Lyubov Popova art critic lectures. How to find your individual style? How not to

19.06.2019

I have an absolutely amazing friend - Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova. Of course, I call her Lyubochka, but that’s just between us girls. For everyone else, it is only Lyubov Mikhailovna, and it is usually pronounced with awe and respect, bordering on adoration. Such love among students for Lyubov Mikhailovna arose from the fact that her lectures, and teaching in general, are at an incredible intellectual level. The School of Style she founded is a child Great love and understanding of everything that is included in the concept of “style”. I did not study with Lyubov Mikhailovna, but I attended her lectures, where I was amazed not only by her knowledge and logical adherence to the artist’s style, but also by the artistry with which she lectures.
Do you know how it happens that you give to a person without receiving anything in return? Lyuba and I always have only mutual contact: she inspires me with her reasoning, I share my conclusions.
Here I am posting “for starters” a piece of L.M.’s most wonderful post. Popova, published in her School’s community.

"Master Class. Transformation as a path to style

The stylist creates Worlds. And therefore he is somewhere there, next to God.
It is clear that it is impossible to climb there of your own free will.
That's why I perceive the professional skills of a stylist as a GIFT.
But a gift that is not given to everyone. This is a gift for your passion for art.

I decided to post some materials from my training courses.
Today we will talk about transformation as the only possible path to a stylish look.

Training a stylist, no matter what area he works in ( stylish interior, photo, individual image man) presupposes mandatory comprehension (precisely comprehension, and not just knowledge) of large historical styles.
Firstly, this is a support in the work of a professional: there is no need to reinvent the wheel. And secondly, in the learning process a SENSE OF STYLE is developed, without which there is no stylist.
Large historical styles- this is a classic, baroque, rococo, classicism, romanticism, religious-symbolic style direction. They were called large because they most often cover all or the most characteristic types of art for a given period.

When you get acquainted with the work of artists of certain styles, you get the impression that they lived on different planets. Thus, in the Baroque era, the world was rich in natural gifts: shops were bursting with various living creatures, and interiors were buried in flowers. The size of many Baroque architectural structures suggests that Baroque people enjoyed spending time in public, filling these colossal spaces. The women were distinguished by their bodily splendor, and the men, although somewhat rude, were extremely healthy. Finding yourself in the baroque world, you seem to be infected with energy, a somewhat rough cheerfulness: you push, passionately squeeze in your arms, press your lush breasts and laugh loudly.

The Moscow School of Contemporary Photography Photoplay hosted a unique master class by candidate of art history Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova “ National traditions in our wardrobe."

The number of people in the audience said that the topic was extremely relevant! An entire dressing room next to the lecture hall aroused curiosity in advance.

Ukrainian panevas, bright anoraks, lace shawls, Tajik ikat, Japanese kimonos - it was impossible to believe that all this “museum beauty” could burst into our wardrobes not as a vintage moth, but as a fresh breath of new style.

And we were convinced: yes, it can!

Lyubov Mikhailovna came out to the hall in new outfits, combining a dress from Kirill Gasilin with Ukrainian paneva, Tajik ikat with vintage velvet, japanese kimono- with decoration in the style of “Ryazan beading”, and a dress made of African fabric - with earrings from Lacroix. Why was it stylish and even luxurious at times? Because the connecting element was the personality of Lyubov Mikhailovna.

“My wardrobe is my life experience”

Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova, candidate of art history, author of a method for creating a stylish image, head of the Studio for the Development of Creative Abilities.

Today's topic national pride reappeared in our hearts and minds, but not in our wardrobes. To wear something in folk style means to be a little “strange”, and they will probably say about you that “she works in a museum” or “apparently, a madam from the theater.” And if you look deeper, then It is authentic things that carry the soul of the world, the strongest energy, the DNA of our ancestors! And we need russian_style-trend, russian_style-trend.

Historian Alexander Vasiliev has repeatedly “invited” our establishment, actresses, and show business stars to become patriotic trendsetters! “Weave” elements of the national Russian style into your image.

“For example, a kokoshnik or a crown as an accessory on the red carpet!”

“Perhaps not everyone is yet ripe for the kokoshnik! But the idea is how to combine authentic things and at the same time look stylish, and not like a nesting doll or an executive folklore ensemble Kadysheva, and this is relevant!”

6 rules, do's and don'ts
wear things with a national character.

What not to do:

1. “More than two is already too many”

Having more than 2 things in your outfit is an opportunity to be best exhibit at the exhibition and more.

2. “Don’t experiment with ethnic shoes”

Red boots and boyar shoes will ruin even the most modern outfits. The actor didn’t have time to change his shoes - that’s exactly what they’ll think of you :).

3. “Don’t fall for the old cliché combinations!”

For example, the most favorite ones are the Pavloposad shawl and fur coat.

How to:

1 . Combine an authentic item with unusual, interesting textures that will give it a new, contemporary sound. Leather, denim, neoprene.

2. Choose at least one modern trendy item for this outfit.

3. Shoes are the first and most important thing that allows such sets to look fresh and relevant 👌🏻

You can and should look “porusski” stylish! Let a fresh wind of change into your wardrobes!

And who knows, maybe tomorrow the entire world street style will copy our outfits. Buy anoraks and pants! And for the annual races at Ascot, Queen Elizabeth will change her hat and wear a kokoshnik.

To the question of what we are doing here and )) Natasha and I came across this interview on the Internet more than a year ago and at one time it really hooked us. To call it our manifesto would perhaps be too loud, especially since the moped manifesto is not ours. But we very much agree with many things here) For example,that it's hard to be stylish with an empty head,WhatYou can and should work on your style, that you need to grow into a style... At least that’s what happened to us - we became interested in style while working on our Ph.D. dissertations, and not skipping school, as they sometimes tell us) In general, strongly recommended to everyone who wandered into this community in search of something and found the wrong door.

And the whole point is that standard advice does not fit well with your unique personality. To be able to create your own style from a book, this book must be written just for you! And it was written by a specialist who can not only judge superficially (after reading a couple of books on style, almost everyone can do this), but can look deeper, see your true essence. And only then, by correlating the internal and external, will he find the key to your style, to your image.

We talk about how to become such a specialist, how an individual image is born and who can be considered a stylish person with an amazing master - Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova. For many Moscow stylists, image makers and designers, this is meaningful name, a symbol of exceptional skill in creating a stylish look, and also the teacher who revealed them Creative skills and became a guide to the world of art.

So, Dear friends, I present to you my interlocutor: Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova - candidate of art history, author of a method for creating a stylish image, head of the Studio for the Development of Creative Abilities.

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, individual style- the category is fashionable, but quite mysterious. What is it - a person’s style?

Lyubov Mikhailovna: A person's style is an expression of a vibrant personality. You can't be stylish and not have a bright personality. You can't live a boring, standard life and be stylish. People often live exactly the same as their neighbors, and for some reason they are confident that with such a life they can be stylish. Style is a natural, organic continuation of the essence of a person, and a bright, unique essence. Therefore, style seems to sprout from the human core, as naturally as a swollen grain sprouts in good soil. You can't be stylish on the outside and not stylish on the inside.

In addition, individual style in external expression is an artistic image. And an artistic image is an internal, immanent feature of a work of art. That is, style is always art. Therefore, individual style is a mandatory manifestation of the artistic capabilities of the individual, therefore, it requires certain knowledge in the field of art. You need to realize that style is formed at a certain, fairly high, cultural level of a person.

Osinka: Please give examples of stylish people. What makes them stylish?

L.M.: I have selected photos of stylish women for you. Look with what respect for individuality their differences are presented: the external coldness and secret heat of Marlene Dietrich, the trepidation of Audrey Hepburn, the naturalness of Sophia Loren, the free flight of Maya Plisetskaya. Photographers, through photography, managed to make their style manifest and visible.

Marlene Dietrich is a classic example of a tragic search for style: she suffered, tried, spent money on clothes, jewelry, furs, and all in vain. She called herself a “hairy potato.” There is so much despair in this! But she passionately loved music, played the violin herself, read poetry, but she was unable to express this inner self in a full-fledged visual image. Why? I lacked artistic skill, artistic taste, and sense of style. And then a meeting with director Sternberg, the film “The Blue Angel”. And it becomes not just stylish, but a symbol of style! How did this happen? What and how did Sternberg have to change in the provincial actress?

For me one of the most bright examples Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was and remains a stylish person. There is nothing artificial, superficial, or unusual in her style. Flight and energy are still preserved in her appearance. But this originality of hers did not manifest itself so immediately and so clearly. And this could be said about all our heroes. Look at their photographs in their youth (a selection of photos is below, illustrations 5-8). The style seemed to grow in them as their personality formed.

Marlene Dietrich, Maya Plisetskaya

Audrey Hepburn

What makes people stylish? Their life, their creative attitude to life, their meetings, their surroundings. These are always bright personalities. They are different, and they value this uniqueness.

It's important to find yourself! This is the beginning of the birth of a person’s style. Individual style is always a manifestation of personality and a manifestation of creativity, regardless of the type of activity. I am often asked: can there be stylish people, for example, in business, politics, or science? Of course yes! And I have met them in my life. Many of them would probably be surprised to be called stylish. After all, they hardly thought about style. They lived a vibrant life, and they had enough culture to express themselves appropriately, that is, artistically, externally.

Academician V.Ya. Propp, philologist, author famous work"Morphology of a Fairy Tale" is certainly a stylish man. His life, his bright characteristic appearance with a sharp beard, a semi-military tablet instead of a briefcase - everything is solid, organic, despite a certain negligence, and, perhaps, thanks to it.

True style matures gradually, because the question of individual style is a question of development!

Osinka: Why are there so few stylish people?

L.M.: The reason is that one person does not often combine the uniqueness of personality and knowledge, moreover, practical skills in the field artistic creativity. Hence the blind imitation. It is blind precisely because a person does not have enough culture to understand that this image, although it is fashionable and stylish, may be in itself, but has a very distant relation to it. Often there is no desire to understand oneself. So it turns out that the dress screams about one thing, the lady’s face whispers about another, and the bag creaks about a third!

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, please give examples of obvious stylistic mistakes?

L.M.: I often see a girl in high heels, “on parade,” and next to her a young man almost in a tracksuit. I note that modern fashion favors mixing different styles, but it requires exceptional skill. This can also be seen at social evenings. The elegant appearance of a lady is often discordant with the appearance of her companion: a baggy jacket, a blue striped shirt.

The couple should be in the same style space. If there is appropriate knowledge, taste and various stylish images are used, then they should be woven into one story: they seem to cling to each other, like a puzzle, complementing each other and emphasizing something important. Johnny Depp and his wife, actress Vanessa Paradis, always pleasantly surprise. They are not just organic next to each other, but each time it is new fascinating story, told with subtle taste and completely in keeping with their personality.

Look at the photos of this couple. Please note that Johnny is wearing a tuxedo, but on his feet are not shoes, as one might expect, but boots with thick soles, and on his head is a felt hat with a rather high, not at all classic, crown. Johnny seems to be laughing at himself, at his pretentious tuxedo. And Vanessa is very organic next to him: she resembles a disheveled bird with wet feathers. In her image, Johnny's mockery has turned into a warm smile, and this enhances the touching nature of Vanessa. Use the maximum magnification of this photo on page 4. This is necessary so that you can grasp what I am talking about. To catch means not only to see, but also to feel. Do not hurry!

Look at next photo. Johnny is dressed according to the laws of the classics, and Vanessa, it would seem, is simply a tastefully dressed young woman. But there is something in this pair that makes you stop looking and respond to feeling. What? And how did it happen?

Just imagine, I see Vanessa in a classic white dress, straight, without details, of medium length. Suddenly something happens to Vanessa, something changes in her condition, and the dress begins to flow down in tiers of flounces. And immediately Johnny responds to this emotion, and his short-cropped hair urgently grows, falling in a careless forelock. Touching, funny and a little sad. Try to mentally comb your forelock: no style, no history.

What is the secret of the fourth image? The classicity of Vanessa's black jacket is reflected in Johnny's round glasses, somewhat incongruous in their extreme traditionality. The images come to life. Such images are not invented. They are seen in the imagination, and they are seen already ready.

Osinka: But then, is style achievable for ordinary people?

L.M.: If by “ordinary” people we mean standard people, then no. If you identify and preserve your uniqueness, and not be an automaton, then style can be accessible to everyone. In any case, this is what we should all strive for. Finding your style means looking for yourself: what you love, where you would like to work, who you would like to see next to you. And, note that this will not always coincide with generally accepted ideas.

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, how to come to a style?

L.M.: Modern man wants to have everything at once. It is important to realize that a truly stylish person is not a mask, but a certain stage of human development. In addition, we must remember that the formation of an individual style is not a craft process, but a creative process: after all, as a result, a one-of-a-kind, inimitable image is formed. Art plays a huge role in this process.

Look at female images different eras (see photo series below: ill. 13-20). Art teaches us to see and appreciate the diversity of femininity. For Botticelli, this is an image of poetic melancholy. Titian has the luxury of life-affirming sensuality. In Fragonard's rock image there is a flirtatious playfulness. The lady with a fan in the painting by Velazquez represents severity, dignity and piety.

In the image of Proserpina there is a tragic sensuality with a hint of barely perceptible poison. Rene Notgaft on Kustodiev’s canvas is the embodiment of female intelligence. The image of Countess Carpio on the canvas by Francisco Goya, somewhat reminiscent of a fragile insect, remains mysterious and inaccessible. In the luxurious Monna of the Pre-Raphaelite Gabriel Rossetti, the romantic tradition overlaps with echoes, as if memories, of the Baroque: its sensuality is aggressive, and therefore dangerous. They are different. And everyone is beautiful.

Art shapes personality and helps to find oneself. And at the same time it develops perception skills artistic image. But a stylish appearance is always an image.

Therefore, comprehend art. And remember that it is important to know the biographies of artists, directors, to know what Baroque and Rococo, Italian neorealism are, to list all the surrealists in French literature, but this is not yet knowledge of art. After all, these are all facts artistic culture. Art is an artistic image. And to know art is to be able to comprehend an artistic image. Style is always an image, and an image born in the space of art.

Osinka: Where would you advise starting your path to understanding art?

L.M.: Refer to the books of Boris Robertovich Vipper ("Introduction to Fine Arts"), Tatyana Valeryanovna Ilyina ("History of Art. Western European Art", "Domestic Art").

B.R. Vipper is a recognized classic of Russian art history. T.V. Ilyina is a professor at the Department of Art History at St. Petersburg University. Her books contain basic information on history visual arts. In addition, you will find lists of additional literature. Popular books by Lev Lyubimov are useful.

And at the same time, be sure to get acquainted with the works of art themselves in museums, at exhibitions, and on various trips. There's a lot to see! When selecting illustrations (see photo series at the end of the publication: ill. 21-52), I tried to ensure that you see how diverse the world of art is, how much it can suggest and awaken in a person. All images on last page can be increased. Take advantage of this.

Now try to perceive, for example, the painting “Vase with Flowers” (ill. 25, photo on the right). Dive inside this bouquet. Do not hurry. Respond with feeling to each flower. Take a closer look at the heavy peony, the velvety twilight iris, the cool tulip. Feel them. Why is this bouquet illuminated so unevenly? Don't rush to answer! First respond with a feeling, and then look for answers.

Maybe you would like to see real living flowers, and you will see them differently, under different lighting and surroundings? After all, each flower has its own favorite lighting and its own space: timid morning, deepening twilight or bright day. What flower and what lighting is yours? Where is your kinship space?

Please note how the works are described in the annotations to the photos: author, title, year of creation, material, size, where it is stored. For example, ill. 28: Andrea Mantegna. Parnassus. 1497. Tempera on canvas. 150x192 cm. Louvre. Paris. This description of the work is not accidental: it helps to enter the space of art. Please note where the work is stored. Let this be the beginning of acquaintance with museum collections for some.

Note that the paintings were painted not only on canvas, but also on wood. And they weren’t always written oil paints, but also with tempera and in the encaustic technique, that is, with wax paints, when the coloring pigment was diluted in heated wax. Ask yourself, does the solvent (wax in encaustic, chicken yolk in tempera, and oil - these are all solvents) affect the inner meaning of the artistic image, and if so, how and why?

Art helps us see the diversity of the world, its richness, its contradictions, its beauty. Your perception becomes more refined, your imagination develops, and a sense of style is gradually developed, imperceptibly even for yourself.

It is important that you have the opportunity to constantly look at well-published art albums, where the illustrations are adequate to the original. Unfortunately, in many publications, instead of, for example, the mustard color of the original, you see bright lemon, and instead of deep cherry, you see dirty brown. Therefore, it is important that the books you purchase are well published: the illustrations must be clear, not blurry, and the color must match the original. Therefore, I recommend purchasing books from the publishing houses "Taschen/Rodnik", "AST" and "Astrel", which differ high quality printing execution.

Do not forget that education must be systematic: you cannot skip three steps. First acquire the necessary minimum with which you will later be able to read and understand Heinrich Wölfflin, move on to more complex issues.

* What is style?
* How does the structure of a baroque image differ from the structure of a rock image?
* And what is this - the structure of an artistic image?
* Which fabric pattern will better convey light, changeable, flirtatious, rocking movement, and which one will be sharp and energetic, baroque?
* What coloring, that is, the ratio of color spots, should I choose if I want to convey a somewhat brazen joy, in a kitsch-baroque spirit?
* Which composition will convey a complex feeling of mixed anxiety and timid joy (which, of course, is more common in the space of romanticism), and which - unshakable confidence and strength (which is closer to the Romanesque style)?

These questions should not be terra incognita for you. You need to avoid wandering in the dark, you need to know how not to reinvent the wheel. But the most important thing: look, touch, listen, feel, in a word - live creatively!

Make the art space feel like a family to you, so that you are welcomed and loved there, so that every spot of color tells you its own story, and the character of the line reveals hidden secrets. Vermeer of Delphi will teach you to see the beauty of color, Botticelli will teach you to respond to the character of the line, Goya will allow you to see the birth of romanticism. Art will reveal the origins of the creativity of the most prominent fashion designers of the 20th century - Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood.

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, Thanks a lot for an informative conversation! What would you wish for the readers of Osinka?

L.M.: Finding your own style is a fascinating activity. You become more mature, more whole, more active. Your life becomes deeper. Therefore, look for yourself, do not retreat when you fail.

And further. Live in art.
Along this path you will find your true individual style. And this is the only possible way.
***

Friends, attention! The list is being edited until it is finalized! Please do not copy it until this remark disappears.

1. Giorgio Vasari
Biographies of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects. - M.: ALPHA-KNIGA, 2008
(You can read it at the link: http://www.e-reading.me/book.php?book=1000515)
2. Ilyina Tatyana Valerianovna
History of art Western Europe from Antiquity to the present day. - M.: Yurait, 2013 (http://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/Culture/ilina/)
History of Russian art from the Baptism of Rus' to the beginning of the third millennium. - M.: Yurayt, 2013 (http://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/Culture/ilina2/)
3. Wölfflin Heinrich (pay attention to phrases)
Basic concepts of art history. The problem of style evolution in new art. - M.: V. Shevchuk, 2013 (http://yaki-art.ru/files/Wolflin.pdf)
Renaissance and Baroque. - M.: Azbuka-classics, 2004 (http://www.alleng.ru/d/art/art162.htm)
Classic art. Introduction to Italian Renaissance. - M.: Iris-Press, 2004 (http://mexalib.com/view/35542)
4. Whipper Boris Robertovich
Introduction to historical study art. - M.: V. Shevchuk, 2010 (http://yaki-art.ru/files/Vipper.doc)
5. Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich
About art. - L.N. Tolstoy. Collected works in 22 volumes. M.: Fiction, 1983. T. 15 (http://rvb.ru/tolstoy/tocvol_15.htm)
War and Peace. - M.: Eksmo, Oko, 2007 (http://ilibrary.ru/text/11/p.1/index.html)
6. Mandelstam Nadezhda Yakovlevna
Memories. - M.: Consent, 1999 (http://www.2lib.ru/getbook/7302.html)
Second book. - M.: AST, Astrel, Olympus, 2001 (http://www.litmir.net/bd/?b=64675)
7. Mandelstam Osip Emilievich
Complete collection of works and letters. In 3 volumes - M.: Progress-Pleiada, 2009-2011 (http://www.lib.ru/POEZIQ/MANDELSHTAM/)
8. Bible
9. Vincent Van Gogh
Letters to Brother Theo. - M.: Azbuka, Azbuka-Atticus, 2014 (http://vangogh-world.ru/letters1877.php and just an excellent site on Van Gogh)
10. Poems by Tsvetaeva (you can read, for example, here: http://rupoem.ru/cvetaeva/)
11. Poems by Akhmatova (http://rupoem.ru/axmatova/all.aspx)
12. Books from Taschen Publishing House
13. Johannes Itten
The art of color. - M.: Publisher: D. Aronov, 2011 (http://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3742905)
15. Gleb Uspensky
Collected works. In 9 vols. Ed. V. P. Druzina. - M.: Goslitizdat, 1955-1957 (http://az.lib.ru/u/uspenskij_g_i/)
16. Nikolay Kun
Legends and myths Ancient Greece. - M.: Publishing house: AST, Olympus, 2003 (http://www.lib.ru/MIFS/greece.txt)
17. Homer (better translated by N. Gnedich)
Odyssey (http://www.lib.ru/POEEAST/GOMER/gomer02.txt)
Illiad (http://www.lib.ru/POEEAST/GOMER/gomer01.txt)
Iliad. Odyssey / Translation by N. Gnedich; V. Zhukovsky - M.: Publishing house "Fiction", 1967
18. Dzhivelegov
19. Benvenuto Cellini "Life of Benvenuto, son of Maestro Giovanni Cellini, Florentine, written by himself in Florence"
20. Dante "The Divine Comedy"
21. John Donne - English Baroque poet
22. Catalog of the Kyoto Costume Institute
23. Keram K. “Gods, tombs and scientists”
24. Pushkin "Egyptian Nights", "Belkin's Tales"
25. Voloshin
26. "Song of the Nibelungs"
27. "The Song of Roland"
28. Medieval literature: poetry of the troubadours
29. Publishing house "Young Guard", series of books "History of Everyday Life": "The Palace of Versailles under Louis 14", "Venice of the Renaissance"
30. "Gothic. Architecture. Sculpture. Painting" (thick volume, translated from French)
31. Berkovsky N.Ya. - the best specialist in German romanticism
32. Zhirmunsky (scientific supervisor of Berkovsky)
33. Novalis - philosopher, one of the theorists of romanticism
34. Reader on literature for philologists
35. George Sand
36. Oscar Wilde
37. Zinaida Gippius.
38. Her husband Merezhkovsky D.
39. Reader Western European literature for universities
40. Romanticism
England: Byron, Shelley - his friend, poets of the "Lake School"
Germany: Brothers Grimm
France: Hugo, Dumas the Father, Sainte-Beuve, Lamartine, de Vigny, Musset
USA: Edgar Poe, Cooper, Longfellow "The Song of Hiawatha", Hawthorne, Bryant
Russia: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Zhukov, Ryleev, Kuchelbecker, Batyushkov, Odoevsky, Baratynsky, Tyutchev
41. Lotman M.Yu. "Education of the Soul"
42. Afanasyev A.N. "Collection of Russian folk tales"
43. Stasov, critic “History of Russian Ornament”, 1860
44. Letter from Sholokhov to Stalin about the horrors on the Don
45. "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"
46. Dostoevsky "Idiot"
47. Chekhov Anton Pavlovich
48. Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron (general hall of the Lenin library)
49. Melnikov-Pechersky “In the forests”, “On the mountains”
50. Leskov "Sealed Angel"
51. Read about Ludwig of Bavaria
52. Muratov P.P. "Images of Italy"
53. Lazarev V.N. (researcher of ancient Russian art)
54. Alpatov V.M.
55. P. Florensky "Iconostasis", "To my children. Memories"
56. Dictionary of synonyms (at least 2.3 volumes)
57. Prince Trubetskoy "3 essays on the Russian icon"
58. Pomerantsev N.N.
59. "Gorodets painting" (sold in "Ozone")
60. Parmon "Russian" National Costume" - book on cutting
61. Kirichenko E.I. - best author on modern architecture
62. Lifar Serge "Diaghilev and with Diaghilev"
63. Magazine "Our Heritage"
64. Solzhenitsyn "GULAG Archipelago"
65. Znamerovskaya T.P.
66. History musical culture(multi-volume)
67. Works on the history of literature
68. Poet Arseny Tarkovsky, father of the director
69. Cervantes "Don Quixote"
70. Prince Felix Yusupov, memoirs
71. Nabokov "Camera Obscura"
72. Fowles "The Collector"
73. Styron "Sophie's Choice"
74. Lev Dmitrievich Lyubimov, books on the history of art in Europe and Russia (incl. Ancient Rus')
Art of Ancient Rus'. M.: Education, 3rd ed., 1996
Art of the ancient world.
Art of Western Europe: The Middle Ages. Renaissance in Italy. M.: Education, 3rd ed., 1996.
75. Dmitrieva Nina Aleksandrovna.
Image and word. (http://yaki-art.ru/files/dmitrieva.rar)
A Brief History of Art.
In search of harmony. Art history works different years. - Publisher: Progress-Tradition, 2009. Author's collection
Dmitrieva Nina Aleksandrovna, Vinogradova Nadezhda Anatolyevna. Art of the Ancient World
76. Alexander Kozhanovsky. Be Spanish. Tradition. Self-awareness. Historical memory. - M: AST, East-West, 2006.
77.Igor Shaitanov (brilliant literary critic). Reader on foreign literature, textbooks and everything else that comes along.
79. N.A. Chistyakova, N.V. Vulikh. History of ancient literature.
80. "The Tale of Genji" - one of the greatest literary monuments of Japan
81. Chaliapin. Mask and soul.
82. Johann Joachim Winckelmann - German art critic, founder modern ideas about the ancient art and science of archaeology.
History of ancient art. Small essays. - St. Petersburg: Aletheia, State Hermitage Museum, 2000.
Selected works and letters. - M.: Ladomir, Academia, 1996.
83. Mikhail Chekhov. The actor's path (

Nadezhda Azarova for the portal Osinka.ru

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, individual style is a fashionable category, but quite mysterious. What is it - a person’s style?

Lyubov Mikhailovna: A person's style is an expression of a vibrant personality. You can't be stylish and not have a bright personality. You can't live a boring, standard life and be stylish. People often live exactly the same as their neighbors, and for some reason they are confident that with such a life they can be stylish. Style is a natural, organic continuation of the essence of a person, and a bright, unique essence. Therefore, style seems to sprout from the human core, as naturally as a swollen grain sprouts in good soil.

You can't be stylish on the outside and not stylish on the inside. Besides, individual style in external expression is an artistic image. And an artistic image is an internal, immanent feature of a work of art. That is style is always art

Osinka: . Therefore, individual style is a mandatory manifestation of the artistic capabilities of the individual, therefore, it requires certain knowledge in the field of art. You need to realize that style is formed at a certain, fairly high, cultural level of a person.

Marlene Dietrich- a classic example of a tragic search for style: I suffered, tried, spent money on clothes, jewelry, furs, and all in vain. She called herself a “hairy potato.” There is so much despair in this! But she passionately loved music, played the violin herself, read poetry, but she was unable to express this inner self in a full-fledged visual image. Why? I lacked artistic skill, artistic taste, and sense of style. And then a meeting with director Sternberg, the film “The Blue Angel”. And it becomes not just stylish, but a symbol of style! How did this happen? What and how did Sternberg have to change in the provincial actress?

For me, one of the most striking examples of a stylish person was and remains Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya. There is nothing artificial, superficial, or unusual in her style. Flight and energy are still preserved in her appearance. But this originality of hers did not manifest itself so immediately and so clearly. And this could be said about all our heroes. Look at photos of them when they were young. The style seemed to grow in them as their personality formed.

What makes people stylish? Their life, their creative attitude to life, their meetings, their environment. These are always bright personalities. They are different, and they value this uniqueness.

Academician V.Ya. Propp, philologist, author of the famous work "Morphology of the Fairy Tale", is certainly a stylish person. His life, his brightly characteristic appearance with a sharp beard, a semi-military tablet instead of a briefcase - everything is solid, organic, despite a certain negligence, and, perhaps, thanks to it.

True style matures gradually, because the question of individual style is a question of development!

Osinka: Why are there so few stylish people?

L.M.: The reason is that one person does not often combine the uniqueness of personality and knowledge, moreover, practical skills in the field of artistic creativity. Hence the blind imitation. It is blind precisely because a person does not have enough culture to understand that this image, although it is fashionable and stylish, may be in itself, but has a very distant relation to it. Often there is no desire to understand oneself. So it turns out that the dress screams about one thing, the lady’s face whispers about another, and the bag creaks about a third!

Osinka: Lyubov Mikhailovna, please give examples of obvious stylistic mistakes?

L.M.: I often see a girl in high heels, “on parade,” and next to her a young man almost in a tracksuit. I note that modern fashion favors mixing different styles, but this requires exceptional skill. This can also be seen at social evenings. The elegant appearance of a lady is often discordant with the appearance of her companion: baggy jacket, blue striped shirt.

The couple should be in the same style space. If you have the appropriate knowledge, taste and use various stylish images, then they should be woven into one story: they seem to cling to each other, like a puzzle, complementing each other and emphasizing something important.

Johnny Depp and his wife, actress Vanessa Paradis, always pleasantly surprise. They are not just organic next to each other, but each time it is a new fascinating story, told with subtle taste and completely consistent with their individuality.

Look at the photos of this couple. Please note that Johnny is wearing a tuxedo, but on his feet are not shoes, as one might expect, but boots with thick soles, and on his head is a felt hat with a rather high, not at all classic, crown. Johnny seems to be laughing at himself, at his pretentious tuxedo. And Vanessa is very organic next to him: she resembles a disheveled bird with wet feathers. In her portrayal, Johnny's mockery has turned into a warm smile, and this enhances Vanessa's touchingness.

Photo. Johnny Depp and his wife, actress Vanessa Paradis.

Look at the next photo. Johnny is dressed according to the laws of the classics, and Vanessa, it would seem, is simply a tastefully dressed young woman. But there is something in this pair that makes you stop looking and respond to feeling. What? And how did it happen?

Osinka: But then, is style achievable for ordinary people?

L.M.: If by “ordinary” people we mean standard people, then no. If to identify and preserve one’s uniqueness, and not to be an automaton, then style can be accessible to everyone. In any case, this is what we should all strive for. Finding your style means looking for yourself: what you love, where you would like to work, who you would like to see next to you. And, note that this will not always coincide with generally accepted ideas.

Osinka:Lyubov Mikhailovna, how do you come to style?

L.M.: Modern man wants to have everything at once. It is important to realize that a truly stylish person is not a mask, but a certain stage of human development. In addition, we must remember that The formation of an individual style is not a craft process, but a creative process: after all, as a result, a one-of-a-kind, inimitable image is formed. Art plays a huge role in this process.

Look at women's images from different eras. Art teaches us to see and appreciate the diversity of femininity. For Botticelli, this is an image of poetic melancholy. Titian has the luxury of life-affirming sensuality. In Fragonard's rock image there is a flirtatious playfulness. The lady with a fan in the painting by Velazquez represents severity, dignity and piety.

In the luxurious Monna of the Pre-Raphaelite Gabriel Rossetti, the romantic tradition overlaps with echoes, as if memories, of the Baroque: its sensuality is aggressive, and therefore dangerous. They are different. And everyone is beautiful.

Photo. D. G. Rossetti. Monna Bath.1866.

Art shapes personality and helps to find oneself. And at the same time, it develops the skill of perceiving an artistic image. But a stylish appearance is always an image.

That's why master art. And remember that it is important to know the biographies of artists, directors, to know what Baroque and Rococo, Italian neorealism are, to list all the surrealists in French literature, but this is not yet knowledge of art. After all, these are all facts of artistic culture. Art is an artistic image. And to know art is to be able to comprehend an artistic image. Style is always an image, and an image born in the space of art.

Osinka: Where would you advise starting your path to understanding art?

L.M.: Consult the books Boris Robertovich Vipper ("Introduction to Fine Arts"), Tatyana Valeryanovna Ilyina ("History of Art. Western European art", "Domestic art").

B.R. Vipper is a recognized classic of Russian art history. T.V. Ilyina is a professor at the Department of Art History at St. Petersburg University. Her books contain basic information on the history of fine art. In addition, you will find lists of additional literature. Popular books by Lev Lyubimov are useful.

And at the same time, be sure to get acquainted with the works of art themselves in museums, at exhibitions, and on various trips. There's a lot to see! When choosing illustrations, I wanted you to see how diverse the world of art is, how much it can suggest and awaken in a person. All images on the last page can be enlarged. Take advantage of this.

Now try to perceive, for example, painting "Vase with flowers". Dive inside this bouquet. Do not hurry. Respond with feeling to each flower. Take a closer look at the heavy peony, the velvety twilight iris, the cool tulip. Feel them. Why is this bouquet illuminated so unevenly? Don't rush to answer! First respond with a feeling, and then look for answers.

Please note how the works are described in the annotations to the photos: author, title, year of creation, material, size, where it is stored. For example, Andrea Mantegna. Parnassus. 1497. Tempera on canvas. 150x192 cm. Louvre. Paris. This description of the work is not accidental: it helps to enter the space of art. Please note where the work is stored. Let this be the beginning of acquaintance with museum collections for some.

Note that the paintings were painted not only on canvas, but also on wood. And they were painted not always with oil paints, but also with tempera and using the encaustic technique, that is, with wax paints, when the coloring pigment was diluted in heated wax. Ask yourself, does the solvent (wax in encaustic, chicken yolk in tempera, and oil - these are all solvents) affect the inner meaning of the artistic image, and if so, how and why?

Art helps you see the diversity of the world, its richness, its inconsistency, its beauty. Your perception becomes more refined, your imagination develops, and a sense of style is gradually developed, imperceptibly even for yourself.

It is important that you have the opportunity to constantly look at well-published art albums, where the illustrations are adequate to the original. Unfortunately, in many publications, instead of, for example, the mustard color of the original, you see bright lemon, and instead of deep cherry, you see dirty brown. Therefore, it is important that what you purchase the books were well published: Illustrations must be clear, not blurry, and the color must match the original. Therefore, I recommend purchasing books from the publishing houses "Taschen/Rodnik", "AST" and "Astrel", which are distinguished by high quality printing.

Do not forget that education should be systematic: You cannot jump over three steps. First acquire the necessary minimum, with which you will later be able to read and understand Heinrich Wölfflin and move on to more complex issues.

What is style?
- How does the structure of a baroque image differ from the structure of a rock image?
- And what is this - the structure of an artistic image?
- Which fabric pattern will better convey light, changeable, flirtatious, rocking movement, and which one will be sharp and energetic, baroque?
- What coloring, that is, the ratio of color spots, should I choose if I want to convey a somewhat brazen joy, in a kitsch-baroque spirit?
- Which composition will convey a complex feeling of mixed anxiety and timid joy (which, of course, is more common in the space of romanticism), and which - unshakable confidence and strength (which is closer to the Romanesque style)?

These questions should not be terra incognito for you. You need to avoid wandering in the dark, you need to know how not to reinvent the wheel. But the most important thing: look, touch, listen, feel, in a word - live creatively!

Make the art space feel like a family to you, so that you are welcomed and loved there, so that every spot of color tells you its own story, and the character of the line reveals hidden secrets. Vermeer of Delphi will teach you to see the beauty of color, Botticelli will teach you to respond to the character of the line, Goya will allow you to see the birth of romanticism. Art will reveal the origins of the creativity of the most prominent fashion designers of the 20th century - Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood.

Osinka:Lyubov Mikhailovna, thank you very much for the informative conversation! What would you wish for the readers of Osinka?

L.M.: Finding your own style is a fascinating activity. You become more mature, more whole, more active. Your life becomes deeper. Therefore, look for yourself, do not give up when you fail.

And further. Live in art.
Along this path you will find your true individual style. And this is the only possible way.