Vladimir Lebedev

 

Vladimir Vasilyevich Lebedev (Russian: Влади́мир Васи́льевич Ле́бедев; 26 May 1891 – 21 November 1967) was part of the Russian avant-garde: A painter, a political cartoonist and a poster artist, with an experimental style influenced by Russian folk art, lubki, futurism, constructivism, suprematism, productionism and cubism. A pioneer in the field of children's illustration, he would later acknowledge his role in inventing a new illustrative style, created in the "language of cubism."

Lebedev's most important contributions to children's literature were made in the 1920s, and some of his most ground-breaking work was created in collaboration with the poet Samuil Marshak, whom Maxim Gorky called "the founder of Russia's (Soviet) children's literature." Together, they published more than a dozen picture books, on topics both fanciful: Tale About a Foolish Mouse and instructive: How a Plane Made a Plane. Raduga ("The Rainbow"), a renowned Soviet publishing house published most of them. Founded in 1922 by Lev Kliachko, it was shut down by the government in 1930."

The demise of Raduga coincided with the state's push toward social realism, which forced Lebedev toward a more naturalistic style. By then, however, his reputation was already made. Nowadays, he is still classified as one of the most important Russian and Soviet children's book illustrators. His collaboration with Marshak is also considered among the most innovative in the history of children's literature.