NARBUT Georgy (Egor) Ivanovich

February 25, 1886 (Narbutovka, Chernigov province) — May 23, 1920 (Kiev)

Graphic artist

Georgy Narbut was born to noble family; his father worked as an employee, his brother was a poet Vladimir Narbut. Narbut studied at the Glukhov gymnasium in 1896–1906. In 1906 Narbut moved to St. Petersburg. He attended St. Petersburg University, studied at the faculty of Oriental languages, later — at the faculty of philology. He did not get systematic art education. Narbut studied drawing by his own; he organized drawing evenings for artists-amateurs under the University. In the mid of the 1900s Narbut attended the Elizaveta Zvantseva School of Painting and Drawing in St. Petersburg, and studied under the guidance of L. S. Bakst, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, and K. A. Somov. Narbut often followed I. Y. Bilibin’s advices in art; the young artist rented a room from him. In 1909 Narbut moved to Munich and continued his education at the School of Simon Hollósy.

Narbut lived in St. Petersburg (Petrograd), since 1917 — in Kiev. Narbut worked in easel, book and magazine graphic art; he also created ex-libris. The artist worked for the publishing houses Shipovnik (“Dog-Rose”), the Community of St. Eugene, the publishing houses of M. O. Wolf, I. N. Knebel, R. Golike and A. Wilborg. Narbut drew illustrations for children’s books How the Mice Buried the Cat by V. A. Zhukovsky, Dance, Matvey, do not regret bast shoes (1910), Toys (1911), Fables by I. A. Krylov (1910, 1911), The Nightingale by H. C. Andersen (1912) and others. Narbut also designed the collected works Russian Icon (1913–1914), Galicia in Old Times. Essays about History of Architecture of the 12th — 17th Centuries (1915), Old Estates of Kharkov Province (1917), The Ukrainian Alphabet (1917). The artist worked for the magazines Apollon (“Apollo”), Gerboved (“The Heraldry Master”) in 1913–1915, the magazine Lukomorye (“Curved Seashore”) in 1914–1916. In 1919–1920 Narbut designed the magazines Mistetstvo (“Art”), Solntse Truda (“The Sun of Labour”), Zori (“Dawns”), Narodnoye Khozyaistvo Ukrainy (“National Economy of Ukraine”).

Since 1915 Narbut worked at the Department of Heraldry. He took part in creation of the Armorial of Little Russia (1913). Narbut was called up for military service; he served under the Red Cross. He created lubok pictures (lubok is Russian popular print) on military themes.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the artist became a member of the Special Conference on the Arts under the Russian Provisional Government.

Narbut taught at the Ukrainian Academy of Arts since 1917, was a professor, since 1918 — rector of the Academy. He headed the Ukrainian Expedition for procurement of state papers (1918–1919); he was also engaged in design of currency symbols, seals and postage stamps. Narbut created design of military uniform for the Ukrainian army; he also designed labels, packings, cards and manufactured products.

After the Soviet power established in the Ukraine, Narbut became a member of the board of the Artists Trade Union. The artist took part in the Commission for the establishment of the Second State Museum. The artist briefly headed the Department of Plastic arts of the National commissariat of art and national culture; since 1919 he headed section of industrial art under the Department of Arts of Narkompros (National commissariat of education).

Since 1909 Narbut took part in exhibitions of art (the 6th exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists). He was a member and participant of the exhibitions of the society Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”), since 1916 — member of the Committee of the society. In 1920 Narbut exhibited his works at the First Kozmodemyansk exhibition of paintings, sketches and drawings. The artist’s works were also exhibited at the Exhibition of Original Drawings of Petrograd Bookplates in 1923 in Petrograd, the exhibition Russian Ex-libris in 1923 in Kazan, the exhibition of Russian art in 1928 in Brussels, the exhibition of the Ukrainian book graphic art in 1929 in Kharkov, the exhibition of modern Ukrainian graphic art in 1932 in Lvov and many others. In 1926 the posthumous exhibition of the artist was held in Kiev.

Georgy Narbut is an outstanding master of graphic art of the first quarter of the 20th century, the follower of art nouveau style. In 1900s the artist was under the influence of works by Ivan Bilibin. Narbut created his own recognisable style, which was characterized by high class of outline pen drawing, sometimes with watercolour, by expressive silhouette, by decorativeness and variety of styles. The artist was inspired by the Russian folk art, lubok (Russian popular print), the Empire style, the Ukrainian Baroque, and Chinoiserie style; he also used in his artworks the ornament and heraldry of the old Ukrainian etching.

Works by Georgy Narbut are in many museum collections in Russia, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and others.