Children’s book illustrator Gennady Spirin sprinkles the classics with the magic of long ago and far away.
By: Ilene Dube
Some people don’t like it when their birthdays fall close to a major holiday they may not want to share the limelight, or have gift-givers double-up. Gennady Spirin is the exception. Born on Christmas Day, he revels in the world- wide celebration of his birthday.
Fellow Russian-born illustrator Andre Dugan phones Mr. Spirin every year on Dec. 25 from Germany, where it is six hours earlier. "They’re already celebrating your birthday over here," he says with good cheer.
"The birth of every person is important," says Mr. Spirin, with translation help from Tatiana Popova, "but it’s very nice to have it on a big holiday. A lot of people celebrating and glorifying my birthday makes me happy."
There are many similarities between the Russian-born illustrator and Santa Claus. Both have full white beards, eyes that twinkle, cheeks that are merry and generous spirits. Mr. Spirin believes in miracles and can make magic with the stroke of his brush. And, like Father Christmas, he does his best work in the wee hours.
Of the 40 books he has illustrated, at least four revolve around the Christmas theme: The Nutcracker (Stewart Tabori & Chang, 1996), Joy to the World (Atheneum Books for New Readers, 2000), The Christmas Story (Henry Holt & Co., 1998) and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (to be published in 2006 by Stewart Tabori & Chang). Several years ago, he illustrated the poster for McCarter Theatre’s A Christmas Carol.
Santa is pictured on the cover of the invitation to Mr. Spirin’s show at The Artful Deposit Gallery in Bordentown, wearing his red elf cap and big red boots with buckles. Toys are tumbling from his lap as he sits in a wing chair, sack at his side. The show includes originals from 12 of Mr. Spirin’s books along with limited-edition prints and books, and runs through Jan. 3, with a chance to meet the artist Dec. 17.
Five of Mr. Spirin’s books have received Gold Medal awards from the Society of Illustrators in New York City, and four books have received the Best Illustrated Book of the Year award from The New York Times.
His is certainly a fairytale world, with quaint villages tucked into snow-covered mountains, Russian-inspired architecture with glittering gilded onion domes, czarinas in jewels and princes in fine frocks, angels with magnificently feathered wings "…capturing all the magic and mystery of the long ago and far away…" (School Library Journal).
Intricate borders twine around images that "stretch across the page like tapestries… twinkle and glow as if dusted with gold leaf" (Publishers Weekly).
One pictures this wizard living in a castle turret, but in fact he lives in a suburban colonial house in Princeton. It’s inside where the enchantment begins. In the living room, a table is set with blue-and-white porcelain teacups and teapot, and cobalt blue plates are filled with confections like something out of "Land of the Sweets."
The living room walls are dotted with gilt-framed paintings the artist made in Russia as illustrations for miniature books by Jaroslav Hasek, the Czech humorist whose stories are often compared to O. Henry’s.
Opposite the living room, behind French doors, is his studio. With a wood desk and bookshelves, it is much more orderly than other artists’ studios where are the cans of turpentine? Where are the buckets of brushes, the paint-splattered palettes? Mr. Spirin works mostly in watercolor, which may account for some of the neatness. When we arrive, he is vacuuming. "I like to vacuum," he admits.
On an easel is a canvas he has just begun. The horses are painted in oil. Mr. Spirin says he often paints in oil for commission work. On a small brass easel on his desk is a book, Spirit of the Horse, he uses for reference. Dozens of neatly cut bookmarks poke out of pages.
The illustrations for his next book will be egg tempera on board, using the classical techniques of icon painting he learned at the Surikov School of Fine Art at the Academy of Arts in Moscow and Moscow Stroganov Institute of Art. The story is about Percival, one of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, and Mr. Spirin considers egg tempera an appropriate medium.
In contrast to this classicism, a corner of the studio is filled with soccer balls and soccer shoes, what Mr. Spirin terms his soccer museum. "The kids outgrow them," he says, holding up a pair of cleats, "so we need to give them away."
Mr. Spirin’s first two sons Ilya, 29, an artist, and Gennady Jr., 21, a student at Rutgers were born in Russia. Andrei, a 7th-grader at Princeton Charter School, was born in the U.S., and Mr. Spirin coaches his soccer team.
Princeton resident Ann Beneduce, a children’s author and publisher, helped to bring Mr. Spirin and his wife, Raya, to this country in 1991, with help from Dial and Philomel publishers.
"The story is simple," says Mr. Spirin, with the air of a tale spinner. "The Russian publisher (for whom he illustrated children’s books) sent a letter saying they cancelled my contract. I don’t understand the reason and no one could explain it, not even my editor. It was a terrible situation, so I went to church and prayed. Three days later, I got a call from a German publisher who wanted to meet me. It was a miracle."
The miracle continued when he got a contract from a London publisher to illustrate Rumpelstiltskin, which led to the connection with Ms. Beneduce.
Born in 1948 in Orekhove-Zuyevo, a small town near Moscow, Mr. Spirin lived in Moscow long enough to know he didn’t like big cities, and so chose to live in Princeton rather than New York City.
"He has an impression he is living his second life, his Russian life was another life," says Russian-born Ms. Popova, who ran the Firebird Gallery in Princeton, exclusively dedicated to Mr. Spirin’s work, from 1998 to 2001.
Since coming here, Mr. Spirin has never returned to his homeland. "God doesn’t let me go back," he says.
Though Mr. Spirin’s parents are separated, they both still live in Russia, and his father sometimes sends photographs of Orekhove-Zuyevo, which hasn’t changed much in 50 years. When Gennady Jr. saw the town, he remarked, "Dad, you were born in a ghetto."
"There is a direct correlation between the way I depict the world and the beauty seen in my childhood," he says. "After World War II, there was not much joy in this town." So in order to see joy and beauty, young Gennady had to make it up and developed a rich visual world in his imagination. He says it was a happy childhood.
"My grandmother brought me to an art studio, where I was lucky to be accepted at such a young age," he says. "The people working there were the most talented and creative. They were not professionals, but they were lovers of art and painting. I was like a son to these people, who were kind and encouraged me."
Many of the stories Mr. Spirin illustrates are Russian fairytales. Even the book by Madonna (yes, the pop star) he illustrated, Yakov and the Seven Thieves (Callaway, 2004), takes place in Russia. It is about a father who wants to make his sickly son well again, and the miracle that makes that happen. Madonna writes that the story was inspired by the Baal Shem Tov.
But making miracles with Madonna wasn’t easy. "She wanted to control every step," he says. With most book publishers, he sends the entire set of illustrations at once, but Madonna had to see each illustration as it was completed.
"Madonna was surprised when she learned that he never does preliminary sketches," says Ms. Popova. "She wanted to be actively involved as the art director."
Still, Madonna was pleased, because she bought the original illustrations from the book and then commissioned him to paint her portrait. In it she is riding on a horse, surrounded by a village and villagers.
Mr. Spirin says some of his best ideas come to him when he’s driving Andrei to soccer. "I think I’m taking a rest, switching focus from work, and all of a sudden a detail or an idea or something in nature triggers the imagination," he says.
One might imagine Gennady Spirin’s dreams as visually rich fantasies, but he says in dreams it’s more of a struggle, the quest of drawing. Different forces control the imagination when he’s awake, he says.
He likes to work late at night, when the children are asleep just like Santa. "That’s when all the pieces come together. When we step over midnight, concentration comes stronger."
Gennady Spirin’s original illustrations from children’s books and limited edition prints, including a portrait of Madonna, will be on view at The Artful Deposit Gallery, 201 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown, through Jan. 3. Mr. Spirin will sign copies of his books Dec. 17, 1-4 p.m. For information, call (609) 298-6970.

