The artist is Lentulov
Since the mid-1910s, work in the theater has become for Lentulov the essential side of his creative activity. Back in 1915–1916, he participated in the production of Shakespeare’s Windsor Penanthists in the Chamber Theater, where he first met with Tairov. The Commonwealth originated at this performance with the director grew later into friendship with him, and with the leading actress of the theater Alisa Konen – the wife of Tairov. In 1919, Tairov suggested that Lentulov participate in the production of opera A. G. Rubinstein “Demon” at the Moscow Theater of the Council of Workers’ Deputies. And although it was actually their only common performance, the friendship of the artist and director continued for many years. Later, one of the preserved layouts of the production and sketches of costumes were shown at the international exhibition of decorative art in Paris in 1925 and received the Grand Prix. In 1919, Latulov was invited to manage theatrical and decoration workshops organized at the first free art workshops. By the same year, generally rich for Lentulov on portraits, the portrait of Tairov also refers to. (A. L.).
Tairov (Cornblit) Alexander Yakovlevich (1885–1950) – director and actor. Organizer (1914) and head of the Chamber Theater (Moscow). People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1935). Until 1913, Tairov was an actor and played in the theaters of St. Petersburg, Riga, Simbirsk. In 1913-graduated from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, in 1917 he became the first chairman of the Moscow Union of Artists, in 1919-1936-a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of Rabis, since 1944-a president of the theater section VOKS. In 1914, the director along with A. Coonen and a group of young actors created a chamber theater, with which his whole further life was associated. Tairov considered his theater “Theater of emotional-saturated forms”, contrasting it with both the naturalistic theater and the principles of the “conditional theater”. Tairov strove for sophisticated skill, for a romantic and tragedy repertoire, to legendary and poetic plots, to the image of large, strong feelings.
Russian portrait. XX century: St. Petersburg, 2001. WITH. 156.
A. IN. Lentulov – one of the leading painters "Diamond jack". Portrait of the director a. I. Tairova was created by an artist in the early years of the revolution. The manner in which the portrait is written, the features in the interpretation of the image bring it closer to the famous portrait of the film actress A. WITH. Khokhlova (1919) and "Self -portrait with a violin" (1919) from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery.
The idea to write a portrait of Alexander Yakovlevich Tairov (1885-1950), an enthusiast and seeker, an experimenter in theatrical art, did not accidentally arise with Lentulov – the artist was associated with Tairov by many years of joint work in the Chamber Theater. In the first years after the Great October Socialist Revolution, which were a period of creative activity both for Latulov and Tairov, their cooperation continues: Tairov attached great importance to the scenery, and bright sonority, dynamism and expression of Lentulov’s painting, undoubtedly, turned out to be consonant of the director’s creative plans.
Portrait a.I.Tairova was written by Lentulov in an acute dynamic manner, expressed in the contrasts of outlines and color spots. It retains elements of cubistic geometrization of forms, increased expression of strokes. This manner goes back to the canvases of the ribbon of the 1910s.
Alexander Yakovlevich Tairov (real name Cornblit, 1885, 1950, Moscow) – Russian and Soviet actor and director, creator and artistic director of the Chamber Theater (1914-1949), People’s Artist of the RSFSR.
The period of the late 1910s-early 1920s was marked in the artistic activity of Latulov with active work in the theater, and his acquaintance and the creative community with the head of the Chamber Theater A played a significant role in this. I.Tairov. The innovative aspirations of Tairov, his search for new forms of entertainment were undoubtedly consonant with the temperament and creative imagination of Lentulov, admitted that in the performance, on which they worked with Tairov in 1919, "I put everything that was released to me by my picturesque nature". "Portrait a. I. Tairova", which the artist worked in parallel, is distinguished by a thoughtful, attentive attitude to the depicted and indicates the acquisition by the artist – on the basis of the former cuboturistic method – new classicity, new "great style" In the genre of the portrait.