O książce ilustrowanej – rozważania i refleksje Bohdana Butenki

Abstrakt

On an Illustrated Book – Bohdan Butenko’s Deliberations and Reflections

A book affects the reader through its verbal and visual strata. Bohdan Butenko is one of the artists who always respect the unity of the text and picture. Himself a graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and a disciple of Marcin Szancer, a co-founder of the “Polish school of illustration”, he illustrated over 200 books mainly for children and teenagers, treating each of them as a separate artistic composition. Research of contemporary illustrators relies on interviews and reviews, which help to confront artists’ work with the opinions of the recipients of their creative ef-forts. Bohdan Butenko readily comments his work both in professional magazines and daily press. An essential element of his work is being in touch with the reader. The artist gives many valuable tips on illustrating books and their composition, emphasising the role of illustrator as a co-creator of a book, who enjoys an equal status with its author. The artist’s reflections are so much more valuable that books with a characteristic “Butenko pinxit” on the cover are always present on the publishing market and receive numerous awards.