The lecture is dedicated to how artists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries sought a new Russian style by turning to fairy tales, myths, and images from the folk past. From the very beginning, Russian modernism looked closely at history and folklore. The focus of the lecture is on the works of Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Bilibin, and Elena Polenova, artists who were at the origins of the movement and reinterpreted traditional plots in a new way. They were interested not in literal quotations from the past, but in creating a modern artistic language based on fairy-tale motifs, ornaments, and mythological images. The lecture will discuss how the fairy tale became a means for modernism to talk about beauty and the transformation of the world. Listeners will learn how artists transferred these ideas into architecture, interiors, book graphics, costumes, and everyday objects, contrasting the poetics and expressiveness of form with utilitarian everyday life. You can register here. Find other events in St. Petersburg on KUDAGO.