Marina Yevgenyevna Uspenskaya (russian: Мари́на Евге́ньевна Успе́нская; June 18, 1925 – 2007) was a prominent Russian children's book illustrator and graphics painter.
Biography
Marina Uspenskaya was born in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in 1925. She graduated from the
1905 Art College, where she studied theatre and decorative arts under professor V.A. Shestakov. In 1947 she entered the graphics department of the
Surikov Institute
The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (russian: Московское училище живописи, ваяния и зодчества, МУЖВЗ) also known by the acronym MUZHZV, was one of the largest educational insti ...
in Moscow, where she studied under professor D.E. Dekhtyaryev in the book illustration studio.
Works
After graduation she found her passion and craft, making illustrations for children's books. Throughout her career, she made illustrations for some 200 children's books in the Soviet Union,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, Russia, France, India and Japan. She worked for several of the largest publishing houses in her native country, including ''
Detskaya Literatura
Detskaya Literatura ( rus, Детская литература, r=Detskaja literatura, lit. "Children's Literature"), formerly Detgiz and DETIZDAT, is a Soviet and Russian publishing house for children's literature. It was established on Septembe ...
'', ''
Detgiz'' and ''
Malysh''. She is particularly famous for her illustrations for classic Russian fairy tales, including ''
Ruslan and Lyudmila Ruslan may refer to:
* ''Ruslan'' (film), a 2009 film starring Steven Segal
* Ruslan (given name), male name used mainly in Slavic countries, with list of people
* Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'', large Soviet cargo aircraft, later built in Ukraine and ...
'' and ''
Silver Hoof
"Silver Hoof" ( rus, Серебряное копытце, Serebrjanoe kopyttse, lit. "Small Silver Hoof") is a fairy tale short story written by Pavel Bazhov, based on the folklore of the Ural (region), Ural region of Siberia. It was first publish ...
''. Marina Evgenevna was one of the anchor artists on the children's journal ''
Murzilka
''Murzilka'' (russian: Мурзилка) is a popular Soviet/Russian illustrated magazine for 6–12 year olds. It has been published since May 1924.
History and profile
At the end of the 19th century the Canadian illustrator and writer Palmer ...
'' from 1958 to the late 1960s. In total, her illustrations have been printed in more than 115 million books and postcards.
Marina Evgenevna continued the tradition of her grandfather
Vasily Navozov, artist and
Academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
member, and for many years her life was connected to famous Moscow artist and academician
Boris Uspensky
Boris Andreevich Uspenskij (russian: Бори́с Андре́евич Успе́нский) (born 1 March 1937, in Moscow) is a Russian linguist, philologist, semiotician, historian of culture.
Biography
Uspenskij graduated from Moscow Univ ...
. Her art changed over time, but always in her very personal and highly recognisable style. Applying water colour, Indian ink and gouache in warm and gentle colours, her illustrations were detailed, yet have a simple light touch. From the late 1960s onwards, she moved away from her classical realism into a more expressionistic and symbolic world.
From the late 1980s she watched, and was inspired by, the changes in everyday life happening in the transition from the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
to the new Russia. This was, for example, reflected in her colourful images, often in red or orange, of the New Russian Women – as she called them – which she boldly depicted in scenes from every-day life. Her favourite tool in her later years was the colour pencil, with which she depicted daily life in Moscow, be it in the Moscow metro or evenings at the theatre or the ballet.
Bibliography
* 1963 “Children's Books Illustrators” by Ella Gankina, p. 201, 203
* 1977 “Contemporary Children's Books Illustrators”, by Ella Gankina, p. 135, 195
* 1978 The journal “Detskaya Literatura” (August)
* 1997 The journal “Khudozhnik”, volume 4
* 2003 Russian Artists’ Union
* 2004 "20th and 21st Century Graphics and Oil Painting", p. 165, 185
* 2008 "Marina Uspenskaya" — Masters of Soviet Art, volume 3 (In English and Russian). Gamborg Gallery.
External links
Examples of Marina Uspenskaya's Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uspenskaya, Marina
1925 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Russian painters
21st-century Russian painters