During the Civil War, the city of VelIkiye LUki in the Pskov Governorate was under martial law. Refugees, wounded, deserters, soldiers of the former tsarist army and of the Red Army filled the city. Half of the enterprises and workshops were idle, there was not enough bread, firewood, the ruble was rapidly depreciating.
In these circumstances, on the stage of the Dom ProsveshchEniya Theater (literally: House of Enlightenment) in December 1918, a troupe of dramatic artists led by DmItry YArkin began rehearsals for the play Jean and Madeleine, or The Bad Shepherds, based on the play by French playwright OctAve MirbEAU. The premiere of the play took place on March 18, 1919.
The cast included both Velikiye Luki residents and and actors from other cities. The role of the worker Louis Thiers was played by a young artist from Petrograd, Konstantin Eliseev. He also played the role of the manufacturer Capron in the play. Some of the surviving information suggests that the young artist also painted the scenery for the play and did the actors' makeup. In subsequent years, Konstantin Eliseev became known as a satirist, graphic artist, illustrator, poster artist, as well as a theater and film set designer.
Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Konstantin Eliseev was born in 1890 in Saint Petersburg. Although he had the opportunity to learn drawing late, Eliseev soon became known as an author of caricatures on actors and writers. His works were printed on the capital’s newspapers and magazines.
Early into his career, ElisEev tried his hand as an actor and stage designer. During the Civil War he ended up in VelIkiye LUki, where he worked at the local House of Enlightenment named after V. I. LEnin as a designer and as an actor. It was there that in 1919 he created a series of caricature depicting actors and directors of the local theater. These works include a watercolor caricature of actress N. N. KozlOva.
Throughout his life, the artist had many figures of Russian culture among his acquaintances: poets Vladimir Mayakovsky and Yanka Kupala, director Sergei Eisenstein and many others. Konstantin Eliseev and Eisenstein met for the first time in Velikiye Luki.
In these circumstances, on the stage of the Dom ProsveshchEniya Theater (literally: House of Enlightenment) in December 1918, a troupe of dramatic artists led by DmItry YArkin began rehearsals for the play Jean and Madeleine, or The Bad Shepherds, based on the play by French playwright OctAve MirbEAU. The premiere of the play took place on March 18, 1919.
The cast included both Velikiye Luki residents and and actors from other cities. The role of the worker Louis Thiers was played by a young artist from Petrograd, Konstantin Eliseev. He also played the role of the manufacturer Capron in the play. Some of the surviving information suggests that the young artist also painted the scenery for the play and did the actors' makeup. In subsequent years, Konstantin Eliseev became known as a satirist, graphic artist, illustrator, poster artist, as well as a theater and film set designer.
Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Konstantin Eliseev was born in 1890 in Saint Petersburg. Although he had the opportunity to learn drawing late, Eliseev soon became known as an author of caricatures on actors and writers. His works were printed on the capital’s newspapers and magazines.
Early into his career, ElisEev tried his hand as an actor and stage designer. During the Civil War he ended up in VelIkiye LUki, where he worked at the local House of Enlightenment named after V. I. LEnin as a designer and as an actor. It was there that in 1919 he created a series of caricature depicting actors and directors of the local theater. These works include a watercolor caricature of actress N. N. KozlOva.
Throughout his life, the artist had many figures of Russian culture among his acquaintances: poets Vladimir Mayakovsky and Yanka Kupala, director Sergei Eisenstein and many others. Konstantin Eliseev and Eisenstein met for the first time in Velikiye Luki.
