Thank you Mr Bush

... and special thanks to Mr Saakashvili. You two have strengthened Putin's regime like nobody else. Before the war in Georgia it looked like Putin may finally retire and his cronies gradually go with him. Now it appears, that the military party in Russia is indispensable - especially when everyone around is yelling "Isolate Russia". 

1. I never liked Putin. But will I criticise him, when the war is around? No. Nobody ever will. That's what Brits taught me: before the war started we can be anti-war, but with the first shot, we'll all back our army (that's what they said about Iraq).
2. You only need clever, moderate, sensitive politicians in peacetime. Imagine Al Gore reacting to 9/11 - I'm afraid that might be a disaster. The US exactly needed a heavy-handed Bush to fight terrorist bullies. Yeah, with illegal ops, with undeclared prisons, with Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib - but that yielded some result. Now, many Russians may ask: is President Medvedev tough enough? Another Cold war is seen coming. Maybe let Putin stay in charge? 

more about this war

No, seriously? Russian aggression in Georgia? Look, we got dozens of thousands Ossetian refugees. And where do they flee? To Russia. Amazing! Have you ever seen refugees running towards aggressors?

war in Georgia

Georgia counter-attacked yesterday, encircled Tskhinvali, pushed the offensive north and threatened the last Ossetian stronghold of Dzhava. Tbilisi reported, the Roksky tunnel, the only link between Russia and Ossetia is blown up (later denied by border guards). Russia and Ossetia are barely holding the attack. Would you imagine that? Apparently, Georgia was better prepared for the war, whereas Russia was not prepared at all. So, who started it? Georgian president, Mr Saakashvili said Russia invaded Georgia like it did in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and in Afghanistan in 1979. Laughable. When Moscow DID invade Afghanistan, Kabul was seized in a day, and president Amin got his head torn off by a grenade the same day. I guess, the same would happen to Mr Saakashvili, if Moscow really wanted to invade Georgia.

Okay, Russian troops are in Georgia. "We come as peacekeers", they say. "But we don't want you there", - Georgians reply. Well, who cares? Did the US ask Serbs if they want them in Kosovo? Of course, not. The Serbs would much rather keep smashing Albanians. Just like Georgians, given the opportunity, started razing Ossetian villages and pounded their capital to ashes. Now, in the best Western traditions, Russia is starting a humanitarian offensive (remember Belgrade? there were a lot of humanitarian achievements those days). Of course, we expect an outcry from Western media. That's what Russia media did, when the US bombed Yugoslavia or invaded Iraq. Luckily, nobody heard our cries. But not to worry, we won't hear yours, either.

Kuvshinovo estate, Tver region

I went on business to Tver region, which is around 6 hrs drive from Moscow. The place is famous for its deserted villages - indeed, in some places, just 2 or 3 families appear to survive out of a few dozen. We had to find a hotel somewhere and stopped in Kuvshinovo, because there was a "Hotel" sign on the road. I'll get back to the hotel in a while - but what a strange building was NEXT to it:

No bad news, please

Putin meeting Russia's  leading editors-in-chief

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8i7dBj1Zjs

 

Russia wins in UEFA semifinals

No, no, you must be wrong. Russia actually beat Spain 7-2. I got the result on my TV screen. I just did it on my Sony Playstation.
Poor Fabregas! Poor Spanish coach! They left embarrassed. And as I waved goodbye to them, I said: okay, okay, just go and win some shit in the "real world", if it says anything to you, wretched 2D creatures!

recent pics

some recent pics from the subway and from the drawing class (guess which is which :P)
some look strange, bcoz I had to photograph them (the scanner is not at hand)
 

Nuclear Institute - breakthrough attempt

On the same day we decided to explore the old estate in Cheremushki. It's now split in two, and you can enter neither part: The one in the pic is now an Institute studying intestinal worms (it is not REALLY well-guarded - what for?) 

But just across the street is a secret nuclear lab

Hippie session in Tzaritzyno

Tzaritzyno used to be a beautiful ruin in Moscow, but now, redesigned, redeveloped and totally fucked up, it's a kinda "old" palace, where everything is fake and cries "I'm a Turkish sea resort; built yesterday, will crumble tomorrow." We went there on June 1. BUT: behind the phoney palace there was a nice bunch of hippies (I guess it was their annual gathering on the first day of Summer). I like the veteran hippies - with long beards, drunk and hoarse. somehow, as i am looking thru the photos - there are mainly young girls in the pic. I wonder why :)
  
 

feeling happy

at last!!! after  a year of hesitation and delays I finally got to the sketching class. somehow drawing itself makes me feel happy

Entertainment in X-city

Just a few minutes drive from Moscow - and here we go, the X-town, where I live
 
we've got a local theatre here. What's on?  On the 22nd - "Features of National Prostitution"; on the 20th - "Miracle Cat"; the 12th - "Romeo and Juliet"; the 10th - "Three Little Pigs". 

and an earlier pic I forgot to post here

ballpen, A3

just a guy posting an ad in Tverskaya St, Moscow. Or maybe a graffiti artist with a monumental drive - who knows?  

something to remember

 "When your hands grow numb or your feet get paralyzed - REMEMBER, how you stole from the Botanical garden"
- a scary signpost in an otherwise quite poetic Moscow Bot. garden.
  

and there's another pic I've just finished. That is, I dropped it at this point, can't go on any more :)
   
Ink on A3 paper

drawing people in clothes is so boring!
why won't girls just walk around naked?

From the horse's mouth

I came across a funny sculpture in the Tretyakov gallery. Forgot the author's name. Yeah, this is a work by a Soviet sculptor Isidor Frich-Haar. It's supposed to be a scene from the Civil war in Russia (1918-1922). Red Army guys do some military planning (they are using 1:1 maps, obviously)

btw, I like the thoughtful eyes of the messenger's horse. The reference site says Mr  Frich-Haar was working in the naive style, because, like he said, "I can't afford being a serious artist".
 

Растущее достоинство

рассматривая первое, наткнулся на второе. Колонка главного редактора в журнале объявлений, Новосибирск
     

Red Square renovated for the May 9 parade

the guys are replacing pebbles in front of the Kremlin wall. Check out the instruments they are using - a replica of a good old wooden mallet?

weekend in a small town

 We went to Dmitrov for the Pancake week a few weeks ago. Actually, we planned a trip to Kolomna, a lovely town in the opposite direction, but Dmitrov was much closer. It was quite a "blind date", because we knew nothing about the town - but we weren't disappointed. 
 

well, I didn't make it to the class last Thursday (so the previous figure remains unchanged) - but I did manage to get there two Tuesdays in succession. So, here's our new model - Anatoly, an amateur actor, loves to talk during sesions, recites his new role (a sparrow - quite a challenging part for a guy of his proportions) and ... well... here he is:

Меня достают эти разговоры о том, что "вот при Сталине был порядок", "вот Сталин сейчас бы навел порядок". Какой на хер порядок? Убить накануне войны всех военачальников - это порядок? В ходе индустриализации сажать специалистов - это порядок? Устроить чехарду в науках? Переписывать историю каждый день, замалевывать на фотографиях расстрелянных комиссаров? Вчера герой - завтра предатель: это порядок? Это бардак какой-то. Если любите Сталина, так честно и скажите: мы хотим вернуть кровавый бардак!

Drawing class

I finally got to my drawing class and here's what I got after 4 hrs. I was sorta rushing the shading, because I wasn't sure I'd take another lesson next week. 

it was coal pencil on A2 paper.

The teacher said I shouldn't apply so much tone at this stage. The figure looks too black where it's opposed to the light - infact, the model's right side will catch reflected light and look lighter. Also, at this stage, I should draw more of his face. And, finally, the front plane of the belly should be narrow, I got it too wide. Personally, I'm not happy with the posture - it's somewhat lifeless, not energetic. But: I hope to improve things next Thursday :)

Gasmasks on parade

Ballpen on A3 paper

drawing this took me a while and I'm not too happy with the result. too gray, to put it briefly.
I got disappointed with ballpen at this stage, because you can't apply strokes indefinitely with it - the paper resists.