On November 9, 2011, at 17.00, a personal exhibit Dante Inferno of the extraordinary theater artist Michael Platonov will open at the small exhibit hall of Anna Akhmatova’s Apartment Museum in the Fountain House.  The exhibit will show improvisations inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. The idea of the exhibit appeared last year: to celebrate the artist’s 60th birthday.  However, for a number of reasons this project had to be postponed. Michael Platonov has worked as industrial designer at the Alexandrinsky Theater since 1978; later on, in 1982, he started teaching at the Production Department of the St. Petersburg State Theater Academy.  As a production designer, he produced several dozens of performances; among those were: “Love, Jazz, and the Devil” (Director S. Milyayeva, 1992); “Stories of Moscow Life” after A. Ostrovsky (Director V. Golub, 1993); “Sorry” by A.Galin (Director V. Golub, 1996), “Looking Through the Dreams” (after the Silver Century poetry and prose, Director V. Khorkin, 2001), “Boris Godunov” after A. Pushkin’s play and M. Musorgsky’s opera (Teatr Dramatichny, Warsaw, Director Andrey Moguchy, 2008; this performance was shown under the frames of the Warsaw Centralna-2008 International Festival "Stygmaty ciala.”). Besides the scenic design, Michael Platonov works in different genres.  But the enigma and magic of the theater are clearly visible in his paintings and graphics.  His jobs presented at the Dante Inferno Exhibit also are provokingly theatrical. The Divine Comedy, as the theater itself, would not get away from the artist’s imagination for many years.  Here is how Michael Platonov himself commented on the exhibit to open: “At 14, I found this book on a library shelf at the Palace of Pioneers in Nevsky. Then (in 1963-64), as probably now too, this was a true palace library with oak panels, creaky staircases leading upstairs to the glazed entresols with the beautiful beamed ceiling and the smell of books which I still remember. This was a true temple of books. LA DIVINA COMMEDIA on the one side, and “The Divine Comedy” on the other, and a manly profile on the next page - appalling and attracting at the same time.  This was a book of a big size with a huge number of engravings. These G. Dore’s engravings (whom I knew well and loved from various books), their authenticity and perfect mastership amazed.  I had been painting since childhood, and understood what a titanic job this was. Dante had captured me from the very first pages of the great M. Lozinsky’s translation.  Many things were not clear to me, but extremely exciting; I kept reading till morning … and then there appeared this wish to somehow express my delight on paper…  Many years later, I had read at Jorge Luis Borges:  “First of all, we should have read this book with a child’s belief, abandon it, and then it would never leave you till the end of your days.” I consider this to be my first serious exhibit.  It is dedicated to the first part of “The Divine Comedy.”  My jobs are made in the monotyping technique. It allows to work through emotion and improvisation, and very precisely at the same time. It is extremely fascinating when emotions absorb you; following the brush, you forget about everything…  Characters of “The Divine Comedy” were present, one way or another, through my entire creative career.  My first professionally produced performance was G. Percell’s “Didona and Enei” after Vergilius’ “Aeneid” – Dante’s guide through the Hell and Purgatory…” 

The exhibit will last from November 29 to December 4, 2011.  Access to the Preview on November 29 at 17.00 will be free.