On September 19, it was reported that 91-year-old German Mazurin, professor, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts, passed away Russian Academy of Arts.
Mazurin designed books and worked on both children’s and adult literature, both Western and vernacular. The artist made illustrations for classical works, folk tales and books of modern authors. He worked in various graphic techniques: watercolor, lithography, etching, as well as in the Guohua technique of traditional Chinese painting.
For 50 years, Mazurin taught at the book workshop of the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after VI Surikov at the Russian Academy of Arts. He designed more than 300 books, collaborating with Russian and foreign publishing houses for nearly 70 years. Mazurin’s works are exhibited in museums and galleries in Russia and abroad. The illustrations in the book “Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn” are exhibited in the Mark Twain Museum in the USA, and some drawings are exhibited in Austria, Germany, France and China.
The Russian Academy of Arts expressed its condolences to Mazurin’s family, friends and colleagues.
Information about the death of the artist was confirmed by his daughter Anna Gorbashova. RIA News.
fell from his own height
According to this ShotOn July 23, Mazurin fell from his own height while doing household chores in his apartment on Malaya Dmitrovka. He hit his head hard during the fall. Arriving doctors took the artist to Pirogov hospital. There he was diagnosed with open head trauma and severe concussion. Doctors made the necessary intervention, but Mazurin could not be saved.
“I draw and explain”
During transmission “A man with a capital letter” Mazurin said he has been painting since he was a child.
“As far back as I can remember, I was doing a lot of drawing. Well, with a pen and pencil. “There was no paint, paper or pencil at home at that time because my childhood was during the war years,” the artist shared.
According to him, he was in the second grade when the Great Patriotic War began. At this time, the family lived in Penza. His father was taken to the front, but his father’s trunk remained at home. In it Mazurin found “The Quiet Don”, which became the first book he read.
The future artist did not like that the work was printed without illustrations. He ripped sheets of paper from the notebooks, illustrated the plot of the novel, and then pasted them into the book.
“I liked telling it. Drawing with pencil also allowed me to describe some events. “I draw these events on paper and participate with the author and tell them,” Mazurin said.
The talent was passed down to him from his father. Alexey Mazurin was also an artist, but he was self-taught. Having learned about his son’s work, he went to Moscow and brought him oil paintings. Mazurin liked the gift and immediately painted a portrait of Stalin.
After school, Mazurin was accepted into an art school without exams, after which he decided to move to Moscow and enroll in the animation department of VGIK. However, no hiring was made that year. Later, Mazurin went to the Surikov Institute and stayed there.
In the third year, during a study assignment, the artist drew Uncle Styopa. Seeing the drawings, his teacher immediately contacted Sergei Mikhalkov.
“Sergei Vladimirovich looked at the drawings, liked it and signed it. They were printed and the book came out. It was printed in large numbers and they even paid me some money. This was a great honor for me,” Mazurin said.
Then he started taking orders. “Where Does the Hero Live?” and “Vovka is a good soul” by Agnia Barto.
Mazurin chose the book “Old Hottabych” for his thesis. As a result, these drawings were published along with the work.
“I draw what I know”
Mazurin preferred not to invent heroes, but to find them in real life:
“When I pick up a draft and read it, I actually see it in my mind. When I read the text, I immediately remember it, it’s in my album. As for the provincial city, it will be Penza, it will be Vyshny Volochek, it will be Ryazan. Been there and scratched everywhere.
His daughter became the prototype of many characters. His friends and acquaintances also appeared on the pages of the book. Thus, Anna’s teacher and the children in her group became the prototypes of “Grandma Dina”.
One day, Mazurin saw a lost dog on the street. It was he who appeared on the pages of Kashtanka. In the story, a dog who lost his owner becomes attached to a clown who teaches him tricks to perform in the circus. During the show, he recognizes his former owners and returns to them. Mazurin believed that the dog he found resembled Kashtanka. He kept it to himself and portrayed himself as a clown.
“If I draw a cow, then I am a cow. I’m drawing a barn and it’s also a self-portrait. So, in one way or another, all my heroes have my characteristics,” Mazurin said in a conversation with the portal. “Literary News”.
Source: Gazeta
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.