Russian Classical Literature in German Book Graphics of the 20th Century: Peculiarities of Artistic Thinking

Abstract

The present paper actualizes the issue of graphic interpretation of the artistic text of Russian classics by German graphic artists. The study analyzes the specifics of artistic and imaginative thinking in the German tradition of book illustration by the example of illustrations for publications of Russian classics in the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, the paper examines graphic cycles of German expressionist artists of the 1920s, dedicated to the works of N. V. Gogol and F. M. Dostoevsky, as well as illustrations of Russian classical literature created by German artists who emigrated from Germany in the 1930s. The authors note that the style of German book illustration remained influenced by expressionism even in the post-war period, regardless of the cultural context, as evidenced, for example, by the works of graphic artists in the German Democratic Republic. The article also examines the book graphics of the Leipzig school and representatives of the Halle school. German graphic artists' works dedicated to the works of Russian classical literature provide rich material for the analysis of the mediated intercultural dialogue of artists with Russian writers and Russian culture. The authors explore the national originality of imaginative thinking in the Russian and German traditions, noting which aspects of the works the artists sought to emphasize, and which were ignored.