Sergey Fateev: Marianna Kornilova and students

During the exhibition - "Eve of St. Agnes." The festive final exhibition of the creative photo workshop Marianna Kornilova at the Moscow Art Theater and Art Center Our Arbat, art director of Gallerix.ru Sergey Fateev talked to Marianna Kornilova and her students.

Marianne, how did it happen that you started doing photography?

From childhood I was surrounded by beautiful people and places. I kept diaries, recording not only events, but also describing the beauty that I found very much, whether in a person, in emotion, in a landscape or in an abandoned house. But the verbal description was not enough for me, I earnestly wanted to visualize my impressions.

Photo: Julia Moruleva

The thought of a camera did not immediately come to my mind, but at 16 I realized that this was what I needed. My undertaking was supported by very serious painters who considered my pictures to be very good, their opinion was not called into question.

How does the idea arise, the plot of your work is formed?

And it is formed from the contemplation or comprehension of beauty in any of its manifestations, non-positive for me. I can read a book, a poem, see a beautiful face on the street, watch a movie, hear a song, feel something in the air, see a dream - and from this an Idea, Image can arise. But I have been working for a very long time on each of my projects. Having long ago abandoned shooting to order, I only do what fascinates me, and if this is a project consisting of a series of photos, work on it can take more than one year. But sooner or later they are realized, acquire their final, completed form.

How would you determine the direction or style of your work?

The genres in which I work are “Artistic Portrait” and “Artistic Production”. My photos are generally considered to be made in the style of noir, decadence, I often hear the word "Gothic", and I have nothing against it. It’s just that when I started taking pictures 22 years ago, there weren’t all these definitions (nobody used them in relation to photography, anyway), but the direction remained the same. Therefore, I always give only the first two definitions of the genre, everything else is the perception of the audience, generally accepted cliches and common generalizations.

Whose works of modern masters do you like? Who would you learn from?

I have an unchanged three leaders, nothing has changed the last 15 years. These are photographers Barry Lattegan, Howard Schatz and Helmut Newton. I would hardly be able to learn something from them, since these are masters of other genres. Of my compatriots, Konstantin Vasilyevich Khudyakov is the unchanging authority for me, and yes, I would like to at least one iota get closer to the unattainable heights of his skill and the level of work with high technologies. Alien to a still life, he invariably captivates me in the works of Sergei Vyacheslavovich Savelyev, a Russian scientist and photo artist. In general, all the active members of the TSHR Art Photo section, headed by chairman Maxim Vladimirovich Kireev, delight me, and any section meeting can turn into a master class. It is great happiness to be able to communicate with masters of this level.

If you pay attention to other areas in contemporary art, for myself I would single out two seemingly completely incompatible artists. This is Dmitry Kavarga, working in the field of technological art, and Gennady Ivanovich Pravotorov, sculptor, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation. They are of different generations, and, in general, I don’t want to apply the word “modern” to any of them. These creators are timeless. Dmitry Kavarga’s installations have an effect on my sense of perception of space and its poetics, sound and plasticity. Art G.I. Pravotorova frees consciousness from the superficial, return to the origins, clean lines, spirituality and humanity.

The greatest influence on my creative inspiration is nevertheless exerted by books; the list can be endless. With a heavy heart, in order to at least slightly limit the range of my literary addictions, I will single out among the writers Erich Maria Remarque, Gustav Meyrink, Sartre, Sasha Sokolov, Robert Musil, among the poets Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats. Edgar Allan Poe is on both lists. However, the idea of distinguishing authorities in literature was initially a failure, and a not too friendly series of masters of the pen who inspired me from different eras and genres lined up in my head.

A little easier with the cinema - the 40s-80s of French cinema and I will separately note the enormous figure of Jean Cocteau, of course, not only in the cinema. In contemporary cinema of the 21st century, isolated cases of copyright films can cause a creative impulse, but this happens very rarely.

What motivated you to teach?

A very specific person, for which I am very grateful to him. I will even call his name, Maxim Lvovich Smirnov. He held a post in the dean’s office of an art university, and once, having looked at my site, he made an appointment. Not being verbose, he immediately went from words to deeds, and offered me to start teaching photography at his university. I, as a responsible and self-confident person, asked, “Do you have a curriculum?” Maxim Lvovich replied, "Since you know what it is, you can handle it." For three months I wrote a course of lectures and practical classes, which had to be constantly expanded due to the growing interest in my course among students, and their desire to continue their studies. I was 24 years old.

M.L. Smirnov is currently an accomplished designer; he has a gallery in Vienna, and here, in Moscow, a commercial photo studio. We hardly communicate, but I will always remember him as a person who gave me another opportunity for self-realization in the field of photography. It’s nice to be a helpful specialist.

What plans do you have for the future?

Nothing special. To nurture those groups of listeners who have now come to my workshop. Finish a project that started back in 2013. (An unprecedented case where works from an as yet unfinished project were exhibited countless times in many cities around the world). Prepare a clear concept and sketches for a new project. Several well-known, as well as novice artists and photographers call me into their projects, but you need to really evaluate your capabilities, even physical ones. I hope everything works out. I also want to raise my professional level, on my own, or by studying with high-class specialists. I have a lot of work to do, and I really hope for my own creative growth this year.

pupils

Of course, it was not in the workshop of Marianne that you first picked up a camera?

Anastasia Guseva

I picked up the camera in my childhood, but came to its full use in 2007, when I bought myself my own digital camera. From that moment, photography completely absorbed me and I spent all my free time exploring the world through the lens of my simple camera. But this turned out to be not enough and I wanted to go on and on, so I came to the realization that photography is not just a bunch of beautiful pictures and cards, but something more, and I needed to study the camera and photography from the inside and start to see the world through the eyes of professionals. It was then in 2009 that the search for suitable pieces and a teacher began. At that time, my meeting with Marianna Kornilova, a teacher with a capital “P”, a professional in her field, took place.

Basova Anna

At the time of coming to the studio, I was familiar with photography. The first experiments were, like many, - on the "soap box ". First there was a small film Kodak, then a 5MP compact camera. Experimented with overlay images, small plots. Then she asked her father to tell how to handle the weighty and mysterious "Zenith ". It was with this camera that the more serious passion for photography began. I believe that it was precisely what, in principle, began with the film, gave me a lot in the future. Often, film means more painstaking work on the frame. There may not be a second chance, especially if you are not in the studio. I switched to digital at first simply because my old Zenith for the third time in a row "chewed " all my work. I came to the courses largely because of the lack of a theoretical base, I wanted to expand the boundaries and learn how to work in the studio.

Vladimir Myshevsky

My parents gave me the first camera for my birthday for 10 years, it was a Minolta camera (film), for the 20th anniversary I was presented with a digital Olympus, and my little photo activity began with it. I photographed everything and everything, because the film was not there) Then I wanted more and started saving up for something more… after a couple of years I saved it on Nikon D90, and life seemed to be a success… but… this device takes more time lay in a bag because there was a fear of making bad photos a good camera. All friends said "let’s take pictures and pay for the camera ", but I was afraid to do everything badly, and then one day my friend, Yura, said that there was a set for photo courses, and suggested that I think and go to study with him. On the one hand, I wanted to go, and on the other, I understood that such studies can not give anything, because this cannot be learned, it is necessary that this is inside… but he persuaded me, and I came to study, and after the first lesson I understood that I was wrong, and what I knew before the courses, I didn’t know anything at all. Two courses flew very quickly.

Egor Neverov

Of course, I started using the camera for a long time, in my memory there was still Grandma’s Polaroid, from which I took the first pictures

But, like everyone else, the shots were philistine, so as a keepsake, in order to take and one day brag to my friends the pyramids of Egypt, for which I spent several coils of photographic tape.

Kristina Krainova

I consciously took the camera at age 14, but I lacked the confidence that I could transfer everything that I see and everything that I want to show. Then I threw this venture in the long box, but later, nevertheless, I still had time to gain this confidence. Then I went to Marianne.

Lena Kurnosova

Of course, I first picked up the camera long before meeting Marianna. At first it was a Kodak soap dish. Then, years later, when I had a digital SLR camera, there was a need to understand the processes of photography and the functions of manual settings.

Stanislava Ova

I first picked up the camera 13 years ago, then we traveled around Prague with my mother. Incorrectly filled film in the old "soap box " did not leave a single chance for at least some frame. Then I decided by all means to learn how to take pictures. A semi-professional camera appeared 6 years ago - personified a love of bright colors and details. Well, for the first steps to the profession and the first professional camera in my hands, I am grateful to my friend, a worthy St. Petersburg photographer - Stanislav Pryakhin.

Yuri Yurov

My first camera was "Zenith " film, it was not a new camera, my brother gave it to me. That was in 1998, I started learning to take pictures. I went mainly to dog shows. Then he switched to people. Acquaintances, relatives and friends at that time. Photographed both in color and in b / w. At home in the bathroom, under the red light, he printed photos. But due to frequent travels, unfortunately, the camera was lost, and on this my hobby for an indefinite time had to be forgotten. Then, in 2002 or 2004, my parents purchased a polaroid camera - instant photos. There were also a variety of cameras "soap dishes ". Then again it happened that for some time I postpone my, in my opinion, interesting hobby. And now, finally, I still achieved it and in 2011 I bought myself the first digital SLR. And again he began to take pictures, began to read books, go to photo exhibitions, looked, studied photos of professionals and eminent photographers.

What did the training give you?