Illustration for the fairy-tale Silver Hoof by Pavel Bazhov

Like many Soviet unofficial artists, Irina Nakhova worked as a book illustrator. Her mother was an editor at the Detgiz publishing house, which played an important role in Irina’s professional development, from meeting other authors to receiving commissions. She recalls: “One day, my mother was invited to Viktor Pivovarov’s studio and took me along. At the age of 14 I was introduced to a living artist and saw real paintings for the first time. We became friends… Mom helped me get my first book commission back when I was still a first‑year student at the Moscow Printing Institute.” Even though as an illustrator earning money was paramount, Nakhova’s work with books left its mark on her artistic practice. According to art historian Barbara Wally, “the most important result of illustrating books for her own art (beyond combining text and image) was to keep the viewer constantly in mind and to involve him or her in the creative process.”

Nakhova’s illustrations for Pavel Bazhenov’s fairy tale Silver Hoof, published by Detgiz, in many ways echo her paintings and works on paper of the 1970s. These works—for example, General’s Funeral (1970) or The Mountain and the Sea (1974)—are notable for their muted colors and composition techniques informed by surrealist aesthetics. However, the artist adapted her language for children’s books. Here, the color palette is based on the shades of malachite, chrysolite, and other minerals important to Bazhov's fairytale world. Abstract plant patterns evoke the structure of rock, and instead of surreal figures, the landscapes are filled with images of animals and people.