Vladimir Ozernikov (1919 Irkutsk - 2000 Sevastopol)
Costume Design for a Water-Carrier for the production of 'Nasreddin Hodja' at the Khabarovsk Russian Drama Theatre
Date: 1948
Gouache over pencil on paper. Size of sheet: 118 x 15 cm. Signed, titled and dated. Inscribed in Cyrillic.
Provenance: From the artist's estate.
The play was based on a story about a crafty traveller Hodja Nasreddin who always stands on the defence of the oppressed and shows how to emerge victorious from any situation with the help of words, wisdom and love of adventure. Hodja Nasreddin appears with his donkey in Bukhara, where a bloodthirsty Emir rules. Having met the beautiful Guljan, whom Jafar wants to take to his harem as a concubine for the debts of her father Niaz, Hodja, driven by trickery and nobility, saves the girl.
£850.-
Costume Design for a Water-Carrier for the production of 'Nasreddin Hodja'
Vladimir Ozernikov was a Russian-Jewish artist who spent considerable time of his career as a costume and stage designer. He spent his formative years in Siberian city of Irkutsk. In 1934 Ozernikov enrolled at the Irkutsk School of Fine Arts. Quite early on in his career, he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, which allowed him to get involved in artistic projects across the country, including designing theatre costumes and stage decorations. From 1941 he collaborated with different drama theatres across the country, including in cities like Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Kiev, Simferopol, Ryazan, and others. Additionally, he worked for three years in China (from 1947 to 1951) where he designed interiors and theatrical costumes.
In total, Ozernikov worked on more than 100 theatre productions.
In 1952 the artist moved to Sevastopol (Crimea region) where he joined the Lunacharsky Art and Drama Theatre as the chief costume and stage designer and worked there for over a decade until he established his own studio in 1966. Over the years, Ozernikov displayed regularly at commercial galleries and museum exhibitions. He also was involved in many public buildings projects where he worked on designing and decorating the interior space. Some of the projects included the Marine station and the Ukraine Hotel in Sevastopol.
His works can be found in the collections of regional and state museums of Russia and Ukraine and in private collections.