1. Animals
2. Art techniques
3. Birds
4. Bravery
5. Danger
6. Drama
7. Expressionism
8. Fables
9. Figurative art
10. Grandparent and child
11. Multimodal narratives
12. Music
13. Visual literacy

Based on a Russian folk tale Prokofiev premiered his musical composition ‘Peter and the Wolf at the Moscow Conservatory on 2 May 1936. Its music and story have become an important part of the classical repertoire inspiring performances and interpretations throughout the world.

In the story a young boy named Peter leaves his grandfather’s garden disobeying instructions to stay as there are wolves around. Outside he spies a duck swimming in a nearby pond and arguing with a small bird. Just then Peter sees a cat and warns the bird to fly up into a tree. Grandfather appears and scolds Peter taking him home and locking the gate. A wolf appears from the woods and tries to catch the cat who escapes up a tree, the duck is not so lucky and is swallowed whole by the wolf. Watching all this Peter devises a plan to catch the wolf with the help of the bird. He gets a rope and climbs over the garden wall into a tree and while the bird distracts the wolf by flying around his head as Peter lowers a noose catching the wolf by the tail. Just then hunters appear intent on shooting the wolf, Peter stops them and the story ends in a triumphant procession to deliver the wolf to the zoo and at the end the duck can be heard quacking inside the wolf.

In 1948 Danila Vassilieff created a series of illustrations of ‘Peter and the Wolf’ inspired by the Ballet Rambert’s production which toured Australia at that time. At this time Russian born Vassilieff was already an established artist in Melbourne and considered a key figure in the figurative expressionism style and his work is seen as influencing other artists including Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Charles Blackman. He was never formally trained however his bold expressionist images, in particular those of street children playing on the roads of inner-city Melbourne, established his reputation as a leading expressionist artist in Australia.

The initial paintings were done quickly using poster paint and watercolour on butchers’ paper and despite their fragility are considered some of his best. The artwork uses bold colours and has an energy and intensity beyond that of Prokofiev’s music. His expressionist style gives full rein to his inner-feelings or ideas about the story itself and the Ballet Rambert’s performance. Vassilieff did several series of illustrations for ‘Peter and the Wolf” using a variety of media including watercolour and gouache. The illustrations to both reflect his Russian heritage and his understanding and empathy with children.

The National Gallery of Australia holds a large collection of Vassilieff’s work including three series of illustrations for ‘Peter and the Wolf’. This book published by the NGA includes a selection of twelve illustrations chosen as best by Vassilieff plus an additional four. The book’s front endpaper is from the ‘Peter and the Wolf’ series A and the back cover endpaper from series C/D.

An interesting interpretation of a well-known story.

1. Wikipedia ‘Danila Vassilieff’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danila_Vassilieff
2. Education kit. ‘Danila Vassilieff ‘The Wolf in Australian Art’ https://www.roninfilms.com.au/get/files/12917.pdf
3. Sydney Symphony Orchestra’ Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf' https://www.sydneysymphony.com/learning/for-schools/teacher-resource-kits/video-resources-for-teachers/sergei-prokofievs-peter-the-wolf
4. ABC Classic FM ‘A step-by-step guide to Peter and the Wolf.’ https://www.classicfm.com/composers/prokofiev/peter-and-the-wolf-guide/
5. Wikipedia ‘Peter and the Wolf’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_the_Wolf