Dobuzhinsky Mstislav Valerianovich - Russian artist. Master of urban landscape, illustrator, theater artist. Born on August 2, 1875 in Novgorod. Member of the art association "World of Art". Dobuzhinskys work is widely known in many countries of the world, his works are kept in museums in Russia, England, France, USA, Argentina and other countries. M.V. Dobuzhinsky died on November 20, 1957 in New York.
Dobuzhinsky was born in Novgorod. Studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1885–1887), at the Law Faculty of St. Petersburg University (1895–1899), in the workshop of L. E. Dmitriev-Kavkazsky (1896–1899), at the School of Sh. Holloshi (Munich, 1899 –1901). Returning to St. Petersburg in 1901, he became close to the World of Art association. Participated in the following exhibitions (since 1902): "World of Art" (1902-1906, 1911-1924), the Union of Russian Artists (1904-1910), "Zhar-Tsvet" (1924). Member of the Union of Artists (since 1918). He taught at the school of E. N. Zvantseva (1906–1910), in the New Workshop (1911–1917), at the Vitebsk School (1918–1919), at the Higher Institute of Photography and Photographic Equipment (1919, professor), at the Higher State Artistic and Technical workshops and the Stieglitz School (1918-1923).
The theme of the city became one of the main ones in the work of Dobuzhinsky, who managed to convey his perception of St. Petersburg in landscapes. From 1897 he painted for magazines, collaborated in the magazines "Zhupel", "Adskaya Pochta" (1905-1906). Since the mid-1900s, he illustrated Russian classical and modern literature, designed books for children.
He worked for theaters in St. Petersburg and Moscow (from 1907). Designed several performances at the Ancient Theater and the Theater of V. F. Komissarzhevskaya (1907–1908). The great success of the scenery for Ivan Turgenevs play "A Month in the Country" (Moscow Art Theater, 1909) marked the beginning of the artists close collaboration with the theater. The pinnacle of this collaboration was the scenery for the play "Nikolai Stavrogin" (1913) based on the novel "Demons" by F.M. Dostoevsky.
In the 1920s, he achieved the greatest success in book graphics - drawings for "The Swineherd" by H. K. Andersen (1917), "Poor Liza" by N.M. Karamzin, "The Toupee Artist" by N.S. Leskov (1922) and for " White Nights" by F. M. Dostoevsky (1925) - a masterpiece of Russian book graphics.
In 1925, he took Lithuanian citizenship and moved to Kaunas. He made illustrations for "Three Fat Men" by Yu. K. Olesha (1928), for "Eugene Onegin" by A. Pushkin (1936). Designed performances at the Kaunas Theater (1925–1935). In 1934, he made sketches of scenery and costumes for the production of the opera "Prince Igor" by A.P. Borodin. In 1926-1929 he lived in Paris, in 1938-1939 in London. In 1939, he left for the United States to work with the actor and director M.A. Chekhov on the play Demons, but did not return to Lithuania. In 1947, he completed the graphic design for the prose translation of The Lay of Igors Host (New York, 1950). Collaborated with the Metropolitan Opera (New York). Left a book of memoirs (New York, 1976, Moscow, 1987)