Pasternak (1961) Painting by Vladimir Mass

Vladimir Mass, (1896-1979), a unique soviet artist, one of the few students of the great artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985).

Vladimir Mass was born on 19 February 1896 in Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]. He was a painter, writer and cinematographer, known for Trembita (1968), Fanny Guys (1934) and Moscow-Cheremushky (1963). He died on 30 November 1979 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He spent his youth in his grandfather's mansion on Kamergersky Lane (the Mass house), opposite the Moscow Art Theatre . Vladimir dreamed of becoming an artist and studied in Vitebsk under Marc Chagall . 

On October 11, 1933, during the filming of " Jolly Fellows " in Gagra, both authors were arrested and hastily sent to Moscow. The reason for the arrest was the feuilleton "A Meeting on Laughter" and the fable "The Law of Gravity" from the book "The Sixteenth Year. The Second Almanac" edited by Gorky, published in 1933 [ 4 ] , which by that time had been hastily recognized as anti-Soviet. The names of both were removed from the credits of the film " Jolly Fellows ", and their works were removed from the almanac. In fact, Mass and Erdman, like Emil Krotky , who were authors of the magazine " Krokodil ", became victims of Mekhlis's behind-the-scenes intrigues against the editors of the magazine. The "Satirists' Case", which was conducted by former Comintern agent N. Kh. Shivarov [ 5 ] , was urgent: Krotky was interrogated on October 11 and the following day, an official charge was brought. Erdman was charged on October 14, but he was interrogated only the following day. Mass was interrogated on October 16, and on the same day, an indictment was drawn up for both on the same charge. On October 18, Mass was interrogated again after the verdict. "By the decision of a special meeting of the OGPU board on October 16, N. Erdman was exiled to the city of Yeniseisk in the East Siberian region for 3 years, and V. Mass to the city of Tobolsk in the Urals" [ 6 ] . Mass and Erdman itted their guilt and cooperated with the investigation, which is why they received such "lenient" sentences. The sentences of Mass, Erdman, Krotky and Volpin , staff of Krokodil who had anti-Soviet works, were used during the " transfer " of Krokodil to Pravda by the Politburo decree of March 29, 1934.

• Nationality: RUSSIA
• Date of birth : 1896
• Artistic domains: Works by professional artists,
• Groups: Russian Contemporary Artists