Ilya Bogdesko
1923—2010
St.Petersburg, Russia
Calligrapher-artist, People’s artist of the USSR, professor
Cognitive Calligraphy
Illustrating classic books is an unusual, complicated, and important part of graphic art. The artist designing the books of famous writers, whose works are included in ′the golden literature repository of humankind′, must equal their writing with high calligraphic art. Such work requires not only high professional skills and rare imagination (try to picture famous personages who were known through their unique style, imitating no-one!) but also commands the strength of mind that can let one see the timelessness of his art and feel the "trembling eternity" on the pen′s nib.
Amat victoria curam (Victory favors those who take pains)
Paper, ink, pen, 2003-2004
Sapere aude (Dare to be wise)
Paper, ink, 30x21 cm, 2002
Dimidium facti, qui coepit facit (He who has begun has the work half done)
Paper, ink, 24x26 cm, 2002
Laboremus (Let us work)
Paper, ink, 17,5x10 cm, 2002
Rustika
Paper, ink, pen, 25x20 cm, 2003–2004
Calligraphy on black
Paper, ink, broad-nib pen, 21х29 cm, before 2004
Slavic paper
Paper, ink, pen, 30x17 cm, 2001
Two initial BC
Paper, ink, broad-nib pin, 21х29 cm, before 2004
Non scholae sed vitae discimus (We learn, not for school, but for life)
Paper, ink, broad-nib pen, 29x21cm, before 2004
Calligraphy torshon
Paper, ink, broad-nib pen, 29x21 cm, before 2004
Calligraphy
Black paper, white ink, 28x23 cm, 2001
Calligraphy
Сursive writing, broad-nib pens, ink, 39x29 cm
Calligraphy (book)
AGAT Publishers St. Petersburg, 21x28 cm, 2006
Amazing uncial
Paper, ink, 42x31cm, 2008
Headpiece
Etching, 28x39 cm, 1991
“The Purse a'Tuppence” (book)
Literature Artistique Publishers, Chișinău, 50000 copies, 15x23 cm, 1977
Sheet “Meşterul Manole”
Title page, broad-nib pens, Italics, 27x37 cm
Sheet “Н”
Calligraphic monogram, Chinese ink, broad-nib metal pen, 15x19 cm
Sheet “But Don Quixote only regarded it…”
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pens, 28x39 cm
Sheet 5
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pens, 24x34 cm
Sheet 56
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pens, 25x35 cm
Page spread of the “Don Quixote” book (“In the second part of this story...”)
Picture – etching, text – Italics, broad-nib metal pen, 59x36 cm
Page spread of the “Don Quixote” book (“They lifted Don Quixote from the ground and...”)
Picture – etching, text – Italics, broad-nib metal pen, 50x36 cm
Page spread of the “The Praise of Folly” book (“Much less obliged to...”)
Picture – etching, text – broad-nib pen, black ink, red gouache, type – humanistic Italics, 36x31 cm
Page spread of the “The Praise of Folly” book (“Others looking in the coffin...”)
Picture – etching, text – broad-nib pen, black ink, red gouache, author’s stylized Gothic, 31x26 cm
Page spread of the “The Praise of Folly” book (“But the most foolish and wicked are…”)
Picture – etching, text – broad-nib pen, black ink, red gouache, type – humanistic Italics, 32x28 cm
Page spread of the “The Praise of Folly” book (cover)
Picture – etching, text – broad-nib pen, black ink, red gouache, author’s interpretation of Gothic script, 32x28 cm
Pages from “The Purse a'Tuppence” (“Once there was an old woman and an old man”)
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pen, author’s interpretation of Half-uncial Cyrillic book hand, pen drawing, 34x27 cm
Pages from “The Purse a'Tuppence”
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pen, author’s interpretation of Half-uncial Cyrillic book hand, 35x27 cm
Pages from “The Purse a'Tuppence” (“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”)
Black ink, red gouache, broad-nib pen, author’s interpretation of Half-uncial Cyrillic book hand and Cursive handwriting, nib drawing, 34x28 cm
Literature
Font composition, broad-nib and sharp-pointed nib pens, 30x23 cm
Meşterul Manole (book)
PH Literature Artistique, Kishinev, 21x29 cm, 1986
Michelangelo
Black paper, white gouache, broad-nib pens, words “…and shall rise against evil, overcoming all doubt and pain ”, 31x17 cm
Sketch. Easel graphics. Monumental art
Black paper, white gouache, broad-nib pens, ready for print (ink finishing), 29x34 cm
Yny-i moldovian
Photocopy. Original: broad-nib and sharp-pointed nib pens, composition of Old Russian fonts, words in Moldavian, 19x26 cm
Font
Cursive handwriting, broad-nib pens, ink, ready for print (white gouache finishing), 31x22 cm
Font composition
Broad-nib pens, black paper, white gouache, ready for print (black ink and white gouache finishing), offset process, 39x27 cm, 1984
Font composition 2
Broad-nib pens, black paper, white gouache, ready for printing (finishing in black ink and white gouache), 28,5x40,2 cm, 1983
Fonts
Composition of old Russian fonts, ink, broad-nib pens, 29x43 cm, 1984
