February – March, 2014 «Ira Aldridge - Kobzar’s American Friend» a library events series to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko – the great Ukrainian poet. The Dnipropetrovsk WOA Centre's an informative slide show was presented to the groups. It reminded the students the basic facts of Shevchenko’s biography with the focus on his talent of a portrait painter. This allowed to introduced to the students the personality of Ira Aldridge who ordered a portrait by Taras Shevchenko. Ira Aldridge gained fame in the 19th century as one of the most prominent African-American Shakespearian actors and the first American actor to perform in Russia. Unable to obtain major roles in the United States because of his race, he was forced to emigrate to further his acting career. Arriving in England in 1824, on October 10, 1825, he debuted as the first black actor at London's Royal Coburg Theatre. In 1858 Aldridge made a tour of Russia and was introduced to Shevchenko in St. Petersburg. The memoirs of the witnesses informed us about the friendly atmosphere set in Shevchenko’s studio during Aldridge’s posing sessions. The painting by L. Picard illustrated the moment of friendly communication between two talented people with sad background of slavery and serfdom. The unknown fact of friendship between the American and Ukrainian geniuses impressed the audience. The students enriched their vocabulary with new art terms, examined Shevchenko’s paintings and appreciated the art talent of the iconic Ukrainian poet.

1. Window on America center
Dnipropetrovsk
2014

2.  How many monuments to Taras
Shevchenko
do you know?
 One
 Two
 Many

4.  What are the names of these
monuments?
 Where are they located?

6. How can you describe his “green years”?
 happy
 tragic

7. Shevchenko’s green years
 Born as a serf
 Early became
an orphan:
Like little mouslings
Scattered, crept
Off among people…

8. Shevchenko’s green years
 Worked as
a shepherd

9.  My thirteenth year
was wearing on-
Grazing the lambs,
one day I was…

10.  Worked as
a servant
in his master’s
house and
followed him
to Saint Peters-
burg

11.  Which of Shevchenko’s talents was
discovered
earlier :
- talent to draw
or
- talent to poetry?

12.  “Household artist” of
Engelhardt had a
price –
2500 roubles.
 How was he
emancipated?

13.  A portrait of
Zhukovsky by Brullov
was raffled among
the nobility.
 Shevchenko was
formally
emancipated

14.  Taras enrolled in
the St. Petersburg
Academy of Arts.
 He became Brullov’s
favourite student.

15.  etching
 oil
 pencil
 sepia
 ink
 watercolor

16.  Etching is the process
of using strong acid to
cut into the unprotected
parts of a metal surface
to create a design in the
metal

17.  Sepia - reddish brown
color, named after the
rich brown segment,
derived from the ink
sac of the common
cuttlefish

18.  history painting
 religious painting
 genre painting
 portrait
 self-portrait
 cityscape
 landscape
 marina

19.  Who might be this
person?

20.  Ira Aldridge - the first
American actor to
perform in Russia.

21.  Born in New York City
he was the son of
poor citizens of class
known as "Free
Negroes."

22.  Unable to obtain
major roles in
the United
States because
of his race, he
was forced to
emigrate to
further his
acting career.

23.  He gained fame in the
19th century as one of
the most prominent
African-American
Shakespearian actors

24.  In 1858 during a
tour in
St.Petersburg
Aldridge ordered
his portrait
 Work by a French
painter Louis
Picard

25.  Вот из воспоминаний Катерины Юнге:
" Г-н Чалый говорит по поводу посещений Олдриджем
мастерской Шевченка, который рисовал его портрет:
«Являлся Олдридж, комната запиралась на ключ, и бог
их знает, о чем они там говорили». Впрочем, знаю
несколько и я, так как всегда присутствовала при этом,
и охотно делюсь з читателями. Приходили мы к
Шевченке втроем: Олдридж, моя десятилетняя сестра,
которую Олдридж, после того как она заявила, что хотя
он и негр, но она сейчас пошла бы за него замуж,
называл своей «little wife», и я.

26.  Трагик серьезно садился на приготовленное место и
сидел несколько времени торжественно и тихо, но
живая натура его не выдерживала, он начинал
гримасничать, шутить с нами, принимал комически-
испуганный вид, когда Шевченко смотрел на него. Мы
все время хохотали. Олдридж получал позволение петь
и затягивал меланхолические, оригинальные
негритянские мелодии или поэтические старинные
английские романсы, совсем у нас неизвестные. Тарас
слушал и заслушивался, а карандаш праздно опускался
на колени. Наконец, Олдридж вскакивал и пускался
плясать какую-нибудь «gig», к вящему восторгу моей
сестренки. Потом мы все отправлялись к нам пить чай.
Несмотря на оригинальность таких сеансов, портрет
был скоро окончен, подписан художником и моделью и
находится теперь у меня."
Е. Ф. Юнге, Воспоминания о Шевченко, Вестник Европы, 1873,
№ 8, С. 837-842.

43. THANK YOU
FOR ATTENTION!