Aleksandra Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya

Aleksandra Vasilievna Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya (Александра Васильевна Щекатихина-Потоцкаяа; 20 May 1892 —1967), ( Shchekatikhina), was a Russian porcelain artist, illustrator, painter and theatre set designer.

The Russian State Museum has described her as one of the most impressive Russian porcelain artists of the first half of the 20th Century. Her works were produced in the Soviet Union, France, and Egypt. She was particularly inspired by Russian folklore and icons, and her style is recognised for its bright colours, placing great emphasis on costume.

She was a member of the World of Art society and the artists' section of the Union of Russian Art Workers in France.

Biography
Shchekatikhina was born on 20 May 1892 in Alexandrovsk, to a family with Old Believer and merchant heritage.

Shchekatikhina graduated from high school in Aleksandrovsk, and in 1908, she moved to St Petersburg. After failing her entrance exam at the Imperial Academy of Arts, she entered the Drawing School of the Society of Artists, where she studied under Nicholas Roerich and Ivan Bilibin.

In 1910, at Bilibin's insistence, Shchekatikhina travelled to northern Russia to explore traditional architecture and peasant folk art. In 1913, she received a foreign pension and travelled to Greece, Italy, and France. Shchekatikhina studied for several months at the Académie Ranson in Paris under Maurice Denis, Félix Vallotton, and Paul Sérusier.

From 1912 to 1917, Shchekatikhina created a series of watercolours based on Russian fairy tales and legends. She painted for the magazine "Voice of Life".

From 1915, she participated in exhibitions of World of Art movement.

Shchekatikhina worked on several theatrical projects with Roerich, including the Snow Maiden and Swan Lake. She assisted Roerich with the design of the ballet The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky for Sergei Diaghilev's production in 1913. In 1916, she designed the opera Rogneda, produced by S. I. Zimin in Moscow.

In 1915, she married lawyer Nicholas Potocki. They had one son, Mstislav.

In 1918, Shchekatikhina was invited by the graphic artist Sergey Chekhonin to join the State Porcelain Factory. At that time, the primary focus of production was artistic propaganda to praise the new Soviet state. Here, she rapidly asserted herself as one of the most innovative designers.

Porcelain was recognised as a medium that could easily disseminate powerful ideological messages while being decorative, and as such Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya is considered an important revolutionary artist.that

In 1919, Shchekatikhina exhibited in the First State Free Exhibition of Works of Art in Petrograd, and in 1921 exhibited in the House of Arts in Petrograd. In 1922, she exhibited in the Fifth exhibition of the Community of Artists in Petrograd and the "World of Art'' in Petrograd.

Shchekatikhina was ordered to create sketches of costumes for the opera The Demon (produced by S. I. Zimin, in 1919 in Moscow), and the scenery and curtain for the opera Sadko (1920 in Petrograd).

She was known for producing emotive works with vibrant colours and dramatic or festive themes. During the Russian famine of 1921–1922, like several other artists at the time, Shchekatikhina integrated the themes of the famine and the subsequent typhus outbreak into her porcelain painting, with some of her works being sold to raise funds for the victims' families.

In 1920, Shchekotikhina's husband, Nicholas Potocki, died. At the suggestion of her former teacher Ivan Bilibin, who was then living in Cairo, she went abroad to Germany to become acquainted with the work of the Royal Porcelain Factory in Berlin.

Egypt
When his relationship with artist Ludmila Chirikova-Shnitnikova ended in April 1922, Ivan Bilibin was anticipating to follow Chirikova-Shnitnikova to Europe. However, in October 1922, Bilibin unexpectedly received a letter from Petrograd from Shchekatikhina. Bilibin sent Shchekatikhina a telegram with an offer to become his wife. Three days later, Bilibin received a positive response. However, Bilibin was still legally married to Maria Chambers-Bilibin, residing in England.

In February 1923, Shchekatikhina arrived in Cairo with her seven-year-old son Mstislav. Bilibin and Shchekatikhina were married at the end of February 1923.

In Egypt, Shchekatikhina created a series of painted porcelain items with oriental themes. In the summer of 1924, she travelled with her family to Syria and Palestine. When they returned to Egypt in October, the family moved to Alexandria.

In March 1925, they travelled to the Luxor Temple in Upper Egypt. She painted sketches in oil and watercolour. In December 1924-January 1925, Bilibin and Shchekatikhina held a joint exhibition.

France
In August 1925, the family moved to Paris, the impetus being the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which was then held in Paris. Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya's works were exhibited at the fair, and she was awarded the gold medal for porcelain.

In Paris, Shchekotikhina joined the Société des Artistes Indépendants and took part in the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. She maintained contact with the State Porcelain Factory in Leningrad and exhibited her work there. She participated in group exhibitions of Russian artists in Pari, Birmingham (1928), Brussels (1928), Belgrade (1930), and Prague (1935). Shchekatikhina held solo exhibitions in Paris in 1926 and 1929 and a joint exhibition with Bilibin in Amsterdam in 1929. In 1927, she exhibited at the International Exhibition of Art Industry and Decorative Arts in Monza. Her works continued to appear in exhibitions in the USSR.

Shchekatikhina painted landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, painted fabrics, and designed models of men's and women's clothing. She created illustrations for the books, including a 1927 edition of Taras Bulba by Nikolai Gogol and a 1933 edition of The Adventures of Pinocchio. She painted porcelain for the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, which included dishes, vases, and plates. She worked with Bilibin on the sets for the 1929 opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

During the summers from 1927 to 1936, the family spent their time in La Favière, where they bought a small plot of land with other Russian émigrés. Sasha Chorny also resided there during the summers and was well acquainted with the family.

In September 1935, Bilibin obtained Soviet citizenship.

Return to the USSR
At the beginning of September 1936, the family set out for the USSR on the Soviet steamship Lagoda from Antwerp. They arrived in Leningrad on 16 September. On 20 October 1936, a special meeting was held to introduce Shchekatikhina and Bilibin to the Leningrad artists. The family settled in Leningrad, and she resumed work at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory.

After the Second World War outbreak, Bilibin rejected an offer of evacuation out of Moscow. During the war, Shchekotikhina's art turned to ancient Russian heroic subjects. On 7 February 1942, Bilibin died of starvation during the Siege of Leningrad. Despite contracting pneumonia, Shchekotikhina survived the war.

In the post-war years, she worked mainly on mass-produced porcelain. She retired in 1953. In 1955, she held a personal exhibition in Leningrad.

Shchekatikhina died in St Petersburg in 1967, aged 75. She is buried at the Bolsheokhtinskoye Cemetery in St Petersburg.