In 1940, the Soviet graphic artist Nikolay Vasilyevich Ilyin made an engraving based on a drawing for Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “The Clouds” using various techniques. He depicted a black three-quarter-length silhouette of the poet with his back turned to the viewer.
Nikolay Ilyin placed Mikhail Lermontov near the window. The poet leans on his left arm placed on the window frame, his right arm is bent at the elbow and positioned behind his back. The poet is dressed in a frock coat with an upturned collar and epaulets. On the right side, one can discern the silhouette of a saber with a lanyard — a cord and two tassels on the hilt of a bladed weapon.
The artist filled the sky, seen in the rectangular window opening, with cumulus clouds and added a tree crown with sparse leaves. This composition choice, however, makes the drawing seem somewhat overburdened with detail. In the lower-left corner of the image, the artist depicted the masts of a ship and the bell tower of Peter and Paul Cathedral with a spire.
The illustration with a vertical composition alludes to an episode from Mikhail Lermontov’s life that occurred in 1840. On that day in the Karamzins’ house, the poet’s friends were seeing him off on a long journey to the Caucasus. Lermontov was overwhelmed with grave forebodings. Clouds flew past the window and he thought to himself that they were wanderers just like him.
Even as minimalistic an approach as in this drawing helped the artist to express the mood of the poem. He conveyed the feelings of sadness and heavy thoughts of the poet through the certain turn of his head and his posture. However, this illustration is more than just an intro to “The Clouds”: it corresponds to the general state of things, mental state, and life of the poet in his last years.
Both versions of the work were used in various publications. According to Nikolay Ilyin’s son, the artist mostly made engravings based on his own drawings. His works in print remained of the original high quality, and it was almost impossible to differentiate between the copy and the original. This was achieved primarily thanks to the artist’s knowledge of the specifics of printing.
The exhibit on display was acquired by the Mikhail Lermontov State Museum-Reserve in 1984. In the bottom left corner, the passe-partout features Nikolai Ilyin’s signature in pencil, as well as the date when the engraving was created: “1940.3-19”.
Nikolay Ilyin placed Mikhail Lermontov near the window. The poet leans on his left arm placed on the window frame, his right arm is bent at the elbow and positioned behind his back. The poet is dressed in a frock coat with an upturned collar and epaulets. On the right side, one can discern the silhouette of a saber with a lanyard — a cord and two tassels on the hilt of a bladed weapon.
The artist filled the sky, seen in the rectangular window opening, with cumulus clouds and added a tree crown with sparse leaves. This composition choice, however, makes the drawing seem somewhat overburdened with detail. In the lower-left corner of the image, the artist depicted the masts of a ship and the bell tower of Peter and Paul Cathedral with a spire.
The illustration with a vertical composition alludes to an episode from Mikhail Lermontov’s life that occurred in 1840. On that day in the Karamzins’ house, the poet’s friends were seeing him off on a long journey to the Caucasus. Lermontov was overwhelmed with grave forebodings. Clouds flew past the window and he thought to himself that they were wanderers just like him.
Even as minimalistic an approach as in this drawing helped the artist to express the mood of the poem. He conveyed the feelings of sadness and heavy thoughts of the poet through the certain turn of his head and his posture. However, this illustration is more than just an intro to “The Clouds”: it corresponds to the general state of things, mental state, and life of the poet in his last years.
Both versions of the work were used in various publications. According to Nikolay Ilyin’s son, the artist mostly made engravings based on his own drawings. His works in print remained of the original high quality, and it was almost impossible to differentiate between the copy and the original. This was achieved primarily thanks to the artist’s knowledge of the specifics of printing.
The exhibit on display was acquired by the Mikhail Lermontov State Museum-Reserve in 1984. In the bottom left corner, the passe-partout features Nikolai Ilyin’s signature in pencil, as well as the date when the engraving was created: “1940.3-19”.
