Lev Atamanov Լևոն Ատամանյան | |
|---|---|
| Born | Levon Konstantinovich Atamanyan 21 February [O.S. 8 February] 1905 |
| Died | 12 February 1981(1981-02-12) (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Animation film director ofSoyuzmultfilm |
Lev Atamanov (Russian:Лев Атаманов), bornLevon Konstantinovich Atamanyan (Russian:Левон Константинович Атаманян,Armenian:Լեւոն Ատամանյան; 21 February [O.S. 8 February] 1905 – 12 February 1981), was aSovietArmenian animation director.[1]
Atamanov was one of the foremostSoviet animation film directors and one of the founders of Soviet animation art. He is the director of famous classics of Soviet animation, such as the prize-winning fairy talesThe Yellow Stork (Zhyoltyy aist) (1950),Scarlet Flower (Alenkiy tsvetochek) (1952),The Golden Antelope (1954), the full-length animationThe Snow Queen (1957), and the modern satirical taleThe Key (1961). In his works Lev Atamanov subtly conveyed the national coloring of fairy tales and combined romantic elation in images of positive characters with warm and kind humor.
Atamanov was one of the most respected Soviet animators and is regarded as one of the greatest artists in the history of animation. He was named People’s Artist of the RSFSR in 1978.[1]
In a 2021 interviewHayao Miyazaki cited Atamanov's 1957 filmThe Snow Queen as a seminal influence on his work and his favorite film.[2]
Levon Konstantinovich Atamanyan was born inMoscow,Russia on February 21, 1905 into anArmenian family. Atamanov studied acting and directing with Lev Kuleshov at theGerasimov Institute of Cinematography, graduating in 1926. Atamanov first worked as an assistant to the painter and animatorYuri Merkulov and later joined Mezhrabpomfilm Studio. Atamanov’s debut was the short public service announcementAcross the Street (1931, withVladimir Suteev), which explained traffic rules. He then made one of the first animated sound pictures,The Tale of the Little White Bull (1933), an allegorical anti-Western pamphlet directed against theLeague of Nations.[1]
In 1936 Atamanov moved to Yerevan where at Armenfilm Studio he directed the first Armenian animated films,Dog and Cat (1938), from a fairy tale byHovhannes Tumanyan, andThe Priest and the Goat (1941). During the Great Patriotic War, Atamanov served in the Red Army. After his discharge, he completed one more animated film in Armenia,The Magic Carpet (1948). He then returned to Moscow and joinedSoyuzmultfilm studio. Atamanov’s animated features;The Golden Antelope (1954) from Indian fairy tales andThe Snow Queen (1957) from Hans Christian Andersen’s tale proved to be successful domestically and internationally. He later tried out a variety of styles and topics, among them political satire, for example, inThat’s in Our Power (1970), from caricatures of Danish Communist cartoonistHerluf Bidstrup, who was popular in the Soviet Union.[1]
