Artist Igor Oleinikov: biography, illustrations

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In our age, paper books are being replaced by electronic ones. A compact tablet with a whole library inside displaces dusty tomes from the shelves. Texts on paper remain the privilege of collectors and retro lovers. However, no e-book can compare with a printed one, if the latter is equipped with talented illustrations. It is these drawings that the artist Igor Oleinikov creates. The books on which he worked, I want to pick up, flip through, examine, admire and give them the most honorable place on the shelf.

Igor Oleynikov: biography

The artist was born in January 1954 in Lyubertsy near Moscow. Since childhood, he was fond of drawing, and there was a reason for that. His mother worked as a carpet artist, her work can still 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 for drawing took its toll. In 1979, Igor Yulievich came to the Soyuzmultfilm studio as an assistantproduction 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 comprehended the basics of the craft in practice. He calls the artists of Soyuzmultfilm his first teachers.

In parallel with animation, since 1986 Oleinikov has collaborated 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 wins prizes.

Of course, the artist Igor Oleinikov also cooperates with Russian publishing houses. The illustrations of his work delight readers of "Makhaon", "Rosman", "Azbuka", "Watercolors" and many others.

Animation work

Igor Oleinikov gave almost thirty years of his life to animation. But the work at 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 a movie and always knows exactly what happened before and what will happen after. However, he preferred to work with print media as it gives the artist more freedom.

In the 80s, Igor Oleinikov took part in the creation of the cartoons "The Secret of the Third Planet","The Tale of Tsar S altan", "The Caliph-Stork", "The Tale of a Foolish Husband", "The Shoemaker and the Mermaid". In the 1990s, he worked for BBC Christmas Films, where he directed a cartoon based on Mozart's The Magic Flute and Jonah. In the early 2000s, he worked on the cartoon Podna and Podni, the feature film The Nutcracker. Since 2004, he has been collaborating with the Solnechny Dom studio, where he takes part in the creation of the film Prince Vladimir.

Nightingale

A book with Oleinikov's drawings for Andersen's fairy tale "The Nightingale" 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 management gave carte blanche and the opportunity to realize any fantasies. Everyone benefited from this: thoughtful illustrations with a lot of air, light, fog, stylized as oriental flavor, but not literally dictated by it, fit the pensive unhurried rhythm of the fairy tale in the best possible way. In 2010, the book was published in Russia under the title The Emperor and the Nightingale.

Jack and the beanstalk

Illustrations for the English fairy tale were made, as an experiment, in oil (as a rule, the artist works with gouache and a dry brush). The artist does not hide the fact that in the drawings he expresses his attitude towards the heroes of the works. So, about Jack, the protagonist of the fairy tale, he said that the same notorious villain: from top to bottom he robbed the gullible hospitable giants for no reason and lived happily ever after. It seemed a little - returned moreonce, and then again. The owner was killed, what happened to the pregnant hospitable hostess is unknown. The artist depicted Jack as a spider: thin-legged, toothless, big-headed, and just an unpleasant type.

Mouse Mahalia goes to college

Publishers did not always give the artist complete freedom. The Americans who offered to illustrate the book Mahalia the Mouse Goes to School meticulously explained their vision of the work. With these demanding customers, every detail had to be coordinated. The book itself is about the "American Dream": the mouse dreams of going to Harvard, works hard and achieves his goal. The illustrations turned out to be interesting in terms of composition. The small size of the mouse led to a significant shift in the usual angles. At the beginning of the book, the mouse seems tiny, and the world around it is huge. As she conquered Harvard, the artist slightly shifts her point of view and it seems that Mahalia becomes a full-fledged student, not much different from the rest.

Illustrations for Kharms' poems

Working with poetic text works best for the artist. Surprisingly, Igor Oleinikov feels the mood and rhythm of the poems. Illustrations for Kharms's book "Everybody Runs, Flys and Jumps" are among his most successful works. Laconic poems are not rich in details and there is always room for the creative thought of the artist, a huge scope for a flight of fancy. Oleinikov has repeatedly said that he does not succeed in "beauties" and exemplary children. He will never illustrate a book about beautifulprincesses, but the charming tomboys Kharms succeeded him as well as possible.

Illustrations to Brodsky

Work with poetry continued in illustrations for Brodsky's works: "The Ballad of a Little Tugboat", "Who Discovered America" and "Working ABC". The cinematography of Oleinikov is especially visible in "Tug". The story slowly unfolds, where, like on film frames, pages from the life of little Antey follow each other. In an interview, the artist complained that the poem set the scene: the Neva River is mentioned twice in it. Having visited St. Petersburg once at school age, Oleinikov did not know how to approach the image of the city. However, in the end, he did a great job.

To date, Igor Oleinikov has illustrated many books, and not only for young children. The list of his works includes both "King Arthur" and "Aelita" by Alexei Tolstoy. The artist's style is unmistakable. At the same time, a series of works for each book is unique and unique, again and again the artist continues to create unique worlds.