Review of the album-catalogue: Vladimir Popov. Calligraphy. Author-compiler L.N. Donina (Kazan, 2019. 400 p.)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the illustrated-annotated album-catalogue “Vladimir Popov. Calligraphy,” representing one of the stages of the work of the famous artist. Works by V.A. Popov's are found to be of ever-increasing relevance – in connection with Russia's new turn towards the ideas of Eurasianism, towards cooperation with the countries of the East, an important mediator of which is Tatarstan. The calligraphic works of the master are shown in the context of his life and creative path involved with with the history of the country and the region, the development of the Tatar national culture and the Arabographic art of the republic. This reflects the uniqueness of the author’s concept of L.N. Donina, expressed in a detailed display of the creative path and civic stance of the artist. The reviewer notes the depth of the publication author's search for the meaning of V.A. Popov’s turn to Islamic graphics. This stage of his biography is interpreted as a period of finding answers to important life questions that were posed and solved by the artist. In the wisdom of Islam, he finds those ideas that resonate with his own spiritual search and do not contradict the postulates of other world religions. He expresses them in his characteristic expressive manner, using a wide range of means of artistic expression developed by him in previous years. This gives the author a reason to characterise the master’s work of this period as a synthesis of Tatar and Russian cultures, traditions of East and West. The article concludes that the work under review is an independent research work in which L.N. Donina, in addition to the main art criticism, uses general scientific and historical approaches. Album-catalogue “Vladimir Popov. Calligraphy” is certainly a creative achievement of the author.