The Imagery of M.V. Dobuzhinsky’s Illustrations to Yu.K. Olesha’s The Three Fat Men

Abstract

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky’s illustrations to the tale by Yury Olesha The Three Fat Men have not received a convincing interpretation. It is suggested to read these illustrations as a special work with the social imaginary that expands the participation of the fairy tale’s characters in revolutionary events through a special gaze technique. Two types of imagination are distinguished: the narrative imagination, implying the acceptance of the structure of an event, and the eccentric imagination, in which the event requires immediate action. This distinction is rooted in the practices of political rhetoric and was internalized by Olesha himself from his experience with European prints and decals. The magic of decals is essential to the plot of his fairy tale, but even more so to Dobuzhinsky’s pictorial program. Dobuzhinsky uses unusual avantgarde angles, framing, the view from the protagonist’s perspective and the meeting of views, drawing, among other things, on images of knowledge in European utopias. Referring to the philosophical concepts of the gaze, it is possible to reconstruct the system of empathy, sympathy for the characters and their eccentric actions, which Dobuzhinsky’s illustrations are meant to evoke. When reading Olesha’s tale, we follow the twists and turns of the narrative; when looking at the illustrations, we realize how each character contributes to the unusual development of events and how the meeting of gazes can establish a new social order. Dobuzhinsky does not simply interpret Olesha’s tale, but plays it out, engaging readers in an interactive game.

Keywords

• m.v. dobuzhinsky
• yu.k. olesha
• children’s book
• book illustration
• anthropomorphism
• abundance
• circus
• eccentricity
• graphics
• social imaginary