Shulgina Lidia Mikhailovna

Works are held in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the collection of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the State Literary Museum in Moscow, and private collections in Russia.

1989 Solo exhibition. WSOY Publishing House. Helsinki;
1990 II Biennale of Children's Illustration. Venice, Italy;
1990 Forest of Wonders. Moscow - Paris;
1990 Solo exhibition. Moscow;
1991 Solo exhibition. Leonardo Gallery. Tampere, Finland;
1992 Solo exhibition. Yaroslavl State Museum, Russia.

I was born into a family where the reverence for books prevailed, something I absorbed from early childhood. I studied simultaneously at art and mathematics schools. After some doubts and fears (mostly from my parents), I chose art. The Moscow Polygraphic Institute allowed me to combine these two passions: drawing and books. There were also wonderful traditions of painting at the institute, perhaps why I still do easel painting. The subjects of my paintings are based, again, on books, or more precisely, on the Book of Books - the Bible.

I especially love working with children's books. I always select texts that offer the greatest room for improvisation. I need to feel myself a full-fledged co-author when working with a text, and to create a parallel fairytale dimension in my illustrations. This is the most interesting and challenging part. Over the years, more than 30 books have been published with my illustrations. These are books by S. Kozlov, B. Zakhoder, I. Pivovarova, S. Rassadin, G. Bill, Russian folk tales, as well as works by A.A. Milne and L. Carroll.

I cooperate with the following publishers: 'Children's Literature' (Moscow), 'Malysh' (Moscow), 'Raduga' (Moscow), and others, as well as WSOY (Helsinki), Harper and Row (USA), Albatros (Prague), Wspolpraca (Warsaw), Keisei-sha (Japan), and others.

Currently, I am working on a series of books for very young children with my own texts.

In painting, I am always seeking a way to create works more attuned to the biblical style and era. Earlier, these were banner-like canvases, now - hollowed wood pieces. I interpret biblical themes quite freely, as I constantly live with the sense that our lives are a continuation of the Bible, and within the Bible, one can find prophecy about every day of our existence.

Magazine 'Decorative Art', No.11, 1991.