Folklore

Spanish illustrator Beatriz Martin Vidal's work is on folk tales, such as ancient Greek mythology (above) or Russian fairy tales (below Carmilla and Russian Folk Tale).



Her work recalled for me, not in a literal sense but in the feeling of the imagery, a book written and illustrated by Jan Brett, Fitz and the Beautiful Horses. Much beloved by my sister and me as children this book has Scandinavian folksy styling.


Jan Brett, Fitz and the Beautiful Horses, 1949

One of the most famous Russian folk art illustrators was Ivan Bilibin, and we can see his work is much more graphic that of Vidal and Brett, and many of his illustrations include the iconic brightly colored boarders associated with Russian arts and crafts illustration.


Ivan Bilibin, The Red Horesman, Vasilisa the Beautiful, 1899


Ivan Bilibin, Morozko (Father Frost), from Father Frost, 1932


Ivan Bilibin, Vasilisa escaping Baba Yaga's chicken leg hut, from Vasilisa the Beautiful, 1899

Finally the legacy of Russian icon art can be seen in all these works. Below are film stills from the 1971 Russian animated film, The Battle of Kerzhenets, which uses the style of the Russian middle ages religous paintings.


From One1more2time3's Weblog