The phenomenon of illustration is an integral part of children books, enriching the text with visual perception which is so attractive for the young reader. Slovak illustration has its reputation around the world. Albín Brunovský (1935 – 1997) belongs to its most important Slovak representatives. He was engaged especially in illustrations, graphic creation and painting. As the Head of Department of Graphics and Book Illustration at the VŠVU (Academy of Fine Arts and Design) in Bratislava in 1967 – 1990, he brought up a strong generation of graphics and illustrators, among which the established ones in the field of illustrations are Dušan Kállay and Karol Ondreička. Brunovský to the main representatives of fantasy realism of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Out of the large collection of 140 illustrated books, 46 are dedicated to children.
Despite the fact that he illustrated most books in the 1960s, his most significant works come from the mid-1970s. Based on a long-term cooperation with the Slovak poet Ľubomír Feldek, they made the fairy tale book called Modrá kniha rozprávok (1974) (Blue Book of Fairy Tales). This book was awarded a price by the publishing house Mladé letá – Mladé letá Award for “excellent realization of literal, artistic and graphic elements”. Moreover, it was very successful on reputable international exhibitions. In 1976 it received an award in the Athens – Honour Roll of H. CH. Andersen. At the International Book Art Exhibition IBA in Leipzig in 1977 it was awarded bronze medal. This book is the source of illustration called Meluzína Jozefína which was chose by the author of the stamp graphic design, Daniel Brunovský, the son of the author of illustrations, to be the representative work of Slovak illustration.
Albín Brunovský never really illustrated books, he provided for a free interpretation, so they could have worked as independent works of art. Typical feature of his illustrations were fabulousness, absurdity, contact with the animal world, humorousness as well as reconstruction of their experienced childhood. Numerous motives which Brunovský used when illustrating “Modrá kniha rozprávok” later became topics of more graphic cycles. We may mention the well-known graphic cycle called Dámy v klobúku (Ladies in Hats) dated in 1981, the preliminary picture is the illustration of the frontispiece of Modrá kniha rozprávok shown on the date of issue cover.
Brunovský´s illustration of literature for children and youth may therefore be considered a creative experiment having impact on its free production not only in the area of graphics but also painting. On one hand, we may monitor the trend to enrich the story by independent artistic aspect not strictly connected with the text, and on the other hand, the attempt to eliminate difference between book illustration designed for children and adult literature as well as to eliminate the difference between commercial art represented by illustration and free arts of graphic and painting.

Mgr. Viera Anoškinová