교육을 위한 예술-폴란드 어린이 일러스트레이션의 역사

Art for Education - History of Polish Children's Illustration

유럽의 어린이 책 역사를 공유하고 있던 폴란드는, 철의 장막 시절 사회주의 체제 아래에서 눈부신 어린이 책 출판의 질적, 양적 성장기를 맞았다. 어린이 책과 그 일러스트레이션은 폴란드에서 예술가들의 자유로운 실험의 장이었으며, 어린이 책 출판의 가장 큰 목적은 상업적인 이익이 아니라, 전문가 집단의 지도와 노력을 통해 어린이들을 위해 가장 싸고 질 좋은 책을 공급하는 것이었다. 이 시대의 바탕이 되었던 폴란드 어린이 책의 역사와, 이러한 작업에 매진했던 예술가들, 그들에게 영향을 끼쳤던 사조들에 대해 전반적으로 알아보기로 한다.

Polish illustration for children became known first of all thanks to its marked sucess of sixties and seventies in various international art exhibitions and book fairs. To understand that phenomenon, one needs to know the graphic history and artistic tradition of Poland as well as the political situation of the time. In the last century, children's books became the most profitable enterprise of many publishing houses, and the researches and studies in children's book and its illustrations became more commonplace. Yet, the history of the remarkable experiment in children's book publishing in those socialist countries was almost unknown to the academic world of the former 'west'. The creators of Polish children's book at that time were called 'Polish School'. It was an artistic movement backed by a long history of book art in the region. The wonderful illuminated manuscripts through history and, more recently, the 'Book Beautiful' movement of the fin de siecle undoubtedly influenced the late book art of the Polish school, then the development of Polish book art accelerated in the short period between the two world wars, influenced by Russian constructivists artists, who in their own country pioneered wonderful renovating children's picture books. The flow of the influence did not end in Poland, in return the Polish artists again influenced French and British children's picture books by the sheer forms as well as their artistic activities abroad. After the war, the world of children's book underwent a radical modification. The nationalization of the publishing industry was carried out in every socialist country, including Poland. For the next half century the state was the one and only editor, publisher, and patron of children's literature in those coutries. Imposing a hierarchial, uniform structure as an important part of cultural politics was fully emphasized in various socialist regimes. Ever dependent on economic factors, children's literature in socialist countries started to evolve along a separate path. The children's book publishing itself became more than active, constituting a considerable part of the printing industry. Many young and talented artists showed interest in children's book illustration in this time, At Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts, the department of children's book illustration with the poster department flourished. The Art Academy worked closely with the important children's publishing houses such as Nasza Ksiegarnia (Our Bookshop), Czytelnik (Reader), and Ruch (Movement), and editors paid regular visits to young students' exhibitions in the hope of finding new talent. Many magnificent works were birthed in his period, inspired not only by illustrators but also by editors. These works were brought forth by the combination of individual talent and state patronage, which could shield children's literature from the rigors of commercialization, making the Polish Children's Book Illustration a complex, collective phenomenon. The achievement of Polish School was more sociological than artistic. In the planned economy of socialist production, no competition was need. Children's illustration and children's book had never been preyed upon the harsh economic reality of commercialism. The documentation and research on this experience makes us think anew about children's book making and its social and political factors in broader horizon.