Vladimir Bobri ( uk, Володимир Бобрі), born Volodymyr Bobritskiy ( uk, Володимир Бобрицький; May 13, 1898,
Kharkiv
Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.[Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...]
(now
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
) – November 3, 1986,
Rosendale, New York
Rosendale is a town in the center of Ulster County, New York, United States. It once contained a village Rosendale, primarily centered around Main Street, but which was dissolved through vote in 1977. The population was 5,782 at the 2020 census.
...
) was an illustrator, writer, composer, educator, and guitar historian. Celebrated for his prolific and innovative graphic design work in New York since the mid-1920s, Bobri was also a founder of the New York Society of The Classic Guitar in 1936, and served as editor and art director of its magazine, ''
Guitar Review'', for nearly 40 years.
Biography
Vladimir Bobritsky studied at the rigorous Kharkiv Imperial Art School. By 1915 he had begun designing sets for the Great Dramatic Theatre of Kharkiv, introducing the methods of theatrical designer
Gordon Craig. Swept up in the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
, Bobritsky fought on various sides in the civil war before managing to escape in 1917.
"After the Revolution came a long and enforced period of travel and a kind of montage of activity," wrote Bobritsky's friend and fellow artist Saul Yalkert in a biographical sketch printed in ''Forty Illustrators and How They Work'' (1946):
As a refugee he traveled on a handmade passport, eight closely printed pages in Polish, so skillfully wrought that it left no doubt as to his talent and feeling for calligraphy, since it successfully passed the expert examination of the English, French, Italian and Greek consular authorities. ... In the mountainous, peninsular Crimea he worked as a wine presser for the Tartar fruit and wine growers. Later he came in contact with Russian, Hungarian and Spanish gypsies, studied their lore, the peculiarities of the different tribes. Having met with a band of gypsies in the Crimea he earned his way as a guitar player in their chorus.[Watson, Ernest W., ''Forty Illustrators and How They Work'' (1946), Watson-Guptill Publications Inc.; Hardcover, p. 48.]
Bobritsky painted icons in the Greek islands, played the piano in a
nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
in
Pera, painted signs in Constantinople (now
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
), discovered an important Byzantine mural in an abandoned Turkish mosque, and earned his passage to America by designing sets and costumes for the
Russian ballet
Russian ballet (russian: Русский балет) (french: Ballet russe) is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia.
Imperial Russian Ballet
Until 1689, ballet in Russia was nonexistent (ballet has its origins in the cour ...
in Constantinople.
"Through all those wanderings his knapsack always had a watercolor box, a drawing pad," Yalkert wrote. "The record was kept with constant sketching of people, stories, folklore, folk music and crafts."
Bobritsky emigrated to the United States in 1921.
In his artist profile in ''Forty Illustrators and How They Work'', Ernest W. Watson reports that Bobritsky began operating his own textile printing establishment soon after arriving in New York. "In 1925 he was called in by the art director of
Wanamaker's
John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. Founded by John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, it was influential in the development of the retail industry including as the first store to use price tags. ...
, in an experiment with modern advertising," Watson wrote. "His radically different newspaper layouts were more than the establishment could stomach and both artist and art director were dismissed. But
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...
saw, admired and beckoned."
Saks offered Bobri the position of art director.
"His newspaper and magazine layouts represented a fresh departure," wrote Walt Reed, scholar and historian of illustration art. "Bobri soon found himself with enough clients to embark on a freelance career, largely for advertising illustrations, and strongly influenced by his background of classical training and theatrical designing."
The first of Bobritsky's seven covers for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' magazine was dated February 6, 1926. By the 1930s, Bobritsky — or Bobri, as he signed his name with greater frequency — had become a leading illustrator in the burgeoning world of advertising. His accounts included Hanes, Koret and Avon; his work was prominent in the Annual of Advertising Art. He also gained renown as an illustrator of children's books.
![Wolfe-Too-Many-Cooks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Wolfe-Too-Many-Cooks.jpg)
Bobri frequently contributed to ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
,'' ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'', ''
McCall's
''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...
'' and many other magazines. As well as appearing in the March 1938 issue of ''
The American Magazine
''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...
'', Bobri's
title illustration for
''Too Many Cooks'', a
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in Ne ...
mystery by
Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout (; December 1, 1886 – October 27, 1975) was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and ...
, adorns a
recipe box that is one of the most sought-after pieces of Stoutiana.
Bobri continued his study of the guitar. In 1936, he and a small group began meeting informally, forming the first major classical guitar society in New York City, the New York Society of the Classic Guitar.
"The Society's beginnings were somewhat modest, but Bobri, through a seemingly small act, would ensure the Society's preeminence for decades to come," wrote Lester S. Long in ''NYlon Review'', the official newsletter of the New York City Classical Guitar Society:
An illustrator by trade, Bobri presented Andrés Segovia
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students.
Segovia's contribution to the m ...
with an offer to paint his portrait. Segovia accepted. In the process the pair began a decade-long friendship and Segovia accepted the position of honorary president of the Society. Already a star in Europe and starting his career in the United States, Segovia would be no mere figurehead; instead, he would influence the artistic direction of the Society for nearly 50 years as chairman of the advisory committee.
In 1946, the society began publishing ''The Guitar Review''. Bobri served as editor and art director of the quarterly magazine until 1985.
As well as designing a number of album covers for Segovia recordings, Bobri wrote and illustrated the influential book, ''The Segovia Technique'' (1972).
In 1972, Bobri was decorated with the Cross of Isabel la Catolica with the rank of Knight-Commander, recognizing his lifelong achievements as a designer, painter, art director, composer, and writer, and his use of those talents to increase awareness of Spanish culture. The award was presented by the consul general of Spain in New York, at a ceremony attended by Spanish dignitaries including Andrés Segovia.
On November 3, 1986, Vladimir Bobri lost his life in a house fire, one that consumed the house he designed, built and lived in with his second wife, Margaret Garcia, for nearly 50 years, together with his art, correspondence and collection of guitars. Introducing a memorial tribute in its Winter 1987 issue, ''The Guitar Review'' wrote, "In the midst of our inability to accept so great a loss, we are seduced by a possible validity in the old Viking philosophy: the belief that the helmsman and his pyre are sent resurrected into the unknown, to sail the sea of eternity. May we hope it's true that our dear friend Bobri has indeed embarked on that mythical journey, still in possession of all he took with him."
[''Guitar Review'' No. 68, Winter 1987, inside front cover. New York: Albert Augustine Ltd.]
Bibliography
Author
* 1967 ''130 Daily Studies for the classic guitar'' (Franco Colombo, Inc.)
* 1972 ''The Segovia Technique'' (Macmillan Publishing Company, Hardcover; 1990, The Bold Strummer, Paperback )
* 1972 ''Two Guitars - a galaxy of duets for guitar; 88 songs and dances from 47 countries'' (with Carl Miller)(Collier Books, Paperback)
* 1972 ''Complete Study of Tremolo for the Classic Guitar'' (Franco Colombo Publications, Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp.)
* 1974 ''A Musical Voyage with Two Guitars: 64 Duets from 34 Countries'' (with Carl Miller)
* 1985 ''Complete Study of Tremolo for the Classic Guitar'' (Alfred Publishing Company, Paperback )
Illustrator
* 1929 ''The Crimson Circle'' by
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
(The Crime Club,
Doubleday, Doran and Company, Garden City, New York, hardcover; dust jacket design)
* 1929 ''The Face in the Night'' by
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
(The Crime Club,
Doubleday, Doran and Company, Garden City, New York, hardcover; dust jacket design)
* 1930 ''The Day the World Ended'' by
Sax Rohmer
Arthur Henry "Sarsfield" Ward (15 February 1883 – 1 June 1959), better known as Sax Rohmer, was an English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu."Rohmer, Sax" by Jack Adrian in Da ...
(The Crime Club,
Doubleday, Doran and Company, Garden City, New York, hardcover; dust jacket design)
* 1931 ''The Law of the Three Just Men'' by
Edgar Wallace
Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer.
Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...
(The Crime Club,
Doubleday, Doran and Company, Garden City, New York, hardcover; dust jacket design)
* 1932 ''Philippine'' by
Maurice Bedel (
E. P. Dutton and Company, New York, hardcover; dust jacket design)
* 1937 ''Five Proud Riders'' by Ann Stafford
* 1938 ''The House at Cherry Hill'' by Mary H. Weik
* 1953 ''Paris Cuisine'' by
James A. Beard and Alexander Watt
* 1953 ''Let's Talk About God'' by Dorothy K. Kripke
* 1955 ''Let's Talk About Right and Wrong'' by Dorothy K. Kripke
* 1957 ''Let's Talk About Judaism'' by Dorothy K. Kripke
* 1957 ''The March Wind'' by Inez Rice
* 1958 ''Sleepy Book'' by
Charlotte Zolotow
Charlotte Zolotow (born Charlotte Gertrude Shapiro; June 26, 1915 – November 19, 2013) was an American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of many books for children. She wrote about 70 picture book texts.
The writers she edited include Paul Fl ...
* 1958 ''The Whiskers of Ho Ho'' by William Littlefield
* 1961 ''What Is Red?'' by Suzanne Gottlieb
* 1963 ''What the Moon Is Like'' by
Franklyn M. Branley
* 1964 ''Boris and His Balalaika'' by
Esphyr Slobodkina
Esphyr Slobodkina (russian: Эсфирь Соломоновна Слободкина; September 22, 1908 – July 21, 2002) was a Russian Empire-born American artist, author, and illustrator, best known for her classic children's picture book ''Ca ...
* 1964 ''Icebergs'' by Roma Gans
* 1969 ''A Kiss Is Round'' by Blossom Budney
References
External links
* Bobri magazine covers at th
Condé Nast Store(search on keyword "Bobritsky"; they are mistakenly attributed to Victor Bobritsky)
(largely reprinting the section of ''Forty Illustrators and How They Work''), ''Guitarra Magazine'', Issue 31 (March–April 1979), pp. 24–29
* Bobri illustrations for ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', ''
House and Garden'' and ''
Vanity Fair'' at the
Condé Nast
Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan.
The company's media ...
br>
Store(search on keywords "Bobritsky" and "Bobri")
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobri, Vladimir
1898 births
1986 deaths
Ukrainian illustrators
Artists from Kharkiv
American magazine editors
American magazine illustrators
Ukrainian composers
American classical guitarists
American male guitarists
Musicians from Kharkiv
People from Rosendale, New York
20th-century American composers
20th-century American painters
American male painters
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
20th-century American male artists
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States