January 13 marks 110 years since the birth of Simon Bagratovich Virsaladze-Soviet theater artist, stage designer, painter, teacher!
Simon Virsaladze was born on January 13, 1909 in Tiflis, the Russian Empire.
Graduated from Tbilisi Academy of arts and Leningrad Academy of arts.
All his life he devoted to art, at different times he worked on the leading stages of the country:
– Tiflis working theatre, where he designed several performances, paying tribute to the popular constructivism in those years.
– Tiflis state Opera and ballet theatre. Paliashvili, the main artist.
– Leningrad Opera and ballet theatre. S. M. Kirova, the main artist.
– Leningrad academic Maly Opera and ballet theatre.
– Leningrad choreographic school.
– Opera and ballet theatres in Baku and Novosibirsk.
– The Bolshoi theatre, where eight original ballets were created in close cooperation with Yuri Grigorovich, their creative Alliance influenced the new principle of the picturesque design of the ballet performance.
In his decorations he achieved high emotional expressiveness, skillfully used color and light, in the picturesque, rich in color palette of scenery, combined romantic elation and conviviality with simplicity and conciseness, a subtle sense of style.
Simon Virsaladze-Academician of the USSR Academy of ARTS, winner of the Lenin prize, two Stalin prizes of the second degree and the state prize of the USSR, people’s artist of the USSR!