Georges Annenkov

(1889 - 1974)

2196

E. Zamyatin, M. Kuzmin, M. Babenchikov

Портреты

Portraits

Petrograd: Petropolis, 1922

340 x 242 mm. 172 pages

Edition: 900. Copy not numbered

Portraits, a monograph on Annenkov’s art was the third art publication of Petropolis and it was its largest book published up to that date. After three introductory essays, a survey of works by Annenkov appears, listed in chronological order. Throughout the book some 80 illustrations were positioned: some in full colour, many as full page portraits and many as smaller text illustrations. The book was designed by the artist himself. Most of the illustrations were portraits of contemporary authors, actors and artists. Through his illustrations of Blok’s The Twelve, Annenkov became famous as a graphic artist. According to Rannit, Annenkov’s portrait drawings can be divided in three groups. A first group of synthetic drawings, of which the portrait of Evreinov is a good example, a second group of tonal drawings, that have softly blended effects to enhance tone and shade and a third group of pure linear drawings. The dust jacket shows a different design and, for unknown reasons, the title in French. This design belongs to the expressionistic cubist style with its sharp and rhythmic movements, that Annenkov often used in his book cover designs.

References:

Sredi Kollektionerov 1923: III, pp. 39-40

Der Cicerone 1923: 5, p.236.

Vremennik, 1925: 1, p. 17

Gray 1962, ill. 226

Rannit, 1966, pp. 5-11

Leningrad 1977, no. 9

Lang 1990, p.140

Nürnberg 1991, p. 61

NYPL 1998, nr. 6

Leipzig 2000, p. 35

Petergof 2001, nr. 2