[Люси]

Grandpa and Osmerkin
One of the canonical images of his grandfather, along with Chaplin, Orpheus, a young musician, is king Lear. The image of king Lear is directly connected with his life experience and his last years of life Osmerkin. For grandfather is the master teacher, friend, the embodiment of his Bubnova-Valetsky youth.

Once Osmerkin was called on party meeting, where he was required to renounce the bourgeois art and declare Cezanne enemy artist. What Osmerkin, tired from persecution and dog handling, replied that Cezanne is a great artist, and those who do not understand are fools, slammed the door and left. This was seen as an act against the party, and Osmerkin sentence. Grandpa told me that was convened General meeting of the Union of artists and one of the issues on the agenda was the parsing of the act Osmerkin, depriving him of all titles, the expulsion from the Institute, the deprivation of the right teaching, in General, full suspension. A few days later, my grandfather came to the Central house of art workers, which brought together all of the art scene of that time. All walked, talked and talked as usual, but here's the oddity, in the middle of the hall was empty place - there stood Osmerkin and looked around. He is the star of the ball, the one around which always had a lot of people who are respected, who was popular, successful, popular... and suddenly one, and around him is a dead zone. My grandfather entered the room, looked at him Osmerkin and shouted in a loud voice: "Jimmy, you against me?". I must say that was the situation between life and death. My grandfather, of course, wanted to live, but he could not overcome his conscience, so he opened his arms, went across the room, hugged Osmerkin and said, "What are you? I am with you!". They all evening went together and, of course, after that, my grandfather showed up finally. Then there was a meeting, Osmerkin was expelled and he left to live in the suburbs, on a miserable pension. After a few years, my grandfather went to visit him. Osmerkin met my grandfather on the porch, and they decided to walk a little. Grandfather remembers that there was a very picturesque place - steep ravine, at the bottom of which was situated the village. Osmerkin stopped at the edge of the ravine, and over it hung a huge storm cloud, and it seemed as if he was standing on a huge mountain on the background of a stormy sky. He raised his hands to the sky and began to cry out: "What these bastards are doing? Why art has become a policy? How do they not understand?!". Grandfather looked at him and realized that he is a real king Lear, which betrayed children, his students, fellows, every one, and he stands and asks the sky: "Why? For what are they to me do? I was just looking for art!". He didn't understand the logic of what is happening. Grandfather so forever and remembered him, excited and crying. But there was another reason why my grandfather road king Lear. At that time, was a very famous Jewish actor Vsevolod Meyerhold, who played the role of king Lear. And after my grandfather saw in the theater king Lear Meyerhold, he said that king Lear is Osmerkin. So king Lear grandpa often depicted on the background of a stormy sky, in the pose Osmerkin, but with the face of Meyerhold.