Mstislav Dobuzhinsky facts for kids
Mstislav Dobuzhinsky (born August 14, 1875, in Novgorod; died November 20, 1957, in New York City) was a talented Russian artist. He was famous for painting city scenes. His art often showed how cities grew very fast and sometimes fell apart in the early 1900s. He also designed sets for plays and ballets.
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About Mstislav Dobuzhinsky
Mstislav Dobuzhinsky was born into a noble family from Lithuania. His father was an army officer. From 1885 to 1887, he went to the Drawing School of the Society for the Promotion of the Artists. Later, he studied Law at Saint Petersburg Imperial University from 1895 to 1899. At the same time, he took art classes in private studios.
Early Art Training
After finishing university, Dobuzhinsky continued his art studies. From 1899 to 1901, he trained with Anton Ažbe in Munich and Simon Hollósy in Nagybánya. In Munich, he was influenced by a style called Jugendstil. This art style focused on flowing lines and natural forms.
Joining the Mir iskusstva Group
When Dobuzhinsky returned to Russia, he joined an art group called Mir iskusstva. This name means "World of Art." The artists in this group admired the elegant style of the 1700s.
Dobuzhinsky was different from other Mir iskusstva artists. He used an expressionist style, which means he showed feelings and emotions in his art. He was very interested in modern industrial cityscapes. He often painted sad or tough scenes from city life. These paintings showed the lonely and sometimes bleak feeling of modern times. He also made funny drawings and sketches. Some of these showed strange, demon-like creatures. These creatures seemed to represent the scary parts of city growth.
Work in Theatre Design
Like other members of the Mir iskusstva, Dobuzhinsky also worked in scenic design. This means he created the backgrounds and props for plays. He first worked for Konstantin Stanislavski at the Moscow Art Theatre. Later, he designed sets for several shows by Sergei Diaghilev. Diaghilev was famous for his Ballets Russes.
Dobuzhinsky was also known as an excellent art teacher. One of his young students was the famous writer Vladimir Nabokov. They stayed in touch for many years.
Life During World War I and Beyond
During World War I, Dobuzhinsky went to the front lines with Eugene Lanceray to sketch scenes. In 1918, he led the theatre workshop at a school for decorative arts.
From 1923 to 1924, he traveled abroad to see new art in Europe. He also held his own art shows. In 1924, Dobuzhinsky moved to Lithuania and became a citizen there. He lived in Kaunas until 1925.
Between 1925 and 1929, he lived in Paris, France. There, he designed sets for Nikita Balieff's show called The Bat. He returned to Lithuania in 1929. In Lithuania, he worked as a scenographer (a theatre designer) for a state theatre. He created sets for 38 plays. He also ran his own painting school from 1930 to 1933.
Later Life and Works
In 1935, Dobuzhinsky moved to England. Then, in 1939, he moved to the United States. He stayed there during World War II. He spent the last ten years of his life in Europe. He would sometimes return to New York City for theatre work.
Mstislav Dobuzhinsky passed away in New York City on November 20, 1957. His memories were published in Russian after his death.
Some of his later works include amazing illustrations for books. He illustrated Fyodor Dostoevsky's White Nights (1923) and Yury Olesha's Three Fat Men (1925). Dobuzhinsky also designed sets for theatre shows in cities like Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Düsseldorf. During World War II, he painted imaginary scenes of the city of Leningrad while it was under attack.
After his death, he was buried at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery.
Art Collections
You can find Dobuzhinsky's art in many places. Some of these include:
- Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
- A. A. Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Moscow
- The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
- National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan
- Irbit State Museum of Fine Art, Irbit
