Firebird Scarf

Availability: In stock

A square bandana-sized scarf featuring The Firebird/Petrushka, 1983, by Boris Bućan

The most iconic image in Bućan’s oeuvre, this design for the Croatian National Theatre in Split advertises paired performances of two one-act ballets by Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird and Petrushka. In the earlier fairytale, the mythical Firebird helps a prince defeat an evil sorcerer and free a group of princesses, while the later one chronicles the ill-fated love triangle among three puppets that have been brought to life by a magician. 

To represent the Firebird, Bućan created a hybrid creature with an avian head and neck on a female body. She stands in a heroic pose in red stilettos as she strides with a raised fist toward an unseen enemy. Bućan frequently incorporated and modernized art-historical motifs and styles in his posters. Here, the figure’s pose and two-dimensional profile suggest ancient Egyptian relief sculpture, while the large leaves in the background are similar to patterns designed by artists of the Vienna Secession.

Boris Bućan was a Croatian artist and graphic designer of Ukrainian-Jewish heritage whose long career began during the late 1960s in Zagreb. Not committed to a single style, he continuously developed his artistic practice, often appearing to anticipate art movements that emerged outside what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Printed on viscose and finished by Maritime Tribes in Fall River, MA. Measures approximately 23 x 23 inches. 

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