"The Song of Solomon". Illustrations by Sergey Barkhin
Publisher: Twins (Bliznetsy)
Publish date: 2019
Language: Russian, English and Hebrew
Hardcover: 62 pages, 22 color illustrations
Dimensions: 50x35 cm
Edition: 22 copies
The book by Sergey Barkhin, a well-known theater artist, architect, book artist, author of many performances on various stages, who belongs to the generation that transformed the image of modern theater.
Sergey Barkhin searches for correlations to his ideas, memories, and imagination in literature. He introduced an element of game characteristic of the commedia dell’arte into the interpretation of the image of the loving King Solomon and his chosen one. Colourful metaphorical descriptions, grandiose comparisons in the “Song of Solomon” lead the artist to a realistic depiction of all these splendors, however, artistic abundance is often replaced with almost formulaic drawing, if you like, a quasi-pictogram. Naive symbolism, “childish” language became the key.