Dobuzhinsky M.V. (1875-1957), artist

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DOBUZHINSKY Mstislav Valeryanovich (1875-1957), graphic artist, painter and stage designer. He studied in the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1884-85, A. Azbe's School in Munich in 1899-1901, and at the Faculty of Law of Petersburg University in 1895-99. He was a teacher at E. N. Zvantseva's Art School from 1906 to 1911, the New Art Workshop in 1911-17, the Technical Drawing School in 1917-19, and the Academy of Arts in 1919-23. A member of the World of Art Association from 1902. In his work, Dobuzhinsky gave special attention to landscapes of towns and cities, especially St. Petersburg, painting their feral, sometimes illusive, tragic aspects, such as Companies. The City in Winter, painted in watercolours and whitewash in 1904 and exhibited in the State Russian Museum; a Corner of St. Petersburg, painted in pastel in 1904 and exhibited in the State Tretyakov Gallery; Small House in St. Petersburg, painted in pastel and gouache in 1905 and exhibited in the State Tretyakov Gallery; Petersburg in 1921, a series of lithographs made in 1921, etc. He illustrated Alexander Pushkin's Station Master in 1906, Nikolay Gogol's Portrait in 1909, and H. C. Andersen's Swineherd in 1917, reaching the summit of his artistic work with his illustrations for Fedor Dostoevsky's White Nights painted in 1923. He also painted for magazines such as Mir Iskustv, Zolotoe Runo, Apollon, etc. He designed scenery for V. F. Komissarzhevskaya's Theatre and Starinny Theatre in St. Petersburg and was appointed the manager of arts for the Petrograd Bolshoy Opera Theatre in 1919. He took part in designing mass performances in Petrograd such as the Hymn to the Liberated Labour in 1920. He emigrated in 1924 to live in Kaunas, Paris, London, and New York, and work as a stage designer. He painted a series of imaginary landscapes of besieged Leningrad in 1943. He died in New York. His Reminiscences published in New York in 1976 and Moscow in 1987 were largely devoted to St. Petersburg. He lived at 16 Seventh Rota Street (today, Seventh Krasnoarmeyskaya Street) in 1903-08, 4 Dvoryansky Lane in 1911-14, and 20 Eleventh Line of Vaslievsky Island in 1916-24.

Reference: Голлербах Э. Ф. Рисунки М. Добужинского. М.; Пг., 1923; Чугунов Г. И. Мстислав Валерианович Добужинский, 1875-1957. Л., 1984; Воспоминания о Добужинском. СПб., 1997.

O. L. Leikind, D. Y. Severyukhin. Andersen Hans Christian
Azbe Anton
Dobuzhinsky Mstislav Valerianovich
Dostoevsky Fedor Mikhailovich
Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich
Komissarzhevskaya Vera Fedorovna
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Zvantseva Elizaveta Nikolaevna
7th Krasnoarmeiskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 16
11th Line of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city, house 20
Drovyanoy Lane/Saint Petersburg, city, house 4
Голлербах Э. Ф. Рисунки М. Добужинского. М.; Пг., 1923
Чугунов Г. И. Мстислав Валерианович Добужинский, 1875-1957. Л., 1984
Воспоминания о Добужинском. СПб., 1997 State University, St. Petersburg
Stieglitz Central Technical Drawing School
Crafts Academy
Academy of Arts
Academy of Arts
World of Art, Association
Mir Iskusstva (World of Art), journal
Apollon (Apollo), journal
Komissarzhevskaya Theatre
Starinny (Old) Theatre