin has always and everywhere remained one of the most desirable embodiments of the Russian theme in the art of books and theatrical painting.

Born on August 4 (16), 1876 in the village of Tarkhovka (near St. Petersburg), in the family of a naval doctor Yakov Ivanovich Bilibin.

In 1888 he entered the First St. Petersburg Classical Gymnasium, from which he graduated with a silver medal in 1896. In 1900 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University. In 1895-1898 he studied at the drawing school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. In 1898, he studied for two months in the studio of the artist Anton Aschbe in Munich. For several years (1898-1900) he studied under the guidance of Ilya Repin at the school-workshop of Princess Maria Tenisheva, then (1900-1904) under the guidance of Repin at the Higher Art School of the Academy of Arts.

Lived mainly in St. Petersburg. After the formation of the art association “World of Art”, it becomes an active member.

In 1899, Bilibin accidentally arrived in the village of Egny, Vesyegonsky district, Tver province. Here he first created illustrations in what later became the “Bilibin” style for his first book, “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf.”

1902-1904 the artist participated in archaeological expeditions in the Russian North (note: where he was sent by the ethnographic department of the Museum of Alexander III to study wooden architecture), visited remote corners of the Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Olonets and Tver provinces, where he photographed and made sketches of wooden huts and churches , costumes, embroideries, utensils, household items, collected ancient Russian icons, Russian popular prints and gingerbread boards, engravings.

Bilibin's artistic talent was clearly demonstrated in his illustrations for Russian fairy tales and epics, as well as in his work on theatrical productions. From 1899 to 1902, he created a series of six “Fairy Tales” published by the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers, then the same publishing house published Pushkin’s fairy tales with illustrations by Bilibin. In particular, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1905) and “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” (1910) appeared. In 1905, the epic “Volga”, illustrated by Bilibin, was published, and in 1911, Roslavlev’s fairy tales were published by the publishing house “Public Benefit”. In addition to the “fairytale” style with ancient Russian ornamental motifs, there was the production of the opera “The Golden Cockerel” designed by Bilibin in 1909 at the Zimin Theater in Moscow.

In the spirit of the French mystery, he presented “The Miracle of St. Theophilus" (1907), recreating a medieval religious drama; The costume designs for Lope de Vega's drama "The Spring of the Sheep" and Calderon's drama "The Purgatory of St. Patrick" - theatrical production of the "Ancient Theater" in 1911. A humorous caricature of the same Spain emanates from Fyodor Sologub’s vaudeville “Honor and Revenge,” staged by Bilibin in 1909.

Splashes, endings, covers and other works by Bilibin are found in such magazines of the early 20th century as “World of Art”, “Golden Fleece”, in the publications of “Rosehipnik” and “Moscow Book Publishing House”.

During the revolution of 1905, the artist creates revolutionary caricatures.

Since 1907, Bilibin taught a graphic art class at the school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, continuing his teaching until 1917. Among his students at the school were Georgy Narbut, Konstantin Eliseev, L. Ya. Khortik, A. Roosileht, Nikolai Kuzmin, Rene O'Connell, K. D. Voronets-Popova.

In 1912 he married for the second time to R. R. O'Connell. In the same year, a group of Moscow and St. Petersburg intellectuals buys a plot of land on the southern coast of Crimea in Batiliman to build dachas. Bilibin was one of the partners; other shareholders were writers Vladimir Korolenko, Alexander Kuprin, Sergei Elpatievsky, Evgeny Chirikov, artist Vladimir Derviz, professors Abram Ioffe, Vladimir Vernadsky, Mikhail Rostovtsev. By lot, Bilibin got a piece of land near the sea, on which a fisherman’s house already stood. A workshop was attached to the house. After this, every year, at the end of classes at the OPH school, Bilibin went to Batiliman and returned to St. Petersburg in the fall at the start of classes.

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Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin(August 4 (16), 1876 - February 7, 1942) - Russian artist, book illustrator and theater designer, member of the World of Art association.

Ivan Bilibin was born on August 4 (16), 1876 in the village of Tarkhovka (near St. Petersburg), in the family of a naval doctor Yakov Ivanovich Bilibin.His great-grandfather was a major industrialist, owned a linen and sail factory in Kaluga and a large Cherepetsky iron foundry. The artist's father, Yakov Ivanovich, is a Privy Councilor, chief physician of the naval hospital. Mother, Varvara Alexandrovna, from the family of a naval engineer, was a student of the composer A. Rubinstein. Ivan started drawing very early and he himself spoke about it like this:

-As far as I can remember, I have always drawn.

In 1888 he entered the1 -th St. Petersburg Classical Gymnasium, from which he graduated with a silver medal in 1896. In 1900 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University.

In 1895-1898. studied at the drawing school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. In 1898 he studied for two months in the studio of the artist Anton Aschbe in Munich. For several years (1898-1900) he studied under the guidanceIlya Repin at the school-workshop of Princess Maria Tenisheva, then (1900-1904) under the leadership of Repin at the Higher Art School of the Academy of Arts.

Ivan Yakovlich, as he called himself, was a mischievous, merry fellow, funny man, joker, poet, singer, with a sort of bouncing gait. He was the life of any company.

Bilibin successfully attended classes, but did not submit a job for the title of artist. Ivan Yakovlevich gained fame thanks to his illustrations for children's fairy tale books. Already the first of them, “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf,” became an event in the world of graphics.

For Bilibinskydrawing typical graphic performance. Starting work on the drawing, Bilibin sketchedsketch future compositions . Black ornamental lines clearly definecolors, set the volume andperspective in the plane of the sheet. Fillingwatercolor paints black and white graphic design only emphasize the specifiedlines . To frame his drawings, Bilibin generously usesornament .

The process of making his graphic drawing was similar to the work of an engraver. First, he sketched a sketch on paper, specified the composition in all details on tracing paper, and then translated it onto whatman paper. After this corebrush with a cut end, likening it to a chisel, he passed alongpencil wire outline patternink . This is how the “Bilibino” style was born.

Bilibin’s books are similar to ancient manuscripts, because the artist thinks through not only the drawings, but also all the decorative elements: fonts, ornaments, decorations, initials.

Lived mainly in St. Petersburg. After the formation of the art association “World of Art”, it becomes an active member.

In 1899, Bilibin accidentally arrived in the village of Egny, Vesyegonsky district, Tver province. Here he first created illustrations in what later became the “Bilibin” style for his first book, “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf.”

In 1902, 1903 and 1904, Bilibin visited the Vologda, Olonets and Arkhangelsk provinces, where he was sent by the ethnographic department of the Museum of Alexander III to study wooden architecture.

Bilibin's artistic talent was clearly demonstrated in his illustrations for Russian fairy tales and epics, as well as in his work on theatrical productions. From 1899 to 1902, he created a series of six “Fairy Tales” published by the Expedition for the Procurement of State Papers, then the same publishing house published Pushkin’s fairy tales with illustrations by Bilibin. In particular, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (1905) and “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” (1910) appeared. In 1905, the epic “Volga”, illustrated by Bilibin, was published, and in 1911, Roslavlev’s fairy tales were published by the publishing house “Public Benefit”. The same “fairytale” style with ancient Russian ornamental motifs includes the production of the opera “The Golden Cockerel” designed by Bilibin in 1909 at the Zimin Theater in Moscow.

In the spirit of the French mystery, he presented “The Miracle of St. Theophilus" (1907), recreating a medieval religious drama; The costume designs for Lope de Vega's drama "The Spring of the Sheep" and Calderon's drama "The Purgatory of St. Patrick" - theatrical production of the "Ancient Theater" in 1911 by Shutlivayacaricature The same Spain is inspired by Fyodor Sologub’s vaudeville “Honor and Revenge,” staged by Bilibin in 1909.

Splashes, endings, covers and other works by Bilibin are found in such magazines of the early 20th century as “World of Art”, “Golden Fleece”, in the publications of “Rosehipnik” and “Moscow Book Publishing House”.

During the revolution of 1905, the artist creates revolutionary caricatures.

Since 1907, Bilibin taught a graphic art class at the school of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, continuing teaching until 1917. Among his students at the school were Georgy Narbut, Konstantin Eliseev, L. Ya. Khortik, A. Roosileht, Nikolai Kuzmin, Rene O'Connell, K. D. Voronets-Popova.

In 1912, a group of Moscow and St. Petersburg intellectuals bought a plot of land on the southern coast of Crimea in Batiliman to build dachas. Bilibin was one of the partners; other shareholders were writers Vladimir Korolenko, Alexander Kuprin, Sergei Elpatievsky, Evgeny Chirikov, artist Vladimir Derviz, professors Abram Ioffe, Vladimir Vernadsky, Mikhail Rostovtsev. By lot, Bilibin got a piece of land near the sea, on which a fisherman’s house already stood. A workshop was attached to the house. After this, every year, at the end of classes at the OPH school, Bilibin went to Batiliman and returned to St. Petersburg in the fall at the start of classes.

In 1915, he participated in the establishment of the Society for the Revival of Artistic Rus', along with many other artists of his time.

After the February Revolution, Bilibin drew a drawing of a double-headed eagle, which was used as the coat of arms of the Provisional Government, and since 1992 this eagle has been featured on coins of the Bank of Russia.

Ivan Yakovlevich was nominated as an academician of the Academy of Arts, but did not have time to get approved. Not surprising - the year was 1917. Bilibin breaks up with his second wife Renee O'Connell. Revolution. The intelligentsia greeted her enthusiastically. The artist did not stand aside; he began to collaborate in the magazine “Zhupel”. Bilibin's caricature, published in the third issue of the magazine, had a very wide public response. On it, surrounded by imperial regalia, a donkey was depicted, at the foot of which sat two griffins -symbol house of the Romanovs, sharply contrasted with the image of the animal - the personification of stupidity.

Gendarmes came to Bilibin’s apartment and, after a thorough search, arrested him. The editorial office was destroyed and all the material was taken away. He was then released and soon Bilibin moved away from all this mess to the Crimean village of Batiliman, where he lives until September 1919, hoping to wait out the troubled times there. In the same village, the writer Evgeny Nikolaevich Chirikov, who was familiar to the artist from Petrograd, lived with his family. In the photo are sisters Lyudmila and Varvara.

One of Chirikov’s daughters, Lyudmila, at one time took drawing lessons from Bilibin. Ivan Yakovlevich came to Batiliman alone. Long before this, he broke up with his wife, and the civil marriage also broke up. Bilibin and Lyudmila Chirikova went to thesketches , and the artist, no wonder, fell in love with his young student. Lyudmila Chirikova was a very ordinary girl, a Russian young lady from a good, intelligent family.Tall and stately, high cheekbones, with big eyes, very taciturn. Alas, she did not reciprocate his feelings, but she did not push him away either...

Until December 1919, Biibin was in Rostov-on-Don, then with the retreat of the White Army he came to Novorossiysk.

The Bolsheviks seized power, the white front was cracking. Evgeniy Chirikov, Lyudmila’s father, worked in the White Army agency; he had to flee Russia. The elder Chirikovs evacuated from Crimea, and his daughters gathered after their parents, and Bilibin followed Lyudmila. Most likely, in his voluntary imprisonment, Bilibin found it difficult to understand the essence of the enormous changes that took place in the country; he did not understand their essence even in 1920, carried away by the wave of refugees leaving Russia.

On February 21, 1920, Bilibin sailed from Novorossiysk on the steamship Saratov.So Ivan Yakovlevich found himself among the distraught people.NTyphus soon broke out on the ship and the captain was forced to raise a special yellow flag.ANDDue to the presence of sick people on board, the ship did not disembark people in Constantinople or Famagusta in Cyprus, but arrived in Egypt.On March 13, 1920, the journey came to an end, the three-week horror was over, and the famous artist Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, the best Russian graphic artist and star of the World of Arts, famous for his illustrations for fairy tales and the design of performances, began...

The steamer "Saratov" docked at the pier in Alexandria, luggage was lowered ashore - several thousand bales randomly dumped in the hold. They were taken apart by passengers, whom it was difficult to recognize as people from decent society: professors and entrepreneurs, officers and St. Petersburg ladies. They were hungry, worn out and smelled bad. After quarantine, a refugee camp awaited them in Tel el-Kebir, the future was unclear. Arriving at the camp, he exchanged gold cufflinks for four bottles of sour red wine...

You are forty-four years old, the young lady you love is only twenty-five, and she treats you like an older brother. You are married. Nine years ago, your first wife left you, taking their two children, and you were never able to get a divorce. There were two great loves in your life, and both left you, unable to withstand the drinking bouts. You were often attracted to women - and this did not lead to anything good. And then, on the threshold of old age, you meet a person you can’t live without, and you run after him to the ends of the world, leaving everything behind... But she doesn’t need you! It's like a wall: if you want, pound it with your fists, if you want, hit it with your forehead...

He drank four bottles of red in an hour, the next two cost him a gold and sapphire tie pin. Having finished them too, he plunged into the memories that he himself desired... so he returned home again, to St. Petersburg, to house number 11 on Mytninskaya embankment. Here is his workshop, a long narrow room with his grandfather's desk and many bookcases.He is good-looking and was a runaway success with the girls.And Ivan Yakovlevich himself was extremely amorous. Artists have always been the subjects of his passion... His first wife, the Russified Irishwoman Maria Chambers, was two years older than Bilibin.She then made drawings for children's books, a very talented artist, but she gave all of herself to her family. In this marriage she gave birth to two sons - Sasha and Vanya. The eldest, Sasha, fell ill with scarlet fever as a child and cannot hear at all... The family is having dinner. He wants to say something kind to his wife Maria, but her face is so sour that the question breaks out of itself:
- How much vinegar did you drink today?
Maria carefully puts the spoon on the table, gets up and leaves, the children frown... He is drunk again... All this happened - and he failed to change anything... In May 1914, Maria went to Switzerland for treatment of her son, then to England . She never returned to Russia...

Maria Yakovlevna Chambers (Chambers-Bilibina) (1874-1962). Artist, book graphic artist, theater designer. She studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. Since 1900 she worked as a book graphic artist. Exhibited since 1909. Sister of theater artist and graphic artist Vladimir Chambers (1877-1934; lived in England since 1917). Bilibin's wife from 1902 to 1911. Mother of his sons Alexander (1903-1972) and Ivan (1908-1993). In 1914 she left with her children for England; I haven’t returned to Russia since then.

And this is his second common-law wife, Renee O’Connell, his former student.Lord, how beautiful she is!... They have guests, there are bottles and snacks on the table. The guests laugh. Rene looks at him unkindly. He knows what’s going on here: his cheerful intoxication quickly gives way to sad, and then angry. The guests will leave, and she will have to bother with him tomorrow: he will not stop until he drinks everything he can get his hands on. A huge family scandal awaits them, then he will ask her for forgiveness... He needs to stop, but he can’t... They entered into an agreement, according to which it followed that if Ivan Yakovlevich did not drink for a year, then Rene would stay with him . But Bilibin did not keep his word and she left... he didn’t want this, but the wine turned out to be stronger... And the further fate of Rene Rudolfovna was tragic. After Bilibin, she got married and had a daughter and a son. During the years of repression she was imprisoned and in exile. At this time, her son was left in the custody of one of her friends in Leningrad. As soon as the opportunity arose, she sent her son, still a teenager, to live with her. But she received a severe blow - the boy did not reach her by train at all - during one of the stops he drowned while swimming in the river. So she could only meet his body... Her daughter died horribly and tragically during the siege. Renee was very beautiful, educated, spiritual, bright and, despite the hardships of life, she remained so until the end of her life...

In 1912 he married for the second time to R. R. O'Connell.Second wife - Renee Rudolfovna O'Connel-Mikhailovskaya (nee O'Connell; 1891-1981). Porcelain artist, graphic artist. The artist's grandfather is the Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell. Born in Paris, she came to Russia around 1910. She studied with Bilibin at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After graduating from school, she taught there. She worked as an artist at the Imperial Porcelain Factory (State Porcelain Factory). Bilibin's wife from 1912 to 1917. In 1922-1932. worked at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory named after. M.V. Lomonosov. From her second marriage, with Sergei Nikolaevich Mikhailovsky (1885-1927), she had two children, daughter Eva (1920-1942) and a son who died on the way from Leningrad to his mother in Siberia. In the mid-1930s. was repressed and was in exile until 1953. While in exile, she married for the third time. After the war she lived in Leningrad. She also worked in porcelain in the 1950s.

And here comes love again! Ivan Yakovlevich continuously wrote letters to his beloved, even when she was nearby. The feeling haunted him. He tried to convince her to share her life with him:

- Review my cards again, if you like. I am 46 years old. I'm a good artist. Old age is near... I would carry you in my arms, I would try as much as I can not to be jealous, I would shave my head, if, if you like, I would completely give up wine, I would be your friend and teacher...

But all this passion was in vain...
Bilibin slept on an army canvas cot in a temporary camp: the British built it for captured Turks, and then settled Russian emigrants in it.The tents were surrounded by barbed wire, and there was desert all around. There were empty bottles lying around the cot, and his friend, journalist Alexander Yablonovsky, was sitting next to Bilibin. On the floor there was a bag of ground black coffee, next to it was a bottle of vodka that Yablonovsky had taken from Novorossiysk; he was going to give his friend a hangover. Bilibin snorted and smacked his lips, his friend was preparing breakfast, whisking four eggs bought from an Arab in a broth cup. Bilibin stood up and opened his eyes and reached for the prepared food.glass, drank, shook his head and asked:

-Where are we located?

Yablonovsky, patting his friend on the shoulder, replied:

- Visiting the Egyptian Pharaoh Cheops.

The food in the tent camp was bad, you could only go to Cairo with
permission from the commandant and only if those wishing to do so had money.
The passengers of the Saratov quickly fell into melancholy and despair, but Bilibin, who had finally emerged from the binge, was not going to follow their example. He took passes and went to Cairo, where he met people from the Russian
imperial consulate. The entire city consisted of square white or slightly yellowish one and two-story houses, it seemed that it was built as if from cubes.Since 1920 he has lived in Cairo.

The tram rattled along the broken rails.Cafes with open verandas and batteries of tempting multi-colored bottles in the buffets. The artist steadfastly resists temptations:

- No no! It's too hot right now. I'd prefer coffee...

Things were going well: the consul arranged for him to order portraits and decorative panels. Bilibin is working on sketches of panels and frescoes in the Byzantine style for the mansions of wealthy Greek merchants. He studies Egyptian art, first Muslim and Coptic, then the art of Ancient Egypt. The artist received advances and looked for housing. He was helped in this by Lyudmila, her sister Valentina and Ivan Yakovlevich’s longtime student Olga Sander.

No one had a penny, but they had youth and enthusiasm! One evening someone started scratching at the door. Opening it, Bilibin saw something shaggy, similar to a muff, clearly asking for help. This is how a dog appeared in the Workshop. And a few days later, this Muff climbed into the closet at night, which was so beautifully painted, and gave birth to two puppies in it, who were quickly christened: Cheops and Cleopatra, despite their obvious mongrel origin. In honor of their birth, Bilibin throws a banquet with wine and a rich table, calling all his friends from the Russian colony...
The order has arrived. Bilibin chose the old style of icons of the 15th century, and the customers, who were not very educated people, were unhappy, as they expected the sugary style of the 19th century. And although they still paid, as Bilibin said, “they brought me to the point,” and he began to drink heavily. He hired a camel and began riding it around Muslim Cairo and the nearby desert. Work stopped for two weeks. Of course, those around him didn’t like and were annoyed by his drinking bouts, but Ivan Yakovlevich can find an excuse. An alien environment, a difficult climate - there were no air conditioners back then, hard work and, despite being surrounded by friends and assistants, loneliness in unrequited love for Lyudmilitsa - all this definitely created the conditions for what we now call stress. Drinking and the downtime that inevitably accompanied it, this stress was removed and the artist began to create again.

- Oh, the star of my heart! Oh, the pomegranate tree is in full bloom! Oh, the source of life in the desert of my heart! - he once again explained to Lyudmila in an oriental manner.

But she is silent...

- Wait, Lyudmilitsa, really, what if this same Blue Bird flies in my gardens, and she sings so that you will understand every sound of her song, because our song is common to you and me. God wanted it this way, because he breathed into you the same fire that he breathed into me.

And again “no”!
Her parents settled in Europe, and Lyudmila will soon go to join them. Their romance ends before it really begins. The muff died, and the puppies grew up and behave like owners in the house. From time to time, letters arrive from Russia: his brother writes that he is now one of the first people at his university... Melancholy comes to his heart, and he feels that he is about to break down. There is still sadness about Lyudmila, overlaid with grief from an unsuccessful conversation with the customer, and he goes into a cafe, drinks a glass of vodka, then asks for another... And a week later, in a letter to Lyudmila, he talks about how he lost his temper again.

“Dear and dear Lyudmilitsa, write to me and don’t be angry at my outpourings. After all, you already know them very well. Is it new that I love you to the point of giving up my life for you, but you don’t love me; and I know it.” .

Bilibin repents for a reason, he so wants her to take pity on him... Soon Ivan Bilibin notices that his life is being broken into two parts. One is real, taking place in Cairo, and the other is concentrated in letters:

“Dear and dear and my only Lyudmilitsa.
I wrote you a lot of letters these days, but I tore them all up. Sometimes it seems to me that I am incredibly confused and in an impenetrable dead end, and sometimes it seems to me that I did the right thing. When there were no letters from you for a long time, I was always in an anxious state. It was the same here. Two Tuesdays passed without letters, on the third the postman comes and brings me a small letter from Shurochka Shchekotikhina, written in the most tender words. An hour later, another postman comes and brings a postcard from you, where you write about the renewal of your friendship with Drozdov. My heart just sank, and I decided that the matter was over..."

"...if it happens that we never see each other again, remember that wherever I am, when I die and cannot speak, I will wave my shaggy tail to you like an old dog."

It was inspired by the death of the dog - Cheopsik. When his faithful dog was dying, seeing his owner, he still found the strength to greet him, slightly waving his tail... Angry and sad, he slowly crawls into a new binge. Intoxicated and half mad with melancholy, he answered Shurochka with a telegram:

"Be my wife. I'm waiting for your answer."

Soon the answer came:

“I agree, provided that I do not be separated from my son.”

That's all!...
In their cheerful company, Shurochka kept to herself. She studied at the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, where he taught, and later they had a short, completely fleeting romance. She was a beautiful girl, similar to an Indian bayadère dancer, but taciturn and shy.Then she married a man from their company, bore him a son, and a few years later she remained a widow... He was completely at a loss. Bilibin asked Lyudmilitsa for advice and proposed to her again. He said that Shurochka, like him, was tired of life, and they could make each other happy. But for the sake of Lyudmila, he will give up on all this. He asked the girl to answer him as soon as possible... However, by that time the new bride of the loving Bilibin was already on her way from St. Petersburg to Egypt...

In February 1923, Bilibin married the artist Alexandra Vasilievna Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya, who came to him in Cairo with her son Mstislav.

Third wife - Alexandra Vasilievna Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya (nee Shchekatikhina; 1892-1967). Porcelain artist, painter, graphic artist. Born in Aleksandrovsk (Zaporozhye). Since 1908 she lived in St. Petersburg. She studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1908-1913. Since 1915, she has participated in exhibitions. From 1918 and throughout her life (with interruptions), she worked as an artist at the Imperial Porcelain Factory (State Porcelain Factory). From her first marriage to lawyer Nikolai Filippovich Pototsky (1881-1920) she had a son, Mstislav (1916-1998). Bilibin's wife since February 1923. From that time on she lived with him in Egypt, then in France; in 1936 she returned with him to Leningrad and continued working at the plant.

There was a long life ahead. She turned out to be quite happy: Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya and Bilibin fit together like two parts of a single whole. It soon became clear that Shurochka was thrifty, despotic and jealous: new orders were established in the house on Antik Khan Street.

The wife, discharged from Petrograd, took control of the household. Bilibin stopped drinking for a while. In addition, after Shurochka’s arrival, orders began pouring in for him. She was a fairly famous artist; in St. Petersburg she worked at a state porcelain factory. In Cairo, Shurochka set up a small porcelain workshop and began selling painted sets.

In the summer of 1924 he traveled with his family through Syria and Palestine. In October 1924 he settled in Alexandria.Bilibin had a great exhibition in Alexandria.

Things were going well, and then Shurochka decided that they should live in Paris. In August 1925, Bilibin moved to Paris. They arrived there as wealthy people, with a lot of luggage and a substantial amount of money earned in Egypt... At this time, he was preparing brilliant sets for productions of Russian operas; the artist was invited to design Stravinsky’s ballet “The Firebird” in Buenos Aires and a number of operas in Brno and Prague. Bilibin is trying to return to the art of books; he creates illustrations for French translations of Russian fairy tales. Creates illustrations for Russian fairy tales, fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and the Arabian Nights. But the demand for what was close to him is not great. The artist begins to master the French theme, and he succeeds. And yet there was little work, and the resonance was not the same as in Russia. And then there was the economic crisis: the Russian emigration became impoverished, artists began to live in poverty. Bilibin could have done well in Czechoslovakia, but in Prague he started drinking. He had an exhibition open in Holland, but it didn’t bring in much money, he started drinking in Amsterdam...

He missed Russia.

- For several years now I have been dreaming of returning to my homeland and working for it in my specialty... Living here, in a cultural Europe mired in crisis, is difficult, mainly morally. I could not assimilate with other people...

Over the years, Bilibin came to terms with Soviet power. In 1935-1936 he participates in the design of the Soviet embassy in Paris, creates the monumental panel “Mikula Selyaninovich”.

In September 1936, Bilibin's wish came true. The artist returns on the ship "Ladoga" to Russia, to Leningrad... Meanwhile, the flywheel of Stalin’s repressions is picking up speed day by day. Many cultural figures who returned from emigration became its victims. Bilibin was fabulously lucky - the repressions bypassed him. He makes connections with Soviet publishing houses and returns to an old, painfully close topic.Bilibin teaches at the All-Russian Academy of Arts and continues to work as an illustrator and theater artist.

From 1937 to 1942 he lived and worked in house No. 25 (apt. 46) on Gulyarnaya Street in Leningrad (current Liza Chaikina Street), as evidenced by the memorial plaque on this house.

Teaches at the Academy of Arts. Shurochka returned to the porcelain factory. Everything turned out well and I just wish I could live and create, but... The war began, followed by the terrifying blockade of Leningrad. The most terrible first blockade winter of 1941-1942 claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Leningraders. Ivan Yakovlevich refused to leave his hometown and continued to work in besieged Leningrad until his last days. When asked to evacuate to the rear, the artist responded:

- They don’t run from a besieged fortress - they defend it...

Professor of painting Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin died of hunger and cold in besieged Leningrad on February 7, 1942 in the hospital at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. He was only 66 years old. Recently he lived in the basement of the Academy of Arts, since his apartment became uninhabitable due to the bombing. He was buried in the mass grave of professors of the Academy of Arts near the Smolensk cemetery.

The last work of the famous artist was a preparatory illustration for the epic “Duke Stepanovich” in 1941.

His wife Alexandra Vasilievna fell ill with pneumonia, but managed to survive. During the war she did not stop working, as in the post-war years she worked mainly on porcelain sets for mass production. She took part in exhibitions until the early 60s. She passed away in 1967. And Lyudmila Chirikova, his Lyudmilitsa? She did not stay in Europe long. She left for America, where she had to work as a draftsman, fulfill orders from theater workshops and a textile factory. The artist lived in hot Florida, in a quiet town, which was called, an amazing coincidence, like her hometown: St. Petersburg. She always remembered Bilibin with tender warmth:

- Back in Russia, on my name day, Ivan Yakovlevich brought me as a gift a small watercolor miniature in the old style, where two white roses and a red heart with the letters I.B., pierced by an arrow, were depicted on a bright blue background. And although it was so long ago, and this miniature traveled with me to different countries for many years, it still radiates the same warmth and joy to this day...

Shortly before her death, she gave to the Soviet Cultural Foundation a large stack of Bilibin’s letters to her and her portrait, made by this amazing master in Egypt during the days of their joint exile.

This portrait is now one of the main “pearls” of the Moscow House-Museum of Marina Tsvetaeva. The artist’s letters to the woman whom he so tenderly and hopelessly loved are also kept there. Lyudmila Evgenievna died in the USA before reaching her centenary.

Works

Ivan Bilibin

Book graphics

• 1899 - “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf”
• 1899-1900, 1902 - “Vasilisa the Beautiful”
• 1899 - “The Frog Princess”
• 1900 - “Feather of Finist Yasna-Falcon”
• 1900-1901 - “Marya Morevna”
• 1901-1902 - “Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka”
• 1902 - “White Duck”
• 1903 - epic “Volga”
• 1904-1905 - “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by A. S. Pushkin
• 1906 - “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel” by A. S. Pushkin
• 1908 - “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” by A. S. Pushkin
• 1908 - “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by A. S. Pushkin
• 1911 - “The Tale of the Three Tsar’s Divas and Ivashka, the Priest’s Son” by A. S. Roslavlev
• 1919 - “Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what...”
• 1931 - Contes de l'Isba
• 1932-1933 - Tales of Russian Grandmother
• 1932 - Contes de la couleuvre
• 1934 - Le Tapis Volant (The Magic Carpet), Arabian Tales, Flammarion, Paris
• 1936 - Le farouche Abd-el-Kader

Theatrical and decorative arts

• 1904 - Sketches and costumes for the opera"Snow Maiden". Prague National Theater.
• 1907 - Sketches of scenery and costumes for the miracle “The Act of Theophilus”.