In 2007, the publishing house “Agraf” published a very interesting book—Ugo Persi’s *Modernism and the Word*.
In his work, the Italian literary scholar aims to examine the Russian (during the imperial era) Art Nouveau style in literature and to place it within a European context. The book begins by describing the Art Nouveau style itself in the visual arts and architecture—both European and specifically Russian.
Many Kharkiv residents are very familiar with this 1900 advertising poster for D. Kromsky’s confectionery factory.
However, very few people know that this particular Kharkiv poster is cited as a representative example in this book by the Italian researcher.
But let’s finally hear from Percy Hugo and find out exactly what it was about Kharkiv’s confectionery advertisements that piqued the Italian researcher’s interest.
A natural motif typical of Art Nouveau, serving as an ornament, appears with increasing frequency and is sometimes quite original; this is the case, for example, with an advertising poster for D. Kromsky’s firm in Kharkiv: at the top is an owl’s head, and this motif, repeated three times, loses its original naturalistic meaning and takes on a decorative one; at the bottom are three steaming bowls: the steam rises, curls into a classic ribbon-like wavy motif, and then enters the owl’s nostrils…
It really is wonderful that, thanks to this book, people not only here but also in faraway Italy are now familiar with Kharkiv’s original advertisements….
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