“Master-Decorators. Artists of the Russian Theatre”, (Museum Catalogue), St. Petersburg, 2001 (To the 300-th Anniversary of St. Petersburg)

Watch video:Alla Pugacheva-“Once there lived one Artist…”

The Russian theatre is the youngest one in Europe. It was founded on August 31, 1756 by the Highest Decree of the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. The first performances were held in Russian by the guidance of Fedor Volkov at the house of Chancellor Golovkin on the Neva river embankment. The first director of the Russian theatre was dramatist Alexander Sumarokov. At that time there was much copying of German and French theatrical traditions, and opera was under the influence of the Italians until the mid of the 19-th century. By the end of the 19-th century Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Fedor Shalyapin, Marius Petipa gave a powerful impact on the development of the Russian theatre.

A theatrical show is the art of many groups of people working on it. Here is presented the work of the artists decorating the stage and designing the costumes for the performers at 5 Imperial Russian Theatres (2-in Moscow, and 3-in St. Petersburg).

Watch our photo gallery: “Master-Decorators, Come on Down!”

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In 1918 there was open the Petrograd Museum of Academic Theatres. 10,000 exhibits were in it, nowadays there are more than 400,000 pcs. Among them are the collections of artists of the circle “World of Art”: Alexander Benua,Konstantin Korovin, Lev Bakst, Sergey Sudeikin. The art of costume designs is represented by certain theatrical epoch. Konstantin Ivanov, Yevgeny Ponomarev and Ivan Vsevolzsky – Cory-phaeuses of the Imperial stage of the stable “golden 19-th century”, Alexander Benua, Lev Bakst, Konstantin Korovin, Alexander Golovin-creators of “the Silver age”, the time when an artist became almost the main component of the success of the theatrical show.

It is enough to recollect the delightful  feedback of Paris and London spectators in regards to “Russian Seasons” of Sergey Diyagilev where the creativity of those  masters was pronounced anew as an artistic discovery of the new theatrical epoch. The creative arts of Vladimir Shchuko and Michael Bobyshev, representatives of the Russian academical style combined in itself the organic connection of two different theatrical Russias – before the Revolution and after the Revolution. And at last, the works of our contemporaries Tatiana Bruni, Sophia Yunovich and Edward Kochergin who continued the best traditions of the national school.

There are photos of the book cover and sculpture of Nijinsky’s Columbine role in dance by Rozales (Germany).

Listen to:Alla Pugacheva-“Arlekino”