Victor Ivanoff
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Victor Arkhipovich Ivanoff (Виктор Архипович Иванов, 2 July 1909
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, Russia – 1990
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, South Africa), a son of a Don Cossack general, was a South African artist, cartoonist and singer. Victor attended a Cossack military school and proved to be skilled at singing, and drawing under the guidance of General Nikolai Karpoff. After the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
of 1917 when Bolsheviks came to power, the Ivanoff family was opposing the regime and fled to
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
in 1920 where Victor enrolled to study architecture at the
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. His studies were abandoned and he joined General Platoff Don Cossack Choir on their tour which included visiting South Africa in 1936. Africa appealed to Ivanoff and he stayed on, first being employed as political cartoonist by ''Noticias'', a Portuguese newspaper in
Lourenço Marques Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088 ...
, before finding work as a cartoonist at the Afrikaans newspaper in Johannesburg, '' Die Vaderland'', a position he held for 37 years. Dr Willem van Heerden, editor of Die Vaderland, remembered that Ivanoff brought him with two cartoons and several drawings, one of which "showed Stalin as a monster on a heap of skulls, with vultures on the lookout in the sky. It was a picture of abhorrence, without the alleviating humour that later became such a distinctive feature of his cartoons…" Joel Mervis recounts that Ivanoff was recruited from Moçambique by the ''
Rand Daily Mail ''The Rand Daily Mail'' was a South African newspaper published from 1902 until it was controversially closed in 1985 after adopting an outspoken anti-apartheid stance in the midst of a massive clampdown on activists by the security forces. The ...
'', but because of his poor English was misdirected to ''Die Vaderland'' and was promptly snapped up. One of Ivanoff's early commissions was a series of caricatures of members of parliament carried out under the guidance of Piet Grobler, Minister of Native Affairs and a member of J. C. Smuts' cabinet. His cartoons of Smuts had great impact, so much so that the United Party held Ivanoff partly responsible for their loss in 1948. He found himself at home with the Russian community in South Africa – his knowing a large number of Russian folk songs enhancing his popularity. He felt that
Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Cas ...
and Russians had a great deal in common, such as a love of freedom and wide open spaces. During his career he created more than 12 000 cartoons, but his dream of being considered a serious artist saw him signing up for art lessons from
Pierneef Jacobus Hendrik (Henk) Pierneef (usually referred to as Pierneef) (13 August 1886 Pretoria – 4 October 1957 Pretoria), was a South African landscape artist, generally considered to be one of the best of the old South African masters. His distin ...
and a study trip to Europe. Working in oils and sepia tint, he produced mainly landscapes, people and animals, and took part in some joint exhibitions and ten solo exhibitions in the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
. In 1945 Victor Ivanoff drew serial comic strips ''Kalie die Kuiken'' and ''Jors voer die Oorlog'' for the magazine ''Die Brandwag''. His singing was of a high standard and saw his occasional appearance in local operatic productions. He was also a founder member of the South African Opera Association. His widow, Eveline, scattered his ashes in Russia's
Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanoff, Viktor 1909 births 1997 deaths Caricaturists from the Russian Empire South African caricaturists South African editorial cartoonists South African comics artists South African comic strip cartoonists Artists from Vilnius Cossacks from the Russian Empire White Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia Yugoslav emgirants to South Africa