Gallery Portal 11 presents the exhibition “Oleksandr Khvostenko-Khvostov. Anatolii Volnenko. Scenography for the ballet ‘The Forest Song’ by composer Mykhailo Skorulskyi”. 11.04. – 18.05.2025.
Oleksandr Khvostenko-Khvostov (1895–1968) was a prominent Ukrainian scenographer, artist, educator, and one of the key reformers of theater arts in the first half of the 20th century. His work left a significant mark on the history of Ukrainian avant-garde and constructivism, and his scenographic experiments became part of the global artistic process. Khvostenko-Khvostov received classical art education at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, graduating in 1917. The following year, he moved to Kyiv, where he studied at the studio of the famous avant-garde artist Oleksandra Ekster, one of the key figures in the development of scenography in the 20th century. Ekster’s influence on his work was reflected in the rejection of traditional decorations in favor of abstract, constructivist forms.
From 1919, Khvostenko-Khvostov settled in Kharkiv, which at the time had become a center for innovative artistic endeavors. He worked actively with Vasyl Yermilov in the artistic department of UkrROST, creating agitational posters and designing public spaces in the spirit of the revolutionary era. The early 1920s marked a period of intense experimentation in scenography. In 1921, Khvostenko-Khvostov began teaching at the newly founded Kharkiv Art College, and in 1922, he became head of the Theater and Decoration Workshop, which became a center for preparing a new generation of scenographers.
The final phase of avant-garde art in Kharkiv was constructivism, in which notable local artists such as V. Yermilov, B. Kosarev, O. Khvostenko-Khvostov, and A. Petrytsky, who moved to Kharkiv in 1925 after studying at VKhUTEMAS, worked.
There were friendly relations between the constructivist V. Yermilov, the avant-garde scenographer O. Khvostenko-Khvostov, and the representative of the Boychukist movement, I. Padalka.
In addition to his theatrical work, Khvostenko-Khvostov remained devoted to education. His students included such well-known scenographers as Dmytro Ovcharenko, Borys Kosarev, and Anatolii Volnenko.
Despite the difficult historical circumstances, wars, and repressions, Khvostenko-Khvostov continued to develop Ukrainian scenography, laying the foundations for it as an independent artistic discipline. Oleksandr Khvostenko-Khvostov became one of the brightest representatives of Ukrainian theatrical avant-garde.
Among his significant scenographic works are sketches for the ballet “Forest Song”, based on the play of the same name by Lesya Ukrainka. The music for the ballet was composed by Mykhailo Skorulskyi. The performance entered the golden fund of Ukrainian musical culture, combining elements of classical and folk dance, as well as realistic and fantastic imagery.
Khvostenko-Khvostov’s scenographic works and costume sketches became an integral part of the visual concept for the first performance of the ballet in 1946. The work on the scenery for the second production of the ballet in 1958 was continued by Khvostenko-Khvostov’s student, Anatolii Volnenko (1902–1965). Anatolii Volnenko was a renowned artist of the Kharkiv and Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theaters.
The works presented at the exhibition come from the family of composer Mykhailo Skorulski.
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