MIHAIL CHEMIAKIN. ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE POEMS AND SONGS OF VLADIMIR VYSOTSKY

The exhibition is the result of co-operation of the Russian Museum and Vita Nova Publishing House. It is related with appearance of the Two Fates book by Mikhail Chemiakin where texts of the songs by Vladimir Vysotsky, the illustrations for these texts and the artist’s memoirs about the friendship with poet are combined. The exposition includes 42 graphic works that are created during last years and may be regarded as the unique experience of interpretation of the images from the poet’s songs.

Each of these works surpasses the customary frames of the book illustration and reveals the deeply individual interpretation of Vysotsky’s texts by the artist and discovers the originality of Mikhail Chemyakin’s artistic attitude to the world. Author separated these drawings into the groups according to the main themes of songs by Vysotsky (Fate, Alcohol, Wolf Hunting, Mental Hospital, Evil’s Flowers, Civil War, Great Patriotic War, Russia). In 1976–1977 the famous Parisian photographer Patrice Bernard made a series of photos where Vladimir Vysotsky is represented. The exhibition includes these works alongside with the nine poet’s autographs. Also there are presented 12 sketches for the illustrations. These sketches were selected from the numerous working materials that hadn’t been published in the Two Fates book, but they are reproduced in the exhibition catalogue that was prepared by the Russian Museum together with the Vita Nova Publishing House.