Tamara and Demon

Vrubel painted 'Tamara and Demon' in 1891 as an illustration for Mamontov's illustrated edition of Lermontov's poem 'The Demon', the project that had also yielded the celebrated 'Sitting Demon' of 1890. In Lermontov's poem, the Demon falls in love with Tamara, a Georgian princess, and their fatal encounter drives the narrative. Vrubel's illustration captures the tension between the two figures using the visual language he was developing specifically for this subject matter. The work belongs to the remarkable cluster of Lermontov illustrations Vrubel produced in this period, among the most significant illustrated book projects in Russian art history. The Tretyakov Gallery holds 'Tamara and Demon' alongside the larger Demon paintings, allowing it to be understood both as an autonomous work and as part of the broader Lermontov project of the early 1890s.

The two-figure composition is animated by the tonal contrast between the dark Demon form and the lighter Tamara, Vrubel organizing the work around tonal opposition. The handling is relatively tight for illustration purposes but still characteristically expressive.