Mstislav Valeryanovich
DOBUZHINSKY
Born in Novgorod, 1875 - died in New
York, 1957
Painter, graphic artist, book illustrator, theatre designer.
Note: you can view more paintings and graphic work by this artist in the movement The World of Art.
Work:
Ship and Flags. 1918. Design
sketch of decorative elements for the Admiralty complex in Petrograd, for
the Celebration of the First Anniversary of the Revolution.
Watercolors, pencil on paper. The Russian Museum,
St.Petersburg.
Admiralty. 1918. Design
sketch for decorating the whole river front, for
the Celebration of the First Anniversary of the Revolution in
Petrograd.
Watercolors, pencil and Indian ink on paper mounted
on cardboard. Museum of Great October Socialistic Revolution,
St.Petersburg.
Admiralty. 1918. Design
sketch for decorating the whole river front, for
the Celebration of the First Anniversary of the Revolution in
Petrograd.
Watercolors, pencil on paper mounted on cardboard.
Museum of Great October Socialistic Revolution, St.Petersburg.
A Meeting in Front of the Palace of the
Arts. 1920. Drawing for the album "The 2nd
Congress of the Comintern".
Watercolor, pen-and-ink on paper, 22x17
cm. Memorial Museum of I.Brodsky, St.Petersburg.
The Opening of the Congress. 1922. Drawing
for the album "The 2nd Congress of the Comintern".
Pencil on paper, 22x17 cm. Central Museum of
V.I.Lenin, Moscow.
Petrograd. At the Field of Mars. 1922. Drawing
for the album "The 2nd Congress of the Comintern".
Pencil on paper, 28.4x24.5 cm. Memorial Museum
of I.Brodsky, St.Petersburg.
Returning from the Smolny. 1922. Drawing
for the album "The 2nd Congress of the Comintern".
Pencil on paper, 31.6x21.9 cm. Memorial Museum
of I.Brodsky, St.Petersburg.
Mstislav Valeryanovich Dobuzhinsky was born in Russia of a Lithuanian father and a Russian mother. His father was artillery officer and his mother – the opera singer. The childhood he lived in St.Petersburg.
Studied at Drawing School of OPKh (Society for the Encouragement of the Arts), St.Petersburg (1884 -1885).
Studied at juristically faculty of St.Petersburg University (1895 -1899). At the same times he studied at workshops of N.Dmitriev-Orenburgsky (1897) and L.Dmitriev-Caucazsky (1887-1889). In 1895 Dobuzhinsky unsuccessful tried enter to the Academy of Arts.
In 1897 he traveled to Germany and Swiss.
Married Elizaveta Volkenstein (1899).
Studied drawing and painting at the schools of A Aschbe and S.Holloshy, Munich (1899-1901).
From 1901 Dobuzhinsky lived in St.Petersburg and studied etching at V.Mate.
In 1902 he second time unsuccessful tried enter to the Academy of Arts. Make the acquaintance of Alexander Benois and Leon Baxt and join to “World of Art”. Worked in department of waterways and highways of Railways Ministry.
Dobuzhinsky was member of “World of Art” (from 1903) from 1910 – secretary of the society, “Union of Russian Artists” (1903 -1910).
From 1903 participated in exhibitions including “World of Art”, “Union of Russian Artists”, “New Society of Artists”
Collaborated with edition “Art Treasures of Russia” (1903), with the revolutionary satirical journals “Zhupel” and “Infernal Post” (1905-1906), and art magazine “The Golden Fleece” (1906-1907), journal “Satyricon” (1908-1911) and “New Satyricon” (1913), art magazine “Apollon” (1909-1913)
Traveled in Paris, Berlin and London (1906), and yearly visited Paris. In 1908 traveled to Italy and Swiss, in 1910 – Holland and Paris, in 1912 – Denmark and the South-Russian towns (Chernigov, Nezhin, Voronezh, Kursk, Kiev), in 1914 – gone at front for drawings in Galicia and Poland.
Taught (1906 -1911) at Zvantzeva’s drawing and painting school (“The school of Baxt and Dobuzhinsky”) in St.Petersburg; in 1922-1923 taught at Petrograd SVOMAS (State Free Art Workshops).
Worked as theatre designer in the “Antiquity theatre” and Kommissarzhevskaya’s theatre (1907); Moscow Artistic Theatre (1909 -1917); Russian ballets of S.Diagilev in Paris (1914)’ together with Yu.Yuryev organized the Theatre of tragedy in Cinizelli’c Circus (1918), Petrograd; the Big dramatic theatre in Petrograd (1919-1921); designed stagings for Dresden Opera and for Riga Chamber theatre (1924).
In 1917 Dobuzhinsky worked as member of commission by arts affairs near Soviet of Workings and Soldiers Deputies and was the Secretary of the Special Conference by art affairs too. In 1917-1919 he worked in the Commission on the protection of antiquity monuments.
Many worked as illustrator of the children books and art literature (1919-1923).
In 1918 and 1920 the artist designed the revolutionary feastings in Petrograd.
On Marc Chagall invitation Dobuzhinsky take part in organization of Vitebsk Artistic-Practical Institute and the Vitebsk Art Museum.
Participated in exhibitions abroad: 1906 in Berlin, 1906 and 1928 in Paris, 1910 in Brussels, 1911 in Rome, 1913 in Venice, 1924 in Dresden, 1928 in Copenhagen, 1928 in Amsterdam.
Held a one-man show in 1925 in Tallinn.
In 1924 finally leaved Russia.
From this time he lived in Lithuania, in Kovno (now Kaunas), but many time was spend in Europe, especially in Paris. He worked for the theatres of London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf end others, and was Head Artist of Lithuanian Artistic theatre. In 1939 gone to America, lived in New York and decorated the stagings for Metropolitan-opera, City-centre, “Russian ballet Monte-Carlo in New-York”. In the 1950s he worked on basic as theatre designer in France, Italy, Anglia, Swiss, Germany, Denmark.
In 1957, short time to his death, come back to USA and died in New York 20 November 1957.