Dr. Sergey Zagraevsky
Art or “jingoistic
patriotism”?
(notes
on Ilya Glazunov’s Christmas show in Manezh)
Published in Russian: Ñåðãåé Çàãðàåâñêèé. èñêóññòâî èëè «êâàñíîé ïàòðèîòèçì»? (Çàìåòêè î íîâîãîäíåé âûñòàâêå Èëüè Ãëàçóíîâà â Ìàíåæå). «Àðò-ãàçåòà», ¹ 2 (33), 10–16 ÿíâ.
Attention!
The following text
was translated from the Russian original by the computer program
and has not
yet been edited.
So it can be used
only for general introduction.
Ilya
Glazunov is more than an artist. Or less - as you like.
In any case has to say about it as a global phenomenon in the scale and the
late and early capitalist
Let's start with the Soviet era. Paradoxically,
while the artists were, in a sense, is simpler. Found the courage to stand up
in opposition to the regime - all the popularity ensured. And if this still was
able to "negotiate" with the government, made a couple of curtseys
like paint the portrait of Brezhnev, " all ready
"promotion" at all levels. And Glazunov - example.
However, the Russian idea -
not a toy, and patriotism. You can be a patriot, to love
And His Majesty Art Oh how not like anything to
obey, even if it's a national idea or Christianity! And here the work stops,
starts, or politics, or ideology, or anything else, the arts are relevant only
insofar as it is written in oil on canvas. In this trap, even in the seventies
and got Ilya Glazunov. And his magnificent exhibition
in the Central exhibition hall Manege on New year
2000 is only a sign that nothing in twenty years, our government does not understand
(although not in the construction of interchanges, and art).
When Glazunov "for both" given the state hall Manege, which rent for a month worth several hundred
thousand (!) dollars, is truly sorry for the country. Do you, gentlemen powers
that be think that the painting by Ilya Sergeyevich so important that for the sake of the state
budget could be short of millions of rubles?
And for what? The vast
majority of Russian people have already developed immunity against jingoistic patriotism.
And not in vain. Look: the West without quite
complete, but must be the same: at the international competitions
"their" athletes in the performance of the national anthem cry! Are
the bulls calamity, and cheeks tears roll. For some reason I have this
"our" not yet observed, despite all Glazunov speech and exhibitions.
Is it time to realize that patriotism is a feeling immeasurably more
profound than fondly contemplation on the faces of the saints? And there is
nothing that undermines people's sense of psychological unity with the national
idea of the country as outright speculation patriotism. We must do things that
really improve the lives of people!
"Comrade government",
do you learned nothing from the collapse of Soviet power? Only just started to
go from cheap slogans to business - and here again! Yes damn half-starved old
woman with very little pension for all Riding together! And let us calculate
how much benefit to children and the elderly would be possible to pay for the
huge money that ordinary businessmen would pay for providing an Arena for the
most gold, Christmas, Christmas time? And how many roads could be repaired?
If Ilya Glazunov
considers himself a great painter (this is his personal right), then let them
earn selling works and rents for their money even though the Kremlin Palace of
Congresses. How do! For the state account he not only exhibited at the Manege, but also creates its own personal Museum in
Not only will the next generation look at the
Glazunov painting with the same contempt as we look at the tacky
"pseudo" architectural style of the early twentieth century? And not
because he Glazunov or working on his art could not this painting
"correctly apply. For example, the current exhibition at the Manege organized exclusively literacy: worked as a guide,
beautifully made hanging, and even sold t-shirts with the inscriptions "I
love Glazunov. Case in the works.
You look at the work of Ilya
Glazunov early sixties and understand: it was bad! And then something happened,
as we have already said: the displacement of creativity gigantomania-speculative
and political themes. The artist began working on the idea and openly propagate
their "Patriotic" faces a tragic thoughtful eyes. And when a huge canvas on the viewer look hundreds of such persons is
truly terrifying, as if pressing on you all the Imperial power of the
USSR-Russia, together with all its problems.
When all that song in the works of Glazunov constructed's student-standard, or simply illiterate - in
many, especially in large scenes missing semantic dominant, they are
"smeared". And in the Nude is nothing new - standard academism. In
short, nothing but the undoubted professionalism in a careful tracing of
individuals and, of course, unimaginable scale, from which both smell the style
of the Stalin years.
Want to set up an experiment? Do not be lazy,
look at the exhibition Glazunov a portrait of 1986, the Christmas tree and
mentally remove him from the bust of the ancient Greek thinker, designed to
symbolize the genius of the author. What a strong and truly tragic character of
the artist will appear before us! And from the tracks immediately leave
illiterate symmetry. A pririsovalsya speculative bust
- and all climbed cheap. This whole Ilya.
Speculators Russian national idea lived, live and
will live, and eventually the entire civilized world sees us as something dense
and hopelessly behind. What are the first thoughts of Europeans with the word
"
When our people stop cheating?
© Sergey Zagraevsky