Konashevich Vladimir Mikhailovich (1888-1963)

Art education VM Konashevich got MUZHVZ (1908-13), where his teachers were K. Korovin , S. B. Malutin and L. Pasternak .

Shortly after graduation, he moved to Petrograd, forever linking his life to this city. At first, he took up a lot, even served in a suburban Pavlovsk Palace Museum, which is why he settled permanently in Pavlovsk.

From the 1920's. its interests are fully focused on the graph. In books, graphic recognition and respect he brought excellent illustration of the poems of AA Fet (1921), then to the works of Turgenev, Chekhov And, MMZoshchenko, K. Fedin, etc.; one of the highest achievements were his illustrations for "Manon Lescaut" Abbe Prevost (1931).

In the easel chart he declared himself fine lithographic series mid-1920s. - "Pavlovsky park", "Pavlov punks", "street", he created a number of interesting and woodcuts.
Since 1930. Konashevich almost entirely devoted himself to illustrating children's books, only occasionally making an exception for landscapes, still lifes and portraits, which are performed in a particular favorite of his technique - ink and watercolor on Chinese paper.

In the children's book, he made his debut in 1918 books "Alphabet in Pictures" and "Pink Alphabet" EE Solovevoj. By working with the publishing house "Rainbow" and then with the Department of Children and Young People's Literature Publishing House of the State, he was an acknowledged master. His works are distinguished by a penchant for playful and grotesque intricate and decorative style, dating back to the chart "World of Art."

Gradually, in the book drawing Konashevych beginning to dominate fairy theme. Most of it fascinated by K. Chukovskii that the artist illustrated many times and in various forms, among them is the luxury collection "Tales", published by "Academia" in 1935 because of this book Konashevich undergone, together with VV Lebedev, unfair attacks in the article "About the artist-pachkunah" ("The Truth", 1936, March 1), the persecution unleashed talented Leningrad artists of children's books.

In 1941, the artist, fleeing the advance of German troops moved to Leningrad, and spent the entire siege, working first on the memories of his childhood, and later on illustrations for fairy tales H.-K. Andersen (1943).
After the war, under pressure from the dogmatic claims, his art became gradually lose its distinctive bright imagination and romance.
Konashevych revival began only in the mid-1950s. In 1956, he flashed excellent illustrations to the book "Floating, floating ship", which summed up his long-standing work on English folk songs. This was followed by dozens of books, including the "Miracle Tree" KI Chukovskogo, "Come, fairy tale," "The old yearling" V. Dahl. The last work of the artist was illustrating tales of Pushkin (1961-62). This book was published after his death.