Shchekatikhina-Pototskaia, Aleksandra
Shchekatikhina-Pototskaia, Aleksandra Vasil’-Evna
Born May 8 (20), 1892, in Aleksandrovsk (present-day Zaporozh’e) died Oct. 23, 1967, in Leningrad. Soviet master of painting on porcelain, painter, and graphic artist.
From 1908 to 1915, Shchekatikhina-Pototskaia studied at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in St. Petersburg, where she was the student of I. Ia. Bilibin and of N. K. Rerikh from 1913 to 1915. She also studied at the Rançon Academy in Paris under F. Vallotton and M. Denis. She helped create the genre of Soviet “agitational porcelain.”
Shchekatikhina-Pototskaia’s highly expressive style of painting can be attributed to her subtle mastery of graphic technique, as well as to her use of stylized decorative forms, bright, simple color schemes, and free brushstrokes. Examples of her work include a dish from the series “The Hunt” (1933) and the decanter with goblets “The Little Fish” (1941).
Shchekatikhina-Pototskaia was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and several medals.