Category Archive: Books

Waves. Laser cut layered illustrations by Martin Tomsky

Laser cut layered illustrations by Martin Tomsky
London based artist Martin Tomsky has been recently included in the list of 10 Best Illustrators of 2015. He manually creates his multi-layered pieces with laser-cut plywood, the individual elements stained to create depth within his compositions. Martin grew up in a large family of seven children, where he was the youngest.
The boy spent his childhood drawing and exploring books. Martin graduated from Camberwell College of Arts. Working between art and crafts, he builds a bridge between classic storytelling, traditional sculpture, and illustration. His art, in fact, is a link between books and illustrations.
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Konstantin Somov. Title Page for A. Blok’s book The Theater. 1907. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. World of Art movement for theater

World of Art movement for theater

In the history of Russian art, and in particular, the late nineteenth century was a period of creative innovation and a fundamental restructuring of form. Thus, in the 1890s, a generation of artists who radically revised almost the entire range of established tradition, opened a new chapter in Russia’s visual arts. The World of Art group, which gave rise to this forceful and influential movement, was formed in St. Petersburg in the early 1890s. In 19885, Savva Mamontov established his private opera company in Moscow, enlisting many prominent artists to work as theatrical designers. This laid the foundation for a new type of stage decor, having nothing in common with traditional stereotypes. All World of Art members were strongly attracted to the theater. Much later, in his memoirs, Benois admitted that throughout his life he worshiped the theater, that in his mind the concept of “artistry” was always associated with the concept of “theatricality”. The same is true of other World of Art masters who dedicated themselves to stage design and book illustration.
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Gulliver’s Travels. Book Illustrator Gennady Spirin

Born in 1948, in Orekhovo-Zuevo, Russian Book Illustrator Gennady Spirin studied at the Academy of Arts, and then at Stroganov University in Moscow. Noteworthy, over the years he has developed his own unique style, combining the Russian artistic technique with the traditions of the Renaissance. Undoubtedly, Spirin is one of the best illustrators recognized in the world. His watercolor illustrations for children’s books have received numerous awards for his vision of fantastic worlds. Most of his works are in the public, private and corporate collections, including the Museum of fine arts in Milan (Italy), and the library at Princeton University (United States). Currently, Gennady Spirin lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his wife and three sons. Friends say: “his idols – two medieval Russian genius icon-painters, Andrei Rublev and Dutchman Pieter Bruegel“.
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She was carrying repulsive, alarming yellow flowers in her hand. Mimosa in art. Painting by unknown artist

‘And I was struck not so much by her beauty as by an extraordinary loneliness in her eyes, such as no one had ever seen before! Obeying this yellow sign, I also turned down the lane and followed her. We walked along the crooked, boring lane silently, I on one side, she on the other. And, imagine, there was not a soul in the lane. I was suffering, because it seemed to me that it was necessary to speak to her, and I worried that I wouldn’t utter a single word, and she would leave, and I’d never see her again. And, imagine, suddenly she began to speak:
‘ “Do you like my flowers?” (Mikhail Bulgakov. The Master and Margarita)
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An angel and three cats on the roof. Scanned from the book ‘I ask myself’. Poems by Belgian kids. Illustrations by Valery Vasiliev. Moscow Children’s Literature, 1982

Book illustrator Valery Vasiliev
Born 17 September 1949 in Moscow, Honored Artist of Russia (2005) Valery Vasiliev is a member of the Russian Academy of Design. In addition, he is a member of the Board of the Department of “Book graphics” of the Moscow Union of Artists, and a member of the jury of the All-Russian contest “The image of the book”. Also, he is a chairman of the Exhibition Committee of the Department “Book graphics” of Moscow Union of Artists. Vasiliev, after studying at the Moscow Art School, graduated from the Moscow State Art Institute named after Surikov (1968), and the Moscow Higher School of Industrial Art (1973). Valery Vasiliev is a many-awarded artist illustrator of children books. Among his awards – 1984 Grand Prix in Brno, 1989 bronze medal in Leipzig, 1999 Grand Prix in Tehran, 2002 Medal “Golden Pen” in Belgrade, and 2012 Medal of the Ministry of Agriculture.
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Savannah Burgess drawings

Savannah Burgess drawings
19-year-old artist Savannah Burgess lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She creates a seriously fantastic piece of art. The level of detail is amazing. She captures perfectly the essence of the War of the Five Kings, characters of Edgar Allan Poe short story ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, The cold eyes of mental unstable Norman Bates from the classic Hitchcock film ‘Psycho’. On the creation of another masterpiece – pen and ink drawing of 12 animals of Chinese horoscope she spent most of the summer, the result is impressive. The talented artist is so young and I am really eager to see where the artist goes with her skill in the future.
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Tabby Cat with Union Jack Flag Suit. Shipped worldwide Cat art on Vintage Dictionary pages by GoGoBookart

For any cat lover these one-of-a-kind illustrations on Vintage Dictionary pages will be pleasing to the eye. Indeed, what cat lover would not want to decorate the walls of his room with these original handmade artworks with the images of cats on old book pages. Cats characters are various – strict and serious, they are the Queen and the Military Soldier, astronaut and steampunker, hipster and football player Jordan. Whatever they are – they are funny and loving. According to the creators, the appeal of these posters is simple – keep calm and love cats. One can buy Original Design Artwork created by Hong Kong based GoGoBookart on Etsy (shop owner Olivia Yoka).
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