Growing up in the time of industrial revolution, Vladimir Tambi was interested in all technological innovations as well ascollecting newspaper clippings and periodicals. After four years of studies at St.Petersburg's Academy of Arts, he left finding school too conventional. His talent as a graphic artist was noticed by Vladimir Lebedev, who was in charge of the art department at Detgiz. During his time at Detgiz, Tambi illustrated and wrote over 50 books with colorful drawings captivating children's imagination, speaking to them in a text that was unpretentious and effortless. During Leningrad's blockade, Tambi worked with the artistic group "Boevoi Karandash" (Fighting Pencil) creating anti-fascist posters and later joined the army to fight in Estonia. His favorite subject was always the sea. Serene and fluid, these drawings from the 1930s display his modernist flair for treating a seascape. Barely visible figures man docks and ships in a dreamy haze of brushstrokes on these drawings that were undoubtedly painted from life.