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Misha liked my work "Fire Tool" - a red board with the numbers for fixing crowbar and shovel, she was also in the suit for this exhibition. On its reverse side, I then drew the German tanks to save space, so that the picture has become two-sided.

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hung on the wall paintings - "Poster 1st May" on hardboard framed, monotonous work with glued-on red color, contour map. He brought a couple of "wallpaper" tracks, ornamental symmetrical "geometry". From his father's car magazines cut out a lot of trucks to fit using the mat, obtained under the framework, called them to PONT "watercolor". Attach to the wall planar jets, fool as he wanted.
Came Safonov and other acquaintances to a foreigner. Were Volodya Schifrin, Shilman, Igor sticky. Heard many statements, it was important to me. All together produced a different impression than the viewing of works in turn. Strengths of the work and I knew myself, I was interested in the shortcomings. Lipka was never ashamed of the characteristics, his opinion was very valuable to me. Taking into account the findings of some discussion, I'll soon set to work.

In "Children's World" to sell bundles of colored paper on the back was written: technical waste. This paper allowed me to quickly dismiss carved series, saves time. Even then I brought for myself, that the right technology - the basis for the purely formal search, at some point it begins to self-development, it is sometimes something подсобника. I, a formalist, did not have to overcome himself, to abandon some sort of anthropomorphic values, their I just was not there. So far, funny when I hear phrases like "the artist-philosopher."

Hueplety-art often even do not have representation on the specifics of contemporary fine art, my abstract geometry of the early sixties - the "thing in itself, and I never wanted to see these" experts "identified himself on my" raw material ", any interpretation takimh works very simply, a shadow on the fence. In geometric painting is very simple, so simple that if so frankly, few people believe. I believe that if the picture is the content, which can talk, then this picture should not draw at all. Conceived the more easier for talkers and writers, "Joe Blow were on horseback, demagogues pushed artists. , Objective point of reference, there were hundreds of naked kings.

In the early sixties, read "Secret vices academics" with a rather impudent remarks Malevich, his hooligan nature, I immediately felt I liked it. Malevich only later pochuvstvaval a solid, almost "demigod", also a kind of cult of personality, he is helping to create hangers, "filed with". Ninety percent of his later writings, as well as nonsense Kandinsky anyone reading would not be advised. They are purposely, all confused, "dark" - well, that's their right.

I'll be back to his dacha in Kalistovo (53rd km from Moscow). For 15 rubles a month, I passed the half-house. The hosts were good, the Shem and Jora. They were my lovers, I'm kidding, of course, Jora like moonshine. The first time I saw then moonshine in action - just the "kinetic" sculpture.
In my room hung a large reproduction of Kandinsky mat (with a French exhibition), a number of pictures of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krazner. Pollock tishorte in black, his face hard.
Paper for the work I took in GUM - wrapping. Rounds of all three lines and made a whole pile, all for free. Not have to pity her, and then experiment could without looking back, that you do not torchon. In the art shop in Pushkin brought "relief paste, thick oil enamel, cheap. I bought her a lot, it was very profitable. Surik famous or chromium oxide took in the economic, so that the paint had no troubles. I am not a painter - paint valued primarily for hiding. For major works took plywood and hardboard, once stretched canvas, so he stayed all winter, I was a stranger. The addiction to cheap materials has remained with me forever, even after twenty years, I often zaparyval work, made with paint from the tubes on quality canvas.

Winter and sixty-one-sixty-second was very productive, work lay foot on the porch, hanging in the room and arrange large. I worked then, and on the boxes from the oranges, using a discount poluzasohshuyu watercolor from a tube, ocher, all from the same store on Pushkin. Zabil produce half of the room, smeared with the landlady's wallpaper. I was then only sixteen, how much there is culture of production.

Jora was complacency, especially when the machine gave liquor. The cottage was always well well heated. My "Spalis" played Horace Silver, Jazz Then I started to really like. I tried to listen to classical music, the plate can be taken at the library on Sadovaya - not vospronimalas, no matter how tried to focus, except that the overture of Wagner, and even then, probably due to the fact that he liked Kandinsky. Exhibit on the walls I changed every week. Informel almost did, geometry was clear and floating edges.

Once I managed to get a few rolls of candy wrappers "Swallow" and "Southern Nights". Strengthen all the walls, well, I think, is something I really nobody pereplyunet.
That winter, after the French exhibition, disputes with Natasha and the other French, I mastered the excitement of competition. Destination search then was for me quite clear. I worked very quickly and, as it turned out later, haste in my work was justified. "... Abroad aggressive circles frantically hurrying their KB to develop weapons of mass destruction ", ie sorry, diluted glue supnyh labels and deduced Donald duck on the runway.

This winter, I was a sin to complain, had everything he wanted. Material I was independent, tushonka and rice in abundance. Above me there was no control - either by the school, the Komsomol, trade union or anyone else there. Western periodicals I could see a delay of two to three months, nearly abreast of the latest trends. My preliminary fundamental training allowed me to properly assess the current information. In the sixty-second in the "Art News" I saw a small black and white reproduction of "100 Cans" and Donald Duck (Dick Tracy for a long time, not reproduced) - was bitter to the extreme, for me, working in this vein, de, the subsequent course of events was as palm. At the beginning of the sixty-second candidate had collected on the "Popular IMAGE". Details about this exhibition, I learned after a year of "Arts Magazine", there were proceedings of the symposium. In November, sixty-three, I received the catalog and "spoken" plate with this exhibition of Igor Mead. Besides vremenmi I went to a steppe that was not to talk with anyone in this game dovollno hard to play alone. I could not do anything - write, as Nussberg what-nmbud Vasarely was not for me, I realized that his "genius" enough. He had to blame here, but the Berlin Wall in August and sixty-one was built out for myself, I have not seen. I knew the price that he was doing at that time in Russian art. While in Moscow, I was doomed to obscurity.

My several attempts to escape from the Union were unfounded, lacked the courage and perseverance. Shortly after meeting with Stephanie, I went to Riga, it was no longer any escape from the house. Father, I said that I would look for there school or work close to my beautiful experiments. Operated in me then aksenovsky Star ticket "(as it turned out later, not to me alone, Victor Tomachinsky tried to use the same route, he talked about this before my departure from the Union). Train the collective farms, state farms in the area of Riga - a dead issue, namorosil Aksenov. Was foolish, even in Ventspils - catch nothing. He returned to Moscow.

Trying on the southern land was afraid to shoot regardless of age, the fact that there is bound to the castle, hard drum in childhood "Pionerskaja truth." The real way was one - for higher education in a suitable institute legal journey, and then - with the ends. For me, for so many years pretending to be expected and was a task almost unbearable. So Superman was Alex Levin, my friend and old friend Safonov, nobody's head would not come, that Lesch capable of such a feint.

I'll be back in Kalistovo. Has come April, it was time to move out. Carry all the work in Moscow was impossible, my parents had a collector's mahogany furniture, my mother just home with me all these good things would not let him. Held selection and three or four hours dragged too much for the gardens and burned. I did not think that time spent in vain, I went to a new quality. In February I was seventeen, and in this age, one for a long time was not discouraged.
/.../
Autumn came sixty-three, November. Once out of the Youth Theater (I worked there as a lighting), rose to Gorky, he saw fresh posters of the exhibition of the American charts. Clattered for joy on the shield, look at me askance, two, heard the English language. Asked where they are, one, lower growth, spoke in Russian. It turned out guides from this very exhibition. Long did not know Russian, generally Silent in the second, Igor, I arranged a meeting the next day. Seen on the "Mayak", went to an acquaintance, sat with her, a miserable situation, and then went for a walk in Brest. My knowledge and theoretical utterance \ I have been for Igor unexpected. In our conversations had to use home-grown and to some extent even jointly worked out by the terminology, the word pop art, as I recall, did not eat. Then fashionable muz.zhargonnoe word such as "messy", for example, serve with me for the name of what later became known as "kitsch", etc. In discussions of "popular IMAGE" greatly helped the concept of dialectics, the negation of negation, for example. Pop art (I use this term only in the absence of another), his formula was the inevitable consequence of the domination of Paris abstract "impressionism". French fifties and sixties, reached their ceiling, above can not jump. It was kind of Tel-Amarna or rococo. New York clearly reacted to the situation - appeared "primitive" a new quality - the intellectual. Formal ideology of Liechtenstein and Warhol's request is akin to Picasso and Larionov 1907-1910 gg. Both use negative values (conventionally this concept I called antiformalnoy). American pop-ORT using a sign system designed for the millions needed and respected its customers. In the Soviet Union was, and there is only one distinguished user - the army, others simply do not, all the impersonal, from the stove and must dance. Comprehensive cult of Soviet imperialism includes both components of the revolutionary and party themes. This militaristic Eldorado I exploited with pleasure bordering samoizdevkoy, I knew what he was doing. Militarism has introduced several generations of Soviet, get rid of it is almost impossible, except is a relatively small group of intellectuals.

My baggage is then included hundreds of names, I have their free operated, and could give shematichechky figure, if something Igor did not remember. In his room at the hotel "Ukraine", he worked on some popartistskoy composition, using of the former Soviet posters, invited me to her, but at that time I did not want to risk it. I made him a list of artists, at that time I knew almost all the most interesting in Moscow. Surrealists, I can not stand. This spectacular for a fool-viewer *** It involved many of Lubnina to such "known" mediocrities as Vechtomov or Sooster. The first "illustrated" science fiction "a la" The Andromeda Nebula ", the second" improved "Magritte's introduction of a blevotnoy invoice.

We meet frequently with the Foreign Ministry, took him first to Roginsky. Mischa had just finished his "desk and chair, large. Igor immediately appreciated his work on the road I've told him about Misha, so that he vrubilsya immediately. Discussed the sale, the next day, Igor was unable to attend, I drove Misha money and wanted to take the canvases, he suddenly any success. I tried to convince him for a long time, but nothing came of it, then I did not quite understand. I now think that his fate could be quite different. Mead drove to Moscow, were the addresses of ten to fifteen, at Shifrin, Safonova, Nussberga, Durnovo. To people not to fail, used prohodnyaki, subway doors, etc., books on such matters, I read a lot, just drove Igor. There were a Sitnikova, Vasily Yakovlevich added it addresses these visits have taken place without me. At home, I introduced him as a Polish art historian. Igor looked at work, liked, and said that they had I would have gone. Gave him two small gouaches from the "Land" series. My pop-art work, past kalistovskuyu selection, were very cumbersome, plywood and hardboard not svernesh, they weighed a lot, so take them with you, he could not.

After some time, received a summons to appear in the reception room of the KGB at the Kuznetsk bridge, near the vintage store. He told me about this father, but he went alone, I fear they were nothing, that you do not Agajanova Squad, where spifflicate be thorough. Took me a uncle, Basil typical, massive, like his desk, this and that, of the Foreign Ministry, of course, why, they say, you meet, what conversations. I do not know, but I think it managed to convince him that anything other than painting, I did not speak with Mead. I gave him a couple of names of American abstract painters, few-isms, ie went on the offensive. He sent me, telling no longer meet with foreigners. Mido, I stopped to call, at that time decided to come to MSU art criticism, geese do not want to tease. Discussions with Mead (except Muscovites Lipkova and Shifrin, of course) gave me a lot, a new incentive to work. Was the end of the sixty-third year. Kennedy has already slapped, and "voluntarist" still continued to bark at all, time for art was not very good, but again I vpryagsya. Meeting with the Foreign Ministry, I took it as a gift from above, for such I never dreamed of - a man there, but still aware of all cases.