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 way for 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 are 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. Dimensions of many Baroque architectural structures suggest that Baroque people loved to spend 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.
At a Moscow school modern photography Photoplay took place in 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, a Japanese kimono with decoration in the Ryazan beading style, 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 the method of creating a stylish image, head of the Development Studio creativity.
Today's topic national pride reappeared in our hearts and minds, but not in our wardrobes. Put something on 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 matryoshka doll or the leader of Kadysheva’s folk ensemble, 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.
Nadezhda Azarova for the portal Osinka.ru
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 cannot 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. 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, quite high, cultural level 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.
| Photo. Sophia Loren. |
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 bright examples was and remains a stylish person 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. It's 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 tracksuit. I note that modern fashion favors mixing various 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: baggy jacket, blue striped shirt.
The couple should be in the same style space. If you have the appropriate knowledge, taste and use different stylish images, That 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 portrayal, Johnny's mockery has turned into a warm smile, and this enhances Vanessa's touchingness.
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?
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 ready-made.
Osinka: But then, is the 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 female images 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 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.
| Photo.B. Kustodiev. Portrait of Rene Notgaft. 1914. |
In the luxurious Monna of the Pre-Raphaelite Gabriel Rossetti romantic tradition overlapped 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 the skill of perceiving an artistic image. But a stylish appearance is always an image.
That's why master art. And remember that to know the biographies of artists, directors, to know what Baroque and Rococo are, Italian neorealism, to list all the surrealists in French literature- is important, 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.: Consult the books Boris Robertovich Vipper ("Introduction to Fine Arts"), Tatyana Valeryanovna Ilyina ("History of Art. Western European Art", "Domestic Art").
B.R.Whipper - recognized classic domestic 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. Useful popular books Lev Lyubimov.
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.
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, 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 you see the diversity of the world, its richness, its inconsistency, its beauty. Your perception becomes more refined, your imagination develops, and you gradually develop, unnoticed even by yourself, a sense of style.
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 differ high quality printing execution.
Do not forget that education must 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 - 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.
For the training course "I am a creator!"
INTERVIEW TASK.
Among the students of LYUBOV POPOVA'S STUDIO there are photographers, image makers, florists, and fashion designers. But most of all, these are people very far from the creative space: managers, programmers, accountants, lawyers.
Many of the participants had never done anything like this.
TRY!
1. FIRST TASK.
Prepare a series of photographs (at least 20) with the identified STRUCTURE (flowers, textures, leaves, fruits, birds, animals, people, clothes, accessories, etc.). Find an angle, lighting, composition that will help reveal the structure of the phenomenon.
The purpose of the task is to teach to see and feel the STRUCTURE OF A PHENOMENON, always hidden and always secret. Grabbing structure is an indispensable element of CREATIVITY.
Yulia Selezneva. Pansies. "I am a creator", first year of study.
Look at this photo. Special lighting revealed the figurative structure of pansies and clarified their romantic essence. But ordinary light would destroy this romantic excitement.
Think about why I'm talking about romantic excitement here. Remember what structure is in an artistic image (see your notes from the “Art Preparation” course). What is the structure of pansies: the nature of the line, the rhythms, the nature of the color spots and color in general, the nature, and finally, the texture.
Practice with different colors. This is useful. This is how a SENSE OF STYLE is formed.
A tulip and a peony, for example, require completely different lighting. For a peony, this can be soft light, emphasizing the tenderness of sensual petals, that is, picturesque light, and for a tulip, it can be emphasizing the lines of the flower, that is, graphic light. In this case, the photograph will reveal the sensuality of the peony and the severity and restraint of the tulip. And this is already a step towards an artistic image. But the peony can also be placed in aggressive space created by contrasting, harsh lighting. This light is already destroying the peony. And this will be an IMAGE: the tenderness of the peony, as it were, brought this aggressive space to life.
FEEL!
Remember how we learned this in class. The space of the image must be born within you.
Here is another photo that helps to understand what STRUCTURE is in a visual image, in a STYLISH image.
The brooch itself, or rather its structure, gave birth to these ashes.
Faith of Eden. Brooch. "I am a creator", first year of study.
Correct perception, that is, grasping the structure, helped Vera of Eden create wonderful IMAGE and become the winner in the “Creative Impression” competition and. I am giving two links so that you can read the comments; there are some very interesting and deep ones.
Look how Yulia Chernenko selects lighting for leaves on a gray background depending on the image, STRUCTURE.
Everything is built on subtle nuance. Gray background acquired using different lighting various shades, which reveal the ESSENCE, MEANING of the image. WATCH and read the comments!
Yulia Chernikova. Leaves. "I am a creator", first year of study.
You can see how attention to the world can give birth to IMAGES in the art of makeup.
You will see how Maria Anishchenko, a student of the Studio, manages to capture the structure of the image of wooden architecture, as well as the structural connections between architecture and the natural landscape.
Architecture also (Nadezhda Bazanova, student of the Studio) and (Olga Chernenko, student of the Studio). If you have taken courses on large historical styles, then you probably felt that it is architecture that very productively forms a SENSE OF STYLE. Using architecture as an example, it is easier to understand what STRUCTURE is.
How the ability to capture structures helped a young photographer turn photographing his grandmother's dresses into creativity. Look, and most importantly, FEEL (as we learned in class) why this or that background is chosen. The STRUCTURE of the dresses dictates these creative choices.
2. SECOND TASK.
Please inform in advance (five days before the interview) (e-mail: [email protected]) the address of your LiveJournal - after all, this is your CREATIVE diary.
What excites, surprises, or leaves you indifferent?
“When an ARTIST’S SOUL is filled to the brim with IMPRESSIONS, what overflows is a WORK OF ART,” said the ancient Japanese.
I would like to see how YOUR soul is filled with impressions!
3. THIRD TASK.
Work through everyone's material three parts"Great historical styles".
Submit summaries of books on these topics, your notes while studying museum exhibitions, flash drives with illustrations you have selected. All these materials should indicate the seriousness of your intentions.
The purpose of the assignment is to create the basis for further independent creative work. This task makes it possible to develop your personal creative skills and protects you from “reinventing the wheel.”
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, DEAR FRIENDS!
AND PERSISTENCE.
Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova, candidate of art history,
author of a methodology for developing creative abilities.
Hello!
My name is Lyubov Mikhailovna Popova.
Reading training courses in the history of fine arts in higher education educational institutions, I tried to find answers to questions that were important to me: how to teach people to perceive art, and not limit themselves to ready-made art historical formulas? How can we help students move away from superficial judgments about works of art and teach them to respond to the feeling, emotion, thought inherent in the work by the artist?
Opening the door to a deep appreciation of art for my students brought me true joy. At some point, I realized that by teaching this, I was essentially teaching creativity, because the questions I was trying to answer were related to its inner nature. Working with students, I became convinced that my teaching techniques not only opened up works for them famous artists, but also expand their own creative abilities, taking them to a new level artistic activity. I came to the conclusion that creative activity obeys certain laws. This is how the training program and the method of developing creative abilities were conceptualized, which formed the basis educational process my Studio.
I was born in the city of Armavir Krasnodar region. In 1979 she graduated from the Department of Art History, Faculty of History, Leningrad University. St. Petersburg gave me not only itself, but also a meeting with brilliant monuments of art in its numerous museums, with the treasures of its libraries.
After graduating from university, I worked as a research assistant-custodian of the funds of the Chernigov State Architectural and Historical Reserve. My attention was attracted by a Ukrainian folk icon, little studied at that time, but which, I am sure, has a worldwide artistic value. The result of my research was the dissertation “People’s Icon of Left Bank Ukraine of the New Age,” which I defended in 1985.
In Moscow, I worked as a senior researcher at the Research Institute of the Art Industry, went on expeditions to my favorite Volga region, where I studied the contemporary existence of folk art, and tried to make my contribution to its revival and preservation.
At the same time my pedagogical activity. I taught at the Moscow Pedagogical state university, at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, at Moscow State University, at the Moscow Institute of Technology, at the Institute of Fashion, Design and Technology. She taught educational courses (“History of European Fine Arts”, “Russian folk art", "Structure artistic form visual image», « Artistic image in fashion of the 20th century”, “Leading Fashion Houses of the 20th century”), led seminars (“Perception of fine art”, “ Bible stories in Russian and Western European fine arts").
In the 90s, another area of my interests emerged: I advised a number of leading companies in Moscow on issues of corporate style and image.
But my main business was the Studio for the Development of Creative Abilities.
