In our age, paper books are being replaced by electronic books. A compact tablet with a library inside displaces dusty tomes from the shelves. Texts on paper remain the privilege of collectors and retro lovers. However, no electronic book can be compared with a printed one if the latter is equipped with talented illustrations. It is these drawings that the artist Igor Oleinikov creates. I would like to pick up the books on which he worked, to leaf through, review, admire and give them the most honorable place on the shelf.
Igor Oleinikov: biography
The artist was born in January 1954 in Lyubertsy near Moscow. From childhood he was fond of drawing, and there was a reason for this. His mother worked as a carpet artist, and her work can now be seen in the Kremlin halls. However, Oleinikov did not enter the Art Institute, but preferred the Institute of Chemical Engineering to him. Three years after graduation, he worked at the Giprokauchuk Institute, but his love of drawing took its toll. In 1979, Igor Yulievich came to Soyuzmultfilm studio as an assistant to the production designer. Oleinikov never received a classical art education. At first he was proud of it, then he regretted it. Be that as it may, the illustrator grasped the basics of the craft in practice. He calls the artists of Soyuzmultfilm his first teachers.
In parallel with the animation, since 1986 Oleinikov has been collaborating with many children's magazines: Kolobok and two giraffes, Good night, kids!, Misha, Tram and others.
In 2000, the artist began working with foreign publishers: American, Belgian, Italian, Korean, Swiss, Japanese. He actively participates in book illustration exhibitions around the world and takes prizes.
Of course, the artist Igor Oleinikov also collaborates with Russian publishers. The illustrations of his work delight readers of Machaon, Rosman, Alphabet, Watercolors and many others.
Animation work
Igor Oleinikov gave animation for almost thirty years of his life. But the work on Soyuzmultfilm, in turn, gave him a lot as an artist. Oleinikov is considered an unsurpassed master of dynamic composition. The illustrator himself says that he sees each drawing for the book as a frame from the film and always knows exactly what happened before him and what will happen after. However, he preferred to work with print media, as this gives the artist greater freedom.
In the 80s, Igor Oleinikov took part in the creation of the animated films âThe Secret of the Third Planetâ, âThe Tale of Tsar Saltanâ, âThe Caliph Storkâ, âThe Tale of the Silly Husbandâ, âThe Shoemaker and the Mermaidâ. In the 90s, he works for the Christmas Films Air Force, where he puts on a cartoon based on Mozart's The Magic Flute and Ion. At the beginning of 2000, he worked on the animated film âThe Bottom and the Bottomâ, the feature film âThe Nutcrackerâ. Since 2004, collaborates with the studio "Sunny House", where he takes part in the creation of the film "Prince Vladimir".
Nightingale
A book with Oleinikovâs drawings for Andersenâs fairy tale âThe Nightingaleâ was released in 2006 by a Taiwanese publishing house. This was one of his first major successes in the field of book illustration. The artist recalled that the leadership gave carte blanche and the opportunity to realize any fantasies. Everyone benefited from this: thoughtful illustrations with a lot of air, light, fog, stylized to an oriental flavor, but not literally dictated to them, came to the pensive unhurried rhythm of the tale. In 2010, the book was published in Russia by the title âThe Emperor and the Nightingaleâ.
Jack and the Beanstalk
The illustrations for the English fairy tale were made, as an experiment, by oil (as a rule, the artist works with gouache and a dry brush). The artist does not hide that in the drawings he expresses his attitude to the heroes of the works. So, about Jack, the protagonist of the tale, he said that he was a notorious scoundrel: he cleaned the gullible hospitable giants from top to bottom for no reason at all and lived happily ever after. It seemed a little - he returned again, and then again. He killed the owner of what became of the pregnant hospitable hostess - is unknown. The artist portrayed Jack as a spider: thin-legged, toothless, big-headed, and simply an unpleasant type.
Mouse Mahalia goes to college
Not always publishers gave the artist complete freedom. The Americans, who offered to illustrate the book âMouse Mahalia Goes to School,â meticulously explained their vision of the work. These demanding customers had to coordinate every detail. The book itself is about the "American dream": the mouse dreams of going to Harvard, works hard and reaches his goal. The illustrations turned out to be interesting in terms of composition. The small size of the mouse entailed a significant shift in familiar angles. At the beginning of the book, the mouse seems tiny, and the world around it is huge. As she conquers Harvard, the artist shifts the point of view a little and it seems that Mahalia becomes a full-fledged student, not much different from the rest.
Illustrations to Harms Poems
The artist works best with poetic text. Amazingly, Igor Oleinikov feels the mood and rhythm of verses. The illustrations for Harms' book âEverybody Runs, Flys and Jumpsâ are among his most successful works. Concise verses are not rich in details and there is always a place for the artistâs creative thoughts, a huge scope for imagination. Oleinikov repeatedly said that he did not succeed âbeautiesâ and exemplary children. He will never illustrate a book about beautiful princesses, but the charismatic tombs of Harms succeeded him perfectly.
Illustrations to Brodsky
Work with poems continued in illustrations to Brodsky's works: âThe Ballad of a Little Tug,â âWho Discovered Americaâ and âThe Working Alphabetâ. Oleinikovâs cinematography is especially visible in the Tug. A story unfolds slowly, where, as in the frames of film, pages from the life of little Antei replace each other. In an interview, the artist complained that the poem set the scene: twice the Neva River is mentioned in it. Having been in St. Petersburg once at school age, Oleinikov did not know how to approach the image of the city. However, in the end, he coped with his task perfectly.
To date, Igor Oleinikov has illustrated many books, and not only for young children. The list of his works includes King Arthur and Aelit by Alexei Tolstoy. The artist's style is unmistakably recognizable. Moreover, a series of works for each book is unique and inimitable; over and over again, the artist continues to create unique worlds.