E-mail: irinami2@mail.ru
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1, Sadovnicheskaya str., Moscow, 117997, Russian Federation
PhD in Cultural Studies, Associate Professor, Institute of Humanitarian Education and Culture, Kosygin Russian State University (Technologies. Design. Art)
This article analyzes Hermann Vogel’s illustrations to the Brothers Grimm’s collection “Children’s and Household Tales.” It concludes that the decorative richness of the book, published by Braun and Schneider in 1894, essentially matches the Art Nouveau style (Jugendstil), while the pattern of illustrations and capital letters reveals an evident connection to the Gothic book style. However, the Biedermeier aesthetic, which is not perceived as outdated by the artist or readers, remains the key component of Vogel’s “German style.” Vogel’s illustrations for the fairy tales “Hansel and Gretel” and “Cinderella” are comparable to Ludwig Richter’s compositions for Ludwig Bechstein’s 1854 collection of fairy tales. In Richter’s illustrations, Biedermeier features are intertwined with Romanticism, while Vogel balances the high detail characteristic of the realistic art of the second half of the nineteenth century with the elegant graphic style of the Jugendstil.. He interprets the plot thoughtfully and wittily, introduces additional characters in the opening and closing scenes, and shades the sentimentality and moralising of the Biedermeier style with humour. The Biedermeier, Gothic style, and some Art Nouveau techniques are the key components of Vogel’s “German style,” which resonates with the Brothers Grimm’s dream of preserving old legends and making folk tales “children’s and family” reading for the contemporary urban population. The enduring interest in Vogel’s images, including on the part of domestic publishers, seems quite natural, while the scholarly attention to his contribution to the history of European illustration so far remains insufficient.
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Mischacheva I. V. Illustrations to the Brothers Grimm’s “Children’s and Household Tales” (Braun and Schneider, 1894): Hermann Vogel’s “German style.” Traditional Culture. 2026. Vol. 27. No. 2. Pp.11–27. In Russian.