Novie Izvestia publication

Former models paint in diamonds, not in paint

In the luxurious interiors of an ancient mansion an exhibition by Tamara Nesterova La Vita e Bella ("Life is beautiful") has opened. The former successful model admits that she has no art education at all and doesn't seem to be shy of the fact, that all her "pictures" are entirely decorated with strass, beads, flowers, bottles of perfume and even natural fur. Critics have already named such kitschy conception a "new naive art".

In our understanding, which is formed on the idea that art comes from museums and galleries, "naive art" is something from the sphere of rural life. So it is a usual term for pictures of nonprofessional artists, who suddenly begin to paint in a XIX century manner - landscapes, portraits and still life. In Moscow there is a Museum of naive art with hundreds of works in storerooms. Biographies of "naive painters" are very similar: a milkmaid in a village (or even an engineer or a librarian) reaches the retirement age, takes a brush and begins to "sing frankly about things that she or he sees around".

Naive canvases touch the hearts of capital habitants - they reflect the entire truth of life at an undisturbed sight. And still there are professional artists who put on quilted coats and felt boots and begin to paint like peasants, whether for the amusement or because of their sincere love to people. One of such painters is, for example, Vladimir Lubarov.

But now this gradation of naive art should be discarded. An absolutely different kind of amateur masters comes to the scene. In 1990 Tamara Nesterova was one of those models that suited the Russian boom on western podiums. She lived in Milan and was invited for shows by the leading fashion houses. But the age of models is transient, just like of ballerinas. When she returned to Moscow, she followed the footsteps of rich man's wives, and joined the art party. It's not important, whether she tried to get closer to the bohemia because of an old hobby, or, on the contrary, became inspired by the artworks after having visited the fashionable vernisages.

What is important is that the model chose the most difficult and dangerous path - creation of artworks. After all, as a rule, our it-girls (rich wives) join the ranks of supporters and curators. As they say, you can't expect anything from them: while the artists create, these girls stand in beauty on the vernisages and keep company with the invited patrons of art.

The problem is that Tamara has really begun to create. And do what she likes to do. She cuts the images of pop stars of the XX century our of posters and magazines - Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, princess Diana - and adds the "golden men" ("Beatles", Ray Charles). Then she buys an expensive carved frame (an antique or a high-tech type), completes the picture collage on fabric with diligently copied patterns, decorates it with Swarovski strass, fur, artificial flowers and even beads. The stones are sparkling, the soul is pleased with the view of familiar photos, and frames can be part of interior in the rich alcoves. You feel like you have stepped inside the maiden album - everything is covered with velvet and pigeons.

In fact, it is hard to surprise the audience of the capital with strass and Marilyn Monroe. In this sphere there are such long time dwellers as Katya Filippova (as to strass), Andrey Bartenyev (journal cover cuttings) and Vladislav Mamyshev (an expert in Monroe). But all of them are professional artists who constantly address the traditions of pop art. Nesterova also tries to be attached to pop art, but her creations lack that irony in relation to the glamour, which is common for the followers of Andy Warhol. She really loves the ones she depicts and she tries to make them "as beautiful as possible".

Here we can come to a conclusion, that it is too early to say goodbye to the glamour. Everyone jointly hushed on it, apparently, even those who promoted this glamour before. The glossy beauty was represented as a dead branch: it can be continued only with advertising and money (which have suddenly disappeared). But the idea that glamour can be national, that it can be developed into a form of crafts and that artificial brilliants can be identical to the poisonous Chinese paint for bedside rugs, has come to a very few people. But the main discovery - glamour has appeared to be less soulless. It turned to be ridiculously naive and domestic. There is still a risk that former models will follow Nesterova on this path and we will sink in the sea of sincere delight of Loren or Diana. And the galleries again will have to put obstacles to amateur production and transfer the "naive brilliants" to a newly created museum.