A St. Petersburg aesthete, passionate collector of antiques and art, artistic by nature, sociable and witty, Ivan Bilibin was a Russian painter and graphic artist, one of the most prominent book illustrators.

The style of Ivan Bilibin (1876–1942) became a symbol of early 20th-century “Russian fairy-tale” art. His works are instantly recognisable thanks to their unique synthesis of tradition and innovation.

The Expedition of Storing State Papers published thin notebooks entitled ‘The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, ‘The Firebird and the Grey Wolf’, ‘Vasilisa the Beautiful’, ‘The Frog Princess’, ‘The Feather of Finist the Falcon’, ‘Marya Morevna’, ‘Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka’, ‘The White Duckling’, and ‘Volga’ (1901–1903) were remarkable for their unusual large format and a well-thought-out system of illustrated books. The painter freely conveyed the gloomy atmosphere of a fairy-tale world, the eerie unreality and irony of everyday scenes. Sacred significance coexisted with amusing jokes in the folk spirit. Russian nature, despite its recognisability, acquired monumentality and significance in the works of Ivan Bilibin. Admirers noted the ‘crystal clarity’ of the painter's visual solutions and the melodiousness of folk motifs, the thoroughness of decoration and attention to detail in his compositions. Art critics admired the clarity of the contours, the precision of compositions, the emotional intensity of the colour spots, the laconic forms, elegance of stylisations and expressiveness of ornamentation.

The apparent simplicity of the artist's creative method is deceptive. Art style of Ivan Bilibin was strongly influenced by Russian folk art, Japanese Ukiyo-e, the paintings of Viktor Vasnetsov, the drawings of Aubrey Beardsley and William Morris. As a man of the Modern epoch, Bilibin could not ignore the synthesis of decorative and figurative art. As a member of the art association ‘World of Art,’ Ivan Bilibin tried his hand at a variety of creative activities. He strove for professional perfection, as if effortlessly designing intricate patterns that framed his graphic compositions. Tireless in his work, Ivan Bilibin designed books, worked in the sphere of theatrical and decorative art, created drawings for magazines, sketches for posters and advertising brochures, playing cards, postcards, postage stamps, labels, and ex-librises. The popularity of the ‘Bilibin style’ spawned many followers.

Ivan Bilibin became one of the first painters who seriously engaged in the study of ancient Russian art. Numerous expeditions to northern villages allowed him to touch the authentic folk art, which later became the basis of his unique style.

While illustrating fairy tales, Bilibin developed his own artistic technique, which he strictly adhered to throughout his life. First, he created a sketch on paper, and then carefully detailed his work on tracing paper. After that, he transferred it to Whatman drawing paper, tracing it with a thin, cut-end brush, as if with a chisel, creating a clear outline with ink. Then he worked with watercolours. This complex technique created that very unique atmosphere – fairy-tale-like, but not sweetish; gloomy, but not scary; whimsically decorated, but not variegated; devoid of any hint of vulgarity. Black ornamental lines created a clear boundary between colours, giving the page a special, ‘fairytale’ dimension – just what is needed for a folk tale, where the boundary between worlds is so blurred and magic coexists with reality. Illustrations by Ivan Bilibin are distinguished by their clear lines, rich ornamentation and unique colour palette. The artist loved muted, ‘northern’ colours.

Drawings of Ivan Bilibin became the benchmark for book illustration. His drawings for fairy tales still delight viewers today. The painter also created theatrical scenery and costumes, contributing to the development of scenography art. Everything is in its place in the works of Ivan Bilibin. Festive clothes, dresses, caftans, sarafans (summer dresses), rushnyks (hand towels) – it is as if they were not created by the painter, but were actually real....

Bilibin brilliantly demonstrated his profound knowledge of Russian costume by illustrating folk tales and creating sketches for theatrical productions. Work on theatrical costumes went through two stages: first, the artist made a rough sketch, rather utilitarian in nature. Then he would move on to the main sketch, in which he paid particular attention to detail, emphasising the cut of the clothing. Bilibin collaborated with Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky and Anna Pavlova, designing iconic performances based on epic, Old Russian and fairy tale plots.

Today, on the painter’s birthday, the museum Photo gallery features a thematic album entitled ‘Series of Art Postcards by Ivan Bilibin’. The postcards are based on the drawings by Ivan Bilibin.