 |
Ivan KavaleridzeSoviet sculptor, film and theater director, playwright, screenwriter
Date of Birth: 14.04.1887
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Ivan Kavaleridze: Sculptor, Filmmaker, and Dissident
- Artistic Career
- Controversies
- Legacy and Commemoration
- Notable Works
- - Monument to Taras Шевченко, Romny (1922, restored 1972)
Ivan Kavaleridze: Sculptor, Filmmaker, and Dissident
Early Life and EducationIvan Kavaleridze was born on April 13, 1887, in the rural family of a Georgian peasant and a Ukrainian villager. His artistic journey began at the Kyiv Art College, followed by studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg (1909-1910) and Aaronsson's sculpture workshop in Paris.
Artistic Career
Sculpture:Kavaleridze's sculptures, such as the restored monument to Princess Olga in Kyiv and the памятники to Taras Шевченко and Hryhoriy Skovoroda, are notable for their realism and emotional intensity.
Filmmaking:Kavaleridze transitioned to filmmaking in the 1910s, working as a sculptor and art director for the Russian film company "Timman and Reinhardt." He directed several notable films, including "Liven" (1929), "Perekop" (1930), "Koliivshchyna" (1933), and "Prometheus" (1936).
Controversies
Kavaleridze gained a reputation as a "dissident" in the 1930s when several of his films were banned and some of his sculptures were destroyed. His association with the occupied Nazi administration in Kyiv during World War II further distanced him from the Soviet regime.
Legacy and Commemoration
Despite his troubled relationship with the Soviet authorities, Kavaleridze's talent and influence cannot be denied. In 1969, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. A memorial house-museum in Kyiv, a street named after him, and various monuments to his memory serve as tributes to his artistic legacy.
Notable Works
Films:- "Liven" (1929)
- "Perekop" (1930)
- "Koliivshchyna" (1933)
- "Prometheus" (1936)
- "Zaporozhets Beyond the Danube" (1937)
- "Hryhoriy Skovoroda" (1958)
- "The Rambler" (1961, based on the novel by Panas Myrny)
Sculptures:
- Monument to Princess Olga, Kyiv (1911, destroyed 1919, restored 1996)
- Monument to Taras Шевченко, Romny (1922, restored 1972)
- памятники to Hryhoriy Skovoroda in Kyiv, Lokhvytsia, and Kharkiv- Monument to Bolshevik Artem in Artemovsk and Slaviansk (1929)
Other:
- Memorial sign honoring the opening of the first library in Rus' by Yaroslav the Wise (St. Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv)
