There are books that are a cornerstone in children’s literature, and only experienced illustrators trained for marathon running should tackle them. One such book is Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio. Its 36 chapters contain numerous adventures that take place in different environments – from Geppetto’s workshop, through Mangiafuoco’s puppet theater, to the throat of the whale, and many others. The artist Iassen Ghiuselev approaches it with his characteristic thoroughness – he conducts research on the material environment, constructs the characters analytically, and structures the book with alternating black-and-white and color images. For him, there are no insignificant components in the work process, but one of the definitive decisions is the stylistic construction of the compositions in the book. The exquisite chapter headings and endings are spatial compositions inscribed into the pages of the book like woodcuts. The color illustrations also obey this particular angularity, remaining within the boundaries of the rectangle and square. It is as if each illustration came out of someone’s magical chisel and was then masterfully colored in. The incredible chiaroscuro construction, combined with distinct silhouettes, along with the wealth of textures, but most of all the dramatic construction and the overall concept turn this illustrator’s reading into a true masterpiece. After its appearance in 1997, the book was published in several languages and was distinguished with numerous awards.
Iassen Ghiuselev
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrator: Iassen Ghiuselev
165 pages
190 х 300, твърда корица
ISBN 978-954-298-407-8
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Iassen Ghiuselev
Iassen Ghiuselev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1964. He attended the High School of Fine Arts in Sofia and then studied at the National Academy of Art. He graduated in 1990 and moved to live and work in Italy until 1993, where his career as a freelance illustrator started.
Ghiuselev has created cover pictures, graphics, and other illustrations for magazines and publishers such as Vanity Fair and Vogue Italia, Milan; Giunti Editore, Florence; edizione Lo Scarabeo, Turin and others. He also makes picture books in collaboration with publishers from different cities and countries around the world, including J. F. Schreiber, Esslingen; Rowohlt, Hamburg; Aufbau Verlag, Berlin; Grimm Press, Taiwan; Simply Read Books, Vancouver; Walker Books, London; Vicens Vives, Barcelona, etc.
He has been awarded for his work by different institutions in Italy, Germany, the US, Canada, Russia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, and he has also been also nominated twice for Astrid Lindren’s Award in 2023 and 2024. He has participated in many group exhibitions in Bologna, Bratislava, New York, in Germany, Serbia and Bulgaria. He has also had many solo exhibitons in the cities of Russelesheim, Belgrade, Vienna, Paris, Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, London, Moscow, Rome etc.
Some of his most important illustrated books are Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carrol, Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Queen of Spades by A. S. Pushkin, The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin, Fairy Tales by Oscar Wild, Don Quixote by Cervantes, The Decameron by Boccaccio, The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other stories. He has also designed several sets of Tarot cards.
He now lives and works in his hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria.