Nikolai Khodataev

Nikolai Petrovich Khodataev (; — 27 December 1979) was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor and animator, one of the founders of the Soviet animation industry.

Early years Nikolai Khodataev was born in the Konstantinovskaya stanitsa (modern-day Konstantinovsk, Rostov Oblast of Russia) where his father Peter Petrovich Khodataev served at the time. His paternal grandmother Agafia Kondratievna Khodataeva, a lonely Russian woman, was seduced by a merchant from the Vladimir Governorate and taken away from her native town. He left her as soon as she became pregnant, so that Peter Khodataev was born as an illegitimate son and raised under his mother's surname. The merchant didn't accept the child and later bought her off with a land and two houses. This allowed Agafia Khodataeva to give her son proper education at the Rostov-on-Don realschule. Peter soon married a local midwife Anna. By the time Nikolai was born, he had made a successful career as a tsarist official and could afford to pay for his son's art lessons.

In 1898 the family moved to Moscow. At the age of 20 Nikolai, who had already decided to study fine art at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, made a trip to the Caucasus in order to train in landscape painting. He was accepted as a student and finished the school in 1918 when it had already been reformed into Vkhutemas by the Soviet government. He continued studying at the architecture department and joined the State Committee for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments upon graduation. Khodataev then used his own money to set up an experimental workshop under the State School of Cinematography which became the first animation studio in the USSR. Their 20-minute film Interplanetary Revolution was one of the first Soviet animated films made as a parody of Aelita and the current political situation. The artists made excessive use of cutout animation (called flat marionettes at the time) along with the constructivism art style that was at its peak in Russia. These methods resulted in a distinguishable look and feel. The film was a great success.

In 1926 Khodataev moved to Mezhrabpom-Rus where he directed a number of traditionally animated and live action films. Among his notable works were One of Many (1927) about the adventures of a Komsomol girl in Hollywood that featured both filming techniques and The Samoyed Boy (1928). The latter presented a story about a Nenets child that followed a dramatic narrative which Khodataev described as "the first steps in conquering the tragedy genre". Nevertheless, they went almost unnoticed, which made Khodataev question the purpose of his work. He left animation around the time Soyuzmultfilm was created, feeling that the industry wasn't up to bold experiments.

Nikolai Khodataev spent the rest of his days living in a shadow and dedicated his life to art and sculpture. According to his friends and relatives, he used every opportunity to paint everything that surrounded him. He also took part in art exhibitions. In addition, he wrote articles for the Soviet Screen and Iskusstvo Kino magazines and produced animation for theatrical plays staged at the Natalya Sats Musical Theater.

Nikolai Khodataev died in Moscow in 1979. He was survived by his daughter Nela and his son Konstantin, also an artist. Their brother Alexei Khodataev, a musician, left memoirs that give insight into the history of the Khodataev family.

Films

1924 — Interplanetary Revolution 1924 — How Avdotya Learned to Read 1924 — 1905—1925 1925 — China in Flames 1925 — Start 1926 — How Murzilka Learned to Write Addresses Correctly 1927 — Let's Be Vigilant 1927 — Let's Make the LovKom Good! 1927 — One of Many 1928 — The Samoyed Boy 1928 — Terrible Vavila and Auntie Arina 1928 — Ten Rools of Cooperation 1928 — By Day With a Flame 1928 — Pushkin's Housewarming 1928 — Gather Yourself, LovKom Is Coming! 1928 — Defalcation 1930 — Spring Sowing 1930 — Eureka 1931 — The Car Lover 1932 — Disarmament 1932 — Fly Ahead, Locomotive! 1933 — The Little Organ (or The Music Box) 1934 — Fialkin's Career 1942 — Cinema Circus (as animator)