Alexandra Exter, 1884-1949

The first three decades of the twentieth century saw the proliferation of book illustration as an art form. In the case of Russian graphic arts, this had developed in the context of Soviet Art and the promotion of social and political ideas. Experimentation in the arts had been severely curtailed and those artists whose high art could not break through the strict ideological and aesthetic censorship looked to the realm of low art – book illustration and, in particular, illustration of children’s books - as a means of survival. The presence of a conformist narrative was able to camouflage the use of styles and devices considered taboo in high art.

In Western Europe, the art of book illustration grew as a deliberate rejection of academic conventions. Important literary figures of the time such as poet Paul Valéry (1871-1945) were nostalgic for the era of manuscripts as a more direct expression of the author’s personality. Book illustration allowed for a complete synthesis between text and illustration, the redefinition of painting as writing and vice versa.

This luxurious edition of the Quatrains embodies that search for the integral work of art in both form and content. Written in 1120 by Persian astronomer, mathematician and poet Omar Khayyam (1048-1123), the collection of 75 quatrains, also known as the Rubaiyat, advocates a philosophy particularly prevalent in pre-war Europe: man should seek enjoyment in life, yet be acutely aware of his ephemeral existence:
"Let us be happy, time is passing by. There is no return, when you go, you are gone".

By the 1930s, Exter had devoted herself almost entirely to commercial design for the stage. The Quatrains is a unique example of her talent as a mature graphic artist.