The graphic artist Vladimir Petrovich Panov collaborated with children’s publishing houses throughout his life. While still a student, he started working for the Detgiz publishing house, where his teacher Boris Dekhteryov was the head artist. In 1957, Vladimir Panov made illustrations for “Tales from the Urals” by Pavel Bazhov, in 1961, he designed “The Scarlet Flower” by Sergey Aksakov, and in 1971 — “Fairy Tales” by Hans Christian Andersen.

Vladimir Panov was distinct for his deep knowledge of the historical periods that he came across in the work process, as well as his thoughtful and respectful attitude to the writer’s intention, artistic depth, and poetic feelings. The book illustrations by Vladimir Panov received a number of awards. At various times they were exhibited at All-Union, national and foreign exhibitions.

This gouache drawing from the series dedicated to Mikhail Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” depicts the second subscene of the third scene in the second act. Arbenin stands near the door of Prince Zvezdich’s room. He is wearing a coat with a fur collar and cuffs. Evgeny Arbenin says:

Arbenin enters the room of Prince Zvezdich, but after two minutes he comes back pale,

The edition of “Masquerade” illustrated by Vladimir Panov was published in 1983. Each act in this edition is preceded by a two-page spread that introduces the viewer to the events happening in that act. Then it is followed by an insertion, an introduction to the drawing, and a series of drawings embellishing the pages, which show key plot moments and characters in close-up.