In memory of San Sanych

Alexander Slyusarev, a classic of Russian modern photography, the author of thoughtful articles about it, and an indisputable authority in the professional environment, died at the age of 66. The seemingly familiar “San Sanych,” as his colleagues called him, in fact meant the highest degree of respect for the master, who began filming at the age of 14, when his father gave him a rangefinder “Youth.”

He was considered our main photo-metaphysicist, referred to the so-called direct photography - “immediate photography”, dispassionate recording of the material world, he himself coined the term “flat landscape” for his style - an image devoid of linear perspective. Slyusarev's sphere of interest is deserted urban landscapes, the supposedly random elements of which are torn out of their usual context by a keen eye. He is a master of highlights and light and shade, but not so much a poet as a cold analyst. His style is a minimalist composition in which the hidden life of the internal space occurs. At the same time, his amazing erudition allowed him to encourage the viewer to play postmodernist games: just recognize the aesthetics of abstract expressionism in the paint spots on the wall, and an installation in the spirit of pop art in the neatly placed windshield wiper brushes. But Slyusarev was not looking for conscious quotations; analogies suggested themselves thanks to his original optics, supported by art history knowledge.

This knowledge allowed me to stay afloat without falling into the pathos of a veteran. San Sanych started his own blog on LiveJournal, and Internet lovers called it “the perfect visual metaphor for an online diary.” His latest project was the just completed exhibition as part of the “Photobiennale 2010” - a joint exhibition at the Museum of Architecture together with the young “virtual” character Aman Geld. The curator was Marat Gelman, which is also very significant: he considered Slyusarev a relevant author. That's how it is. I can’t even believe that I have to write: this is how it happened.

The first news of the death of Alexander Slyusarev also appeared on his blog: posted by his son. So San Sanych’s life on the Internet continued after his physical death. He is forever alive.

Alexander Panov