engleski

Russian Émigré Artists in Zagreb: The Froman Family and Their Impact on Cultural Life in Interwar Croatia

The family of Russian émigré artists − prima ballerina Margareta Froman and her brothers, painter Pavel and ballet dancers Maximilian and Valentin − came to Zagreb in 1921 and played a significant role in the modernization of the Croatian theatre during the interwar period. Margareta Froman, a former dancer of the Bolshoi Theatre and Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, became the artistic director of the ballet ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre. She played a prominent role in the development of the ballet scene in Croatia and introduced a new repertoire greatly marked by works of Russian composers (e.g. Rimsky Korsakov, Stravinsky). Together with her brothers, she transferred the visual aesthetics and dance poetics of the Ballets Russes to the stage of the National Theatre. In addition to presenting the work of the renowned choreographers such as Mikhail Fokine, Margareta Froman also closely worked with Croatian composers and created choreographies for numerous ballets, thus marking and influencing the formation of the Croatian national repertoire. Pavel Froman introduced a new visual language that revealed the influence of Léon Bakst and other Russian stage designers. His Art Deco stage sets and costumes were based on the Russian tradition of folklore, vivid colours, and the exotic and decorative ornaments inspired by the East. The aim of the present paper is to discuss manifold influences of the Froman family on the Croatian cultural scene during the 1920s and 1930s with a special emphasis on Pavel Froman’s work and his role in the history of Croatian stage and costume design.

Froman family; Russian émigré artists; Croatian National Theatre; ballet; stage design; interwar period

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