From February 25 to March 25, 2015 in the framework of the project "Traugotovskie readings" Museum of Nabokov at St. Petersburg State University invites to the exhibition of the famous Russian artist Alexander Azemsha (1950 – 2014). The exhibition dedicated to the memory of a remarkable artist and is intended to show to a wide audience his great and extraordinary work in the field of a picture book.
Alexander Azemsha (b. in Leningrad). In 1975 he graduated from the Faculty of Graphics of Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin (class by G. Yepifanov).
He actively worked with the magazines "Neva", "Sparkle", "Pioneer". In 1978 – 1989 years the main artist of youth magazine "Bonfire."
Engaged in easel and book graphics, painting on wood and metlahskaya tile .
Since 1967 he regularly participated in All-Union, Russian and international exhibitions, including Germany, Canada, Estonia.
His works are kept in many museum and private collections in Russia, Australia, UK, USA, France and other countries.
In 1977, in the publishing house "Children's Literature" published the first separate book with illustrations by the artist, "I will fight: stories about Friedrich Engels'' H. Talke.
Since 1978 Member of the Union of Artists. At the same time was published a book of the Brothers Grimm "The Bremen Town Musicians" (ed. "Children's Literature") with his illustrations (noted as one of the best in the catalogue for the 200th anniversary of the Brothers Grimm, Berlin).
Alexander Azemsha designed and illustrated more than 100 books, many of which were awarded with diplomas of different degrees on the Russian and international contests of book art. Much of his work in books was addressed to children, which certainly describes the artist as a sensitive and considerate master, has not only artistic intuition, but also a living movable mind. In his drawings he put the soul, meticulously adjusting the graphic to perfection in terms of technology and in terms of intellectual conception.
Among the most famous books illustrated by A. Azemsha are: "The Scarlet Flower: Tale of the clavicle Pelagia'', S. Aksakov, "Copper Mountain hostess'', P. Bazhov, "Friends – comrades", Marshak, "The Little Hunter Tagikak. Eskimo Folk Tales "," What color are crafts '', J. Rodari,"On the lunar path '',B. Kolesov, Poems for children, and" Who? "by C. Black," What I saw at the Hermitage '' by O. Tarutino, "Forest alphabet" by M. Trofimov, "The Science of Winning'' by Suvorov, Works by Kuzma Prutkov and many others.
Meanwhile, is also well-known his work in "adult" illustration. These are well remembered, effective, intelligent, witty and ironic illustrations.
One of his last, not fully realized works became Onomasticon by the product of Nikolai Gogol "Dead Souls". The artist managed to do a little more than 40 characters from more than 200 supposed.
