Visual poetics of Alexander Pushkin's “The tale of the fisherman and the fish” in Kirill Chelushkin's illustrations

Context and relevance. The visual interpretation of a literary text is considered one of the significant areas of contemporary philology, associated with the study of the interaction between verbal and visual modes of representation. In the field of children's literature, illustration increasingly performs not only a supportive but also an interpretative function, allowing for a renewed understanding of the work. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the intermedial approach, as well as on the concepts of the MacGuffin and iconographic analysis, which are used to examine recurring visual motifs. Objective. To identify the specific features of the visual poetics of Kirill Chelushkin’s illustrations to Alexander Pushkin’s The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish and to determine their role in interpreting the text. Hypothesis. It is assumed that meaning in Chelushkin’s illustrations is formed primarily through a system of recurring visual elements (the image of the sea, the gesture of the hand, and the motif of the fish). In this context, the motif of the hand holding the fish functions as a central compositional and semantic element and may be interpreted in relation to both the concept of the MacGuffin and the iconography of the gift. Methods and materials. The material of the study consists of Chelushkin’s illustrations to Pushkin’s The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish. The analysis employs semiotic, iconographic, and comparative methods. The intermedial approach is used to describe the transformation of meaning from the verbal text to the visual image. The study focuses on key motifs (the sea, the old man, the fish, and the gesture of the hand), as well as on their compositional and color organization. Results. The analysis shows that Chelushkin’s illustrations form an independent interpretative space. The sea functions as an indicator of the moral state and changes visually as the narrative develops. The recurring motif of the hand holding the fish acquires the role of a semantic center and is associated with the concept of the gift, combining the meanings of grace and temptation. The image of the old man gains a generalized character and goes beyond the limits of a purely everyday figure. Conclusions. It is demonstrated that Chelushkin’s illustrations do not reproduce Pushkin’s text but interpret it, revealing additional layers of meaning. The use of the concept of the MacGuffin and the iconographic tradition makes it possible to clarify the role of visual images in the structure of the work and to consider book illustration as an independent form of artistic expression.

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