A common influence... maybe: Ivan Bilibin

Decided that it would be a good idea to continue this and make it one of the newer series on the blog, not only to do a quick look at perhaps a not so well known artist but also to call attention to some wonderful art created by members of the deviantART community. I might broaden it to other art communities in the future but well, everything needs a starting point and in all honesty there is a lot of great folks on dA. This time around I decided to tread on a touchy subject and investigate the possible influence by Ivan Bilibin.

"Firebird" by Ivan Bilibin

Those who are familiar with fairy tale books from Eastern Europe are probably familiar with with this artist's work but not many may know who he is. An illustrator during the early 1900s, Ivan Bilibin (1876-1942) is best known for his pieces focusing on Russian fairy tales. Though he was focused on the influences of wooden architecture and Russian folklore, he was also influenced by traditional Japanese prints which was heavily popular in Europe between the 1830s to early 1920s. His works reflects the Art Nouveau style with the intricate details and patterns he favored balanced with the bold outlines of the various subjects in the illustrations.

This time around while looking around for art which might or might not be influenced by Mr. Bilibin, I had to keep in mind that due to the fact that most of the artists either have jobs outside of art or don't have the opportunity to be online on as regular basis as me so would probably not be able to get back to me until a later time (if at all considering the fact that there is a language barrier in many cases). So I posed the question to 5 different artists:

“Out of curiosity, I was wondering if illustrator Ivan Bilibin was one of your influences for your art.”

SnowSkadi.deviantart.com (Russia)

"The Queen of the Night" by SnowSkadi

An anonymous digital artist out of Russia, Skadi uses a soft pallet while portraying fanciful environments. Even their technical concepts for characters and cities have a whimsical quality to them and a talented use of the common color pallet causing even the darkest of subject matters seem to have their own mysterious glow. I came across their gallery my first year of being a member on dA and have constantly returned to their gallery to see what new pieces they would post. Their response to my question actually seemed to confirm the thought that I had when I commented to them.

“Hi, Dawn! I really like Bilibin's art, but I can't say that I'm directly inspired by it. Maybe subconsciously, though.” ~SnowSkadi

Kutty-Sark.deviantart.com (Ukraine)

"The Tempest. Prospero" by Kutty-Sark

A young lady from the Ukraine, Miss Kate does work in both watercolors and digital. Most of her work focuses on fantasy and anime influences, much being more popular subjects such as Kingdom Hearts, Durarara!!, and Black Rock Shooter. Even with this, I took a chance with asking her my question but her response actually didn't surprise me like it would someone else when they realize the true meaning behind it. (For those of you who may not understand what I mean, take in consideration that though the Ukraine and Russia do have similar roots in art styles but there is still quite a bit of tension between the two for various reasons).

“No, I don't like Russian style =) “ ~Kutty-Sark

"Plates Duet" by SoMK

somk.deviantart.com

Another of my friends who I turn to when I need advice on my own work, SoMK mainly focuses on hand crafted jewelry but does do illuminated illustrations. She actually has had some of her pieces included in the IMAX movie 'VIKINGS'. I stumbled across her gallery when she was doing her Cthulhu mythos inspired pieces and have been watching her ever since. Her response was the most amusing to me due to the fact that her enthusiasm seemed to leap out at me from the screen.

“ Influence, possibly... complete worship, totally XD I love him, William Morris and Arthur Aackam <3 “ ~SoMK

"Alice and the Gryphon" by Bluefooted

There was 2 other artists who have yet had a chance to respond to the question but if and when they do, I'll go ahead post their responses. While I wait, feel free to check out their work and decide for yourself if their work was influenced by Ivan Bilibin or not.

Bluefooted.deviantart.com (Florida, USA)

An artist based out of Florida, Miss Erin is both a traditional and digital artist who's illustrations focus on fairy tales and mythological along with the occasional dash of X-Men and Harry Potter fan art along with a look at real life. Full of color and movement, her work came to my attention a couple of years ago and is always enjoyable to look at. She hasn't been able to post anything fairly recently due to her busy schedule away from the computer so hasn't had a chance to get back to me as of yet.

"Garden of Delights" by Toonikun

Toonikun.deviantart.com (Malaysia)

An anonymous digital artist out of Malaysia, Toonikun gives each fan art and original art the same amount of focus on details to and balance of colors. I actually came across their gallery while going through someone else's favorites folder and decided to check out their work finding that all of their pieces were quite enjoyable. It would appear that they haven't been online in a bit so it might be a while before I hear any possible response to my question.