Information about the author:
Vladimir K. Zantaria
Vladimir K. Zantaria, DSc in Philology, Professor, acting member of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia, winner of the State Prize of D.I. Gulia, Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Abkhazia, Leading Research Fellow, Abkhazian Institute for Humanities Research named after D.I. Gulia under the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia, Aidgulara 44, 384900 Sukhumi, Republic of Abkhazia.
E-mail:
Abstract:
The article is devoted to one of the forgotten pages of the Chronicle of Russian-Abkhazian cultural relations — the cooperation of the Abkhaz artist, set designer, fine art theorist Alexander Konstantinovich Chachba-Shervashidze with prominent representatives of the Russian creative intelligentsia. As the chief artist of the Imperial Theaters in St. Petersburg, he created excellent scenery for dozens of performances. The role of Chachba-Shervashidze, along with K. Korovin and A. Golovin, in the reform of theatrical and decorative art of that era is emphasized. The versatility of the outstanding talent of the Abkhaz artist is noted. He was an excellent draftsman, graphic artist, illustrator of Russian folk tales. Despite constant creative employment on a Russian and European scale, he never lost ties with his native Abkhazia. Beginning in 1918, he led an energetic ascetic activity in Abkhazia, joining the work of the Sukhum Artistic Society. He opened theater courses for gifted Abkhaz youth. He dreamed, in addition to the Philharmonic and the School of Music, to establish an academy and an institute in Sukhum, workshops for painting, drawing, sculpture, and a studio for dramatic art.