Petr
Kondratievich Ershov

A graduate of the Bogolyubov drawing school, then the Saratov higher art, he was a painter and sculptor by training. In 1915, the eighteen-year-old artist who successfully complete College, go to the front (he was awarded four crosses of St. George). In the 1920-ies Pyotr Yershov in Moscow is included in the work on the posters "Window GROWTH", where it drew the attention of Vladimir Mayakovsky. Friendship and cooperation P. Ershov with the poet led to the fact that Mayakovsky drew him to the collective of artists involved in the staging of the play "Mystery Bouffe".

In June 1923 he was invited to work in Odessa as the main artist of the operetta, and art Director of the Opera house. As a sculptor and painter P. Ershov was attracted for the restoration of the artistic decoration of the Opera after the fire, which was directed by the wonderful Russian artist A. Golovin. Under his leadership, Odessa P. K. Ershov made its first major production of the Opera by J. Offenbach "the tales of Hoffmann".

35 years of life and work gave the artist the work on the stages of mobile and peripheral theatres. Dozens of operas, ballets, operettas and dramatic performances designed them in Moscow and Batumi, Odessa and Rostov-on-don, Tashkent, and Baku, Kazan and Ivanovo, Saratov, and Perm, Kuibyshev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Pyatigorsk, Sverdlovsk and Lviv, Donetsk and Vilnius. In each new theater, where he came, he brought great artistic culture, great diligence and selfless passion, love for creativity, youthful enthusiasm, inexhaustible imagination and amazing ingenuity in their stage designs.

Ershov rightly considered the foremost artist of the musical theater. Music critic A. A. Karpov said: "Peter Kondratievich Ershova none of the sketch, none of the scenery I found that he made a mistake or didn't feel the music. Eastern Nega music in Borodin's "Prince Igor" and Eastern music in the "Shahsenem and Gharib" understood in a completely different and very close to what was given by the composers in their works".

Sketches P. K. Ershova for productions of "Under the Golden eagle", "Poverty not a Vice", "the Marriage Belugina" forced to regret that the artist is relatively little work on the dramatic stage. The scenery and costumes for plays by Ostrovsky reveal one more side of talent Ershova - masters of the realist grotesque.

At different periods in the works of Ershov's predominant interest in a constructive solution of the stage space, to decorative color, to illusory-large sets.

In sketches of the 20's- early 30-ies of the operas "Aida", "Turandot", "the Queen of spades", "the Tsar's bride," "the Barber of Seville" is accented by theatrical Convention. It is generated by a desire for modern, sensitive and emotional sound works. Created by the layout artist determines the nature and style of the construction staging, plays an active role in the development of dramatic action. Color is used sparingly, only for expressive accents in the decorations.

In 20 years very popular is the K. Gozzi tale "Princess Turandot". Yevgeny Vakhtangov said about her: "There are tales-dream about what will people do when purified, when it will overcome the forces of evil. Let's dream about it, "Turandot". And artist Ershova drew games improvisational nature of Italian theatre masks. Great costumes for the Opera. Puccini "Turandot" give a sense of the fireworks of forms, colors, fun, humor. Each costume is an imaginative vision of the artist character. In the costume of a Chinese Emperor - a very delicate styling with decorative colors and pattern. The costume of the sage is complemented by a mysterious accessories on his head was an amazing headdress through which, obviously, is the relationship with the cosmos; the snake hanging from his belt, points to the wisdom of the character. The costume of the musician - it is, indeed, embodied in the lines and color music. The figure is very plastic, it is depicted in motion, because the music can not be frozen! Therefore, the suit fabric is light, waving. And even the maid in this fabulous Opera is not domestic, it is a true black Queen, holding high above his head not a fan, and the sun!

Very interesting, in the spirit of constructivism, solves P. Ershov scenery for the Opera. Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia. The stage is the chessboard on which the will of the author are placed figures of the characters. This is a clear rhythm of alternating cells is repeated in the design of theatrical space. The clarity of the rhythm becomes only round arches that soften the tension.

An important feature of the creative method P. Ershov was the fact that his costume design is not a clothing brand, it is vibrant images on paper showing your character. "Berta from Il Barbiere di Siviglia - a very krupnomery, aggressive, and therefore items that complement her costume should be exactly as depicted by their artist: big ladle, huge knives. In contrast to Bertha is very subtile look of the male characters in this Opera. Fast, with instant response, all the achiever of Figaro is dressed in a suit decorated with a pattern resembling patches of various shapes. This costume creates an image of a "tailor" who cuts the event at their own discretion. But really, the suit of count Almaviva will not allow him lightly to flit across the stage: sword, wide-brimmed hat, long cloak have power prokeivanie.

In sketches 30 years for productions of "Prince Igor", "Carmen", "Thunderstorm", "Aida", "Cossack beyond the Danube" in all the difference images color - the main means of their creation. In the riot of colors "Carmen", in Frank conventions is the theme of human passions, the hot Spanish sun and the affirmation of love as the highest value. Ershov in his work marked the return of color to the theatre.

The costumes and decorations of the 40-ies and 50-ies for productions of "Spring Love", "Poverty not a Vice", "the Girl happiness searched for" Peter Yershov strives to accurately convey the scene, especially the national costume, to emphasize the social content of the play. This period of creativity in his works appear some literary narrative that indicate the depth of immersion of the artist in the studied material.

...Concluding the story of the works of Pyotr Yershov, I want to quote the words of Viktor Komissarzhevsky: "...my father was an Opera singer. In the summer, when he toured the provinces, he took me with him. Early in the morning I ran in the now empty theater, where on the floor covered in paint, painted, flattened the heel is half-forgotten now, the artist, life in love with his craft, Peter Yershov. It seemed to me then that the main man behind the scenes. I had to later in life to work with many famous artists, but I have never forgotten that early morning hour when were doing the noble thing an artist and laborer theater."

(from the article Tatyana Batosai (art historian Chelyabinsk art gallery) "the Main man behind the scenes", the newspaper "Chelyabinsk worker" 05-08-97)