Rosina Neginsky, associate professor of art history and comparative literature at the University of Illinois Springfield, has written a new book examining the work and influence of Russian artist Mikhail Vrubel.

“Mikhail Vrubel: Painting the Invisible” will be published Sept. 24 by Routledge. The book explores how Vrubel, one of Russia’s most enigmatic artists, sought to depict spirituality, philosophy, myth and psychological depth through innovative techniques that helped shape Symbolism and early modern art.

Neginsky examines Vrubel’s early works and Byzantine restorations in Kyiv, his mature Symbolist paintings and his sculptures. Through close analysis of key works, she considers the philosophical, literary and theological influences that shaped the artist’s career.

The book explores themes including the tension between tradition and innovation, the unconscious and spiritual dimensions of Vrubel’s work and the significance of femininity and the muse. Neginsky also examines the influence of Vrubel’s wife, opera singer Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel, on his artistic development.

Neginsky argues that Vrubel’s efforts to make intangible ideas visible through art contributed to the development of Russian Symbolism and influenced the Russian avant-garde and modern art.

The book is intended for researchers and students studying European modernist and Russian art, Symbolism, art history and the intersection of spirituality and visual culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Neginsky is also organizing an international conference, “Symbolist Movement: The Ancient Cultures — Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, and the Bible,” to be held Sept. 23-25. The conference will bring together participants from nine countries to explore connections between the Symbolist movement and ancient cultures and traditions.

“Mikhail Vrubel: Painting the Invisible” is available for pre-order from Routledge and is scheduled to be released Sept. 24.