Repeated editions of the tale „Th e little purse with two half-pennies” by Ion Creangă. The evolution of artistic values in Moldovan book graphics in the Soviet and post-Soviet period

Th e tale „Th e little purse with two half-pennies” signed by Ion Creanga appeared in repeated editions in various countries and is one of the best known. Th e analysis and the history of the evolution of the literary subject are of special interest and deserve more extensive research. It is equally curious to compare various plastic approaches to the topics of the tale. In Soviet and post-Soviet Moldova, the book was illustrated by famous graphic artists such as Leonid Grigorașenco, Ilia Bogdesco, Lică Sainciuc, Igor Vieru, Filimon Hămuraru, Andrei Ţurcanu, Anatoli Smîșleaev, Alexei Colîbneac, Simion Zamsa, Elena Karacențev, Sergiu (Serghei) Samsonov and other artists, who have made a remarkable contribution to this fi eld of art. Each book graphic designer has created unique variants of interpreting the illustrated subjects, approaching various artistic techniques and means, compositional and stylistic principles, etc. By studying them, we have the opportunity to compare the creation of these authors. Th us, we have the occasion to meditate on the aesthetic values of current editions compared to previous ones.