Background
Golovin, Aleksandr was born on March 1, 1863 in Moscow.
Golovin, Aleksandr was born on March 1, 1863 in Moscow.
Studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, 1881-1884. As a painter under V.Makovskii, V.Polenov, E.Sorokin and I.Prianishnikov. Studied also at the F.Colarossi Academy, 1889, and with Witti, 1892, in Paris. Studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, 1881-1884. As a painter under V.Makovskii, V.Polenov, E.Sorokin and I.Prianishnikov. Studied also at the F.Colarossi Academy, 1889, and with Witti, 1892, in Paris.
He designed productions for Sergei Diaghilev, Constantin Stanislavski, and Vsevolod Meyerhold. Due to financial difficulties, upon graduation he worked as an interior painter and decorator. He also tried his hand at various artistic fields such as furniture design.
In 1901 he moved to the Saint St. Petersburg region from Moscow.
lieutenant was here that he came into his own as a stage designer, combining symbolism and modernism on operatic and dramatic productions for Diaghilev, Meyerhold and others After the Revolution of 1917, Golovin found work in theatre less and less often, and so delved into painting and graphic illustration.
Golovin provided the set design for the 1910 original production of Stravinsky"s The Firebird ballet. Golovin provided the scenic design for an important production of Pierre Beaumarchais"s The Marriage of Figaro at the Moscow Art Theatre.
The seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski directed the play in fast and free-flowing production that opened on 28 April 1927, having been rehearsed since the end of 1925.
Stanislavski re-located the play"s action to pre-Revolutionary France and trimmed its five-act structure to eleven scenes. Golovin employed a revolve to quicken scene-changes. lieutenant was a great success, garnering ten curtain calls on opening night.
Golovin was appointed a People"s Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. He died in Detskoye Selo on April 17, 1930.