Shop for Prints by the Artist:
Constantin Alajalov
Alajalov Quick Jump
|
Born November 18, 1900, in Rostov on the Don, Russia, where his childhood was spent. Attended college in Rostov.
Alajalov left Russia in 1921, spent a year and a half in Constantinople, Turkey, arrived in U. S. A. in 1923, became a citizen in 1928," — so writes Constantin Alajalov.
Alajalov's parents were in comfortable circumstances and the hoy was given early education including the study of French, German, English and Italian. He began drawing at five and in a few years had made up his mind to be an artist.
Beardsley was his first passion and at fifteen he did a number of drawings in the Beardsley manner, inspired by Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mai; he also illustrated in this period the lives of Savonarola and Torquemada. His plan to study at the University of Petrograd was defeated by the Revolution, but out of this came further training for his later mural work for he painted the walls of Government buildings and workingmen's clubs in Baku, Moscow, and Petrograd. He also made portraits of the leaders including Lenin and Trotsky.
For a while he was secretary to the Belgian consul in Baku. In 1920 he spent some time in a northern province of Persia and there the ruler was so pleased with Alajalov's portrait of his grandfather that he loaded him with commissions and made him his court artist.
At that time the British were fighting to gain the province from Russia and bombing planes made the young artist decide to leave. There followed hard months in Constantinople when he painted signs in Turkish and French for bakeries, bars and automobile salesrooms.
In 1923 he landed in New York with no money and was almost immediately recommended by a friend to decorate the restaurant a Russian countess was opening. Other commissions followed. His first New Yorker cover appeared September 25, 1926. Since that time these covers have become famous. Alajalov has taught at the Phoenix Art Institute and Alexandre Archipenko's School, both in New York.
Alajalov has traveled widely since coming to America, making annual summer visits during the 1920s to Paris or the Riviera; Haiti, 1929; Cuba, 1933; Italy, 1938; Honolulu, 1939.
Text Source:
-Mahony, Latimer, and Folmsbbee. Illustrators of Children's Books. Boston, Horn Book, 1947.
|
|
 Other Related Documentation: |
|
| |
|
|
