Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature

1607-6192 2713-2226

IWL RAS

https://doi.org/10.22455/HORL.1607-6192-2026-25-683-696

Research Article

Articles

Forgotten Art: Old Russian Literature in Filmstrips

Kaplun

Marianna V.

old-rus@imli.ru

2026

25 683 696

2026

This article examines the problem of conveying the themes, images, and plots of literary monuments of Old Rus’ through photographic images on film. Old Russian literature, as reflected in the art of Soviet filmstrips, offers a fascinating example of the search for visual solutions to translate the poetics of literary text into the visual realm. Filmstrip artists often worked as illustrators for children’s literature, which assisted them in creating illustrations on Old Russian themes, which often depicted legendary and fairytale events: A Journey Beyond the Three Seas, The Tale of Igor’s Campaign, The Tale of Evpatiy Kolovrat, The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh. The poetics of Old Russian texts might appear simplified when transferred to a slide projector screen, but for illustrators conveying the epic events of bygone times, the artistic challenge involved finding expressive and pictorial means that would most clearly and vividly represent compositionally important episodes, demonstrating the necessary visual and textual balance.

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