Vasilisa Prekrasnai︠a︡ Pl.08
1902
Ivan Bilibin brings the Russian fairy tale 'Vasilisa the Beautiful' to life with his signature style—bold black outlines, flat colors, and intricate folk patterns that define Russian Art Nouveau. In this scene, the heroine Vasilisa bows respectfully before the Tsar, who is dressed in elaborate, patterned robes and looks ready to fall madly in love. The text below, written in pre-reform Russian script, narrates the happy ending where the Tsar marries her and she keeps her magical doll in her pocket forever. Bilibin's work was so influential that his unique visual language became the standard for how Russians imagined their own fairy tales for generations.
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