Intermedial Specificity of Illustrations by I.S. Glazunov for the Works by F.M. Dostoevsky

Abstract

The article explores illustrations by I.S. Glazunov for the works by F.M. Dostoevsky in terms of intermediality. This up-to-date method allows us to consider the area of different kinds of art as an open information field, connected by various communication channels, «media». This method promotes deep analysis of the illustrations, their holistic interpretation and perception. Dostoevsky is Glazunov's favorite writer; it was precisely his works that the artist most often referred to in his illustrations. However, not only his skills as a graphic artist, but also his ideological closeness to the artist in words makes Glazunov’s illustrations so valuable. In his works, Glazunov tried to embody not only literary images, but also to convey the writer's philosophy, including the well-known idea of «universal responsiveness». The artist sought to convey the intention of Dostoevsky’s characters through experiments with color and chiaroscuro, as well as using the sauce and pastel technique, which made it possible to convey expressiveness and tension through certain incompleteness and sketchiness of the illustrations created by Glazunov.