Happy Halloween

by Franco Matticchio

Nikolai Tyrsa's life in motion

After Charushin and Lebedev, Animalarium presents another fine Russian children's book illustrator from the twenties. 

Nikolai Tyrsa (1887-1942) was a painter, graphic designer and lithographer whose artworks were characterized by dynamism

 and simple harmonies of color. He was also a brilliant intellectual, art expert, translator and polemicist.

Tyrsa explored many areas of book illustration and design, and created a new striking and decorative book cover style.

Sadly, he died during World War II.

Cover and illustration from Kozlik (The little goat), 1923

Cover and illustrations for Pro slona (About an elephant), 1926

Illustrations from Snezhnaya kniga (The snow book), 1928

Covers for Cort (The devil), Lesnye domishki (?), Otryad (The troop), 1929-30

Tyrsa's love of horses was related to his Cossak origins. He was the only artist able 

to discuss on the same level with Lebedev the minutest details of equine illustration.

Gratitude for the info to the Italian edition of Erast Davidovic Kuznecov's 

Children's book illustration and the Russian avant-garde. 

Isidro Ferrer's Objective Zoology

I really like the playful simplicity of Spanish graphic designer and illustrator Isidro Ferrer.

I strongly suggest a visit to see his fantastic work on Pablo Neruda's Libro de las preguntas.

Monday Matticchio – Slow reader

Sunday Safari - A literary meeting

Poster for Roubaix book fair by Beatrice Alemagna

I am so fond of Matticchio's literate octopus (or hexapus, as someone rightly noticed) 

that I've gathered a bunch of fellow readers, writers and intellectuals to keep him 

good company on this lovely Sunday afternoon:

three sweet mice by Natasha Fadeeva and Suzuki Tiaki

(thanks to Quinquabelle and Milk Tooth),

two poetic porcupines by Marc Boutavant (from his book For just one day) 

and Celestino Piatti (thanks to The apple and the egg and The art room plant),

an artistic cat created by Ondrej Zimka in 1979

an owl with her typewriter by Raymond Savignac

(thanks to ninobooks' great Olivetti flickr collection),

a promising writer, Denis the deer, presenting his first book

(from Gwénola Carrère's ABC des petits annonces, published in Italy by Topipittori),

a bookworm bug by Edward Bawden (thanks to Paja Troops 76 on flickr),

a quiet book-loving dog by Maira Kalman,

a few sheepish readers by André François,

the fierce literary critic fox, and the twin rooster writers by Henry Galeron,

and finally, a couple more intellectual roosters by Herbert Leupin (1955)

and Finnish graphic designer Tapani Aartomaa...