2025 № 2 (53)

UDC 7.036; 769.2; 791.43/.45

LBC 85.153(2)6; 85.373(2)6

DOI: 10.51678/2226-0072-2025-2-210-233

For cit.: Evdokimova O.A. Dramaturgy of Book and Screen Space by Boris Dekhterev and Grigory Kozintsev in William Shakespeare’s Tragedy Hamlet. Hudozhestvennaya kul’tura [Art & Culture Studies], 2025, no. 2, pp. 210–233. https://doi.org/10.51678/2226-0072-2025-2-210-233. (In Russian)

Evdokimova Olga A.

Master’s Degree Student, Department of Theory and History of Art, S.G. Stroganov Russian State University of Applied Art and Design, 9 Volokolamsk Highway, Moscow, 125080, Russia

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0543-3684

evdokimova.olga.a@yandex.ru

Dramaturgy of Book and Screen Space by Boris Dekhterev and Grigory Kozintsev in William Shakespeare’s Tragedy Hamlet

Abstract. The article examines the series of book illustrations created by B.A. Dekhterev for W. Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark in the early 1960s. This is an outstanding work by a mature master which reflects the creative credo of the artist and teacher. The author analyses the compositional solution and the master’s style in the context of contemporary art. The period in which the book was created was characterized by the increased interest in Shakespeare’s tragedy, which was hardly put on stage during Stalin’s time. The publication of the book coincided with the release of G.M. Kozintsev’s film Hamlet (1964) which had a great influence on the creative pursuits of the masters of Soviet art. With almost no appeal to colour, through black and white, the artist and the director were looking for a laconic and precise language for a conversation with their contemporaries. Thus, in different forms of art, the masters expressed the pulse of their time through the realization of the same masterpiece.

Parallels inevitably arise, since the two works existed in a single cultural space of the Thaw period. In different types of art — book graphics and cinema — a creative vector of searching for new interactions with the audience arose and manifested itself. A complex cultural field was being created in which the image of Hamlet was designated as a symbol of the era. The search for a new artistic language, the boldness of expression, and the accuracy of the created images help to identify the special rhythm of the tragedy and to align Shakespeare’s dramaturgy with modern life.

Keywords: Boris Alexandrovich Dekhterev, Grigory Mikhailovich Kozintsev, Soviet art, book graphics, illustration, Soviet cinematography, the Thaw, W. Shakespeare, Hamlet

With sincere appreciation, the author would like to express gratitude to her scientific supervisor PhD (in Art History), Associate Professor, Ekaterina Alexandrovna Lavrentieva for valuable advice and support in writing this article.

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Received 14.05.2024

Accepted 11.03.2025