Tanya Viderman started to paint in 1970 after high school graduation first in the Georgian Academy of Art in Tbilisi and then in Leningrad. 1979 she emigrated to US and 1991 returned to her pursuit of the artistic career. Good foundation in drawing and colors which she brought with her from Fussian schooling allowed her to be one of the best students in the Mark Chatov class which she was permanent member since 1993. She displayed her work for the first time 1996 and received honorable mentioning in one show and Merritt Award in another from the Atlanta Artist’s club. Her work was displayed in the Chato Illan during the Olympics of 1996 in Atlanta. She worked in acrylics and oils. Her oil work was followed the Chatov’s tradition of the classical expressionism as well as the Russian heritage in the painting style.

About Chatovs

Roman and Constantine Chatov were born in Tiflis Georgia (Russia) in the family of art impresario Gregory Chatov and Anna Evseevna Chatov. Roman was born in 1900 and Constantine in 1904. Around 1910 their family moved to Rostov were boys went through their education. By the time of revolution Roman was studying watercolors and oil paintings and Constantine was studying music in the national conservatory of music in Rostov an affiliated of the prestigious St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music. Since Gregory Chatov’s life was directly connected to theater, actors and painters were always in their home. Civil war drove the family to Constantinople Turkey in 1921 and 1922 they arrived to New York USA. When they reached New York they continued their respective studies. Roman studied at the Art Student League band the National Academy of Design and later at the Academy Chaumier in Paris. Constantine studied music at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the legendary Russian musician and teacher Isabelle Vengerova. He was concert pianist in New York. In 1926 – 1927 he was the accompanist of r the Ballet Russe, headed by Michael Mordkin. Here, the accompanied many famous ballet stars, including Anna Pavlova and Nemchinova. 

In the same period Roman lived bohemian life. He shared studio with William de Kooning. He painted murals which include those of famous Russian Tea Room and the Palestinian and Ford pavilions for New York World’s Fair. During this period he mainted portraits of Stanislavsky, and other actors of the Moscow Art Theater who were then on tour of America. Roman designed infamous 6 feet silk scarf for Isadora Dunkan which she was always wore and which tragically ended her life. He also designed costumes for the Zigfried Follies. While Roman’s carrier was on ascend, Constantine’s suffered severe setback. While preparing for the concert he overworked his right hand result was verve damage and inability to play again. Constantine started to paint watercolor waiting for his injury to heal but that would not happened until surgery in 1974, so in 1940 he joined his brother to help painting murals. He started to studying with Harry Steinberg, Will Burnett and Robert Brachmann, yet he credits Roman as his best teacher. From this time Constantine started his own carrier as very successful portraitist.

Roman stopped painting the murals when he married the your dance Geneva McMcormack. From the point family life and work on the portraits were his only devotions. As Roman remarked later his reqard was his son Mark Chatov. In 1956, Roman was commissioned to work on the mural for the newly constructed Atlanta Cabana. Both brothers moved to Atlanta where their art careers finally blossomed and where they spent the rest of their lives. Chatovs’ opened their own studio which became later known as Chatovs School attracting students from over the world to study Chatov’s technics of the flesh tones. Roman and Constantine were recognized by the state of Georgia in 1983 when they received the Governor Award in the arts and were proclaimed by the former First Lady of Georgian Mrs. Joe Frank Harris as the “State’s treasures.” Both of their work are represented in private and corporate collections, museums and galleries, throughout US. There are more than thousand portraits painted by the Chatov’s. Among most famous are portrait of Margaret Mitchell commissioned for the “Gone with the Wind” jubilee, by the Constantine. This painting now displayed in the Atlanta Fulton Public Library. Constantine Chatov also painted portraits of Dorothy Alexander found of Atlanta Ballet, and Robert Shaw conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. Roman painted portraits of Noah Langdale President of Georgian State University, Drs. Hugh Wood and Alton Hallum at Emory University, but he is most famous for his “nudes”. There is a lot of poetry to Dad’s (Roman’s) work, “-said Mark Chatov” in one of his interviews, describing work of his father. A lot’s of museums in the south exhibited and purchased Chatov’s paintings, among which are High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Macon Museum of Arts and Science, Montgomery Museum of Art, Quinlan Museum in Gainsville, Albany’s Hendley Gallery. 

Roman also exhibited in Cooperstown, New York, National Annual Academic Artist in Springfield Massachusetts and others. Both Roman and Constantine worked until their death. Roman died in 1987 and Constantine in 1993, both enjoyed relatively healthy and productive old age. Chatov’s school is still functioning, Mark Chatov is inherited the style and technic, which is going with its roots to the old Russian tradition. Mark is also well known portraitist and painting instructor. He remembers how his father and his uncle were so demanding on his work and that may be that made him what he is today. Classical apprenticeship and passing of the trade secrets from generation to generation almost doesn’t exist today. Mark Chatov also was studied with James Sitton, Michael Burban and Nelson Shanks. Mark’s paintings reflect the academic as well as the romantic aspects of expressions.