Mikhail Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was staged at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theatres with sets by Konstantin Korovin and Alexander Golovin. On the wide new stage of the People’s House (now the Music Hall, St Petersburg), however, the opera was successfully staged with sets and costumes by Ivan Bilibin. The inevitable comparison of Bilibin’s interpretation of Chernomore’s Garden with that of Alexander Golovin (or an even earlier one by Sergei Malyutin) reveals just how strongly Bilibin’s experience as a book illustrator was reflected in his theatrical designs. This can be seen in the graphic nature of this watercolour painting and the conscientious following of the text of Pushkin’s poem.

Bilibin Ivan

BILIBIN, IVAN YAKOVLEVICH
1876, Tarkhovka, St Petersburg Province — 1942, Leningrad
Graphic artist, theatrical designer. Studied at the Faculty of Law, St Petersburg University (1896–1900), School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1895–1898), Anton Ažbè’s school in Munich (1898), under Ilya Repin at the Princess Maria Tenisheva School (1898–1900) and at the Higher School of Art, Imperial Academy of Arts (1900–1904). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1900). Founding member of the World of Art (1900–1917). Drew for World of Art, Hell’s Post, Bugbear and Golden Fleece and magazines. Designed for theatres (from 1907). Illustrated and designed children’s books — traditional heroic poems, folk tales and the fairytales of Alexander Pushkin — for publishing houses in St Petersburg (1900s). Illustrated the fairytales of Alexander Pushkin for Goslitizdat (1930s). Created his own highly original style of book design, based on the motifs of Russian folk and medieval art.