Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tatyana Apraksina


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was KEEP. While the subject may not be well-known in English-speaking countries, sufficient reliable sources have been provided to prove notability. SouthernNights (talk) 20:42, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Tatyana Apraksina

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This subject fails WP:GNG mainly due to unreliable sources, especially those that are individuals' self-publications. She also fails WP:ARTIST spectacularly. Past versions were products of blatant COI editing, and much content was eliminated as either biographically insignificant, outright unsupported, or both. Several sources were grossly misrepresented in a way to aggrandize the subject. Some Russian-language sources that had no glaring reliability problems were in fact written by persons associated with the subject, including her commercial promoters (of course, the articles and publishers didn't disclose this, but searching for the name of the writer made it obvious). The same goes for the original editor of the article, who is an associate of the subject and liked to cite himself. Having looked over time, several times, for better sources, I have found none. JFHJr (㊟) 22:58, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

John and team:

I've meant to respond for the last month to the issues you've raised, and just haven't had time. I understand your basic perspective, and why in many cases this likely makes you a good and committed editor for Wikipedia. However, it seems important to respond to the basic assumptions you appear to have been applying in auditing the article on Tatyana Apraksina, as well as to provide details relevant to various points of the article as it was and as it currently stands. To date, the general practice of sweeping changes without consultation with the original editor has been unfortunate. You certainly spend more time with Wikipedia than I do, so are likely in a good position to cite and apply policy items. However, your comments flatly and unfoundedly attack the character of the subject of the article, the editor of the article, and each person cited in the article, either implying or directly stating a view that the article was submitted to Wikipedia for commercial purposes. You've reviewed the article, so have some context for further contemplation. Where in the description of this artist's activities do you see anything like a commercial orientation? Nearly all her exhibits have taken place in noncommercial, public settings, sponsored by academic, state-funded or nonprofit arts organizations. She has published with academic publishing houses (St. Petersburg University and Moscow St. University) and a range of literary journals. Two of her best-known paintings, portraits of Shostakovich, belong to the Composers Union in St. Petersburg and are permanently displayed there. These organizations and the people involved with them are not interested in self-promotion, but in devotion to the arts and knowledge, and to be involved with them at all is a certification of credibility, and not the only one as respects the subject.

As for my own role in the drafting the original article, I have no particular personal interest at stake in the article's form or indeed in whether it exists or not. I am a translator of Russian with education in Russian studies, and elected to contribute to Wikipedia simply out of love of culture, and feeling that my fluency in Russian and familiarity with aspects of the culture would allow me to provide information of value to those whose primary language and cultural context is based in the English language. I drafted the Wikipedia article at the suggestion of a noted historian of Russian descent, who spoke highly of Wikipedia in general as an international information resource. In conceiving of how to contribute to this shared resource, I have followed the dictate "write what you know." I am indeed an associate of Tatyana Apraksina, and have been so since the late 1990s; however, her career and professional recognition far predates this time and exceeds the scope of my own writing about her (her first exhibit was in 1976; her next major exhibits in 1983, 1984, etc.), and I value objectivity as much as you do. Yes, my original article sourced a number of works I authored; however, the sourced statements were objective, and could have been sourced to other articles. I don't at all mind leaving out those citations. I just don't possess access to everything ever published about the subject, a considerable part of which predates the Internet and appeared in publications (English, Russian or German) that have not digitized their archives. In translating the subject's work and interviewing her extensively in this regard, I have been able to restate in my own way things that others have written repeatedly. Easily, though, a version of the article could stand based on available resources.

Again, this has nothing to do with promotion. The goal here is cultural communication, and of course many factors work against this: the collapse of the Soviet Union and the phenomenon of Russian cultural diaspora; the supression of non-state artists during the Soviet period and the necessity of working independently or "underground"; intrinsic language and cultural barriers, often including Western chauvinism toward Russia; and the general predicament of high art, which does not necessarily make news in the same regular way as do the artifacts of mass culture. English-language Wikipedia, as we know, is glutted with mass culture, and while the living persons treated in Wikipedia certainly extend beyond the English-speaking world, there by nature must be a gravity toward English-speakers. Logically, when we have opportunities to correct the balance, we should do so, and I'm sure you do at a lot of this yourselves.

I am more than happy to craft the article in a way that allows us to reach a consensus. When I first became aware of the changes to the article, I added a recent source, in fact, from Vesti, the largest Russian-language newspaper in Israel, which corroborated the factual basis and significance of most of what the original article stated. (No, the author is not a personal acquaintance; he is a professional journalist.) You have removed this as source as a "web-based self-publication," which is inaccurate. The publication on the Nautilus web portal clearly states that the original article appeared in Vesti, a print publication only selectively available online. Based on the spot in the Tatyana Apraksina article which reads "citation needed," you seem to want to establish whether it's indeed accurate to say the "music-inflected unofficial culture of the time began to interesct actively with her life." This is clear in Mak's article, as well as in the Alexander Kushnir article currently retained in the article as a citation.

We probably can go into details here, as you seem to value integrity. My initial priorities, noting your audit of this article, have been to remove inaccuracies introduced through your audit itself. For example, your redo of the article stated that Apraksina "writes her self-publication Apraksin Blues." The magazine has existed since 1995, publishing a broad range of authors then and since then. Occasionally the magazine includes articles by Apraksina and regularly her editor's note, because she is the head of the magazine, much like, say, David Remnick at the New Yorker — on a different scale, but also with validly different purposes. The magazine is no more a self-publication than any other periodical of its species of small noncommercial cultural journals. Apraksin Blues is a community effort and certainly represents a labor of love. By nature, many people who have come into contact with Apraksina and her work have wound up having something to do with the magazine and have become loosely her associates, altruistically.

This is the case, for example, with Natalya Gladush, whose 1998 article on Apraksina and her art festival at the St. Petersburg State University Department of Philosophy you have removed from the article's citations, calling her "associated with the subject, apparent publicist, and organizer of several Apraksina events." As of 1998, N. Gladush had no relationship at all with Tatyana Apraksina; she was a radio journalist assigned to cover Apraksina's arts festival, and also produced the writing for the Department of Philosophy's publication. Since then, she has assisted with outreach in Russia, helping to technically maintain relationships with the magazine's authors and readers there during Apraksina's period of work based in the U.S. She's organized events presenting new issues of the magazine, for instance, and the magazine's sponsoring role in certain cultural and educational activities in St. Petersburg, again completely unrelated to promoting Apraksina herself.

Reviewing selected other changes: regarding Apraksina's St. Petersburg State University exhibit at its Center for Contemporary Art in 1998, you added incongruously that she was "one of several artists to exhibit there." The exhibit in question was a large solo exhibit. You also felt compelled to note that Apraksina's "California Psalms" was among "many" laureates or "dozens of laureates" of the Russian Foreign Ministry in partnership with Literary Gazette. Many literary prizes feature multiple laureates, and this note in itself appears irrelevant. Moreover, one of the key figures in the outcome of this contest, Literary Gazette's Sergei Glovyuk (no acquaintance), specially cited Apraksina's work as exceptional, and explained why. This explanation, too, you struck from the article, which included it namely because it encapsulates a typically response to her literary work. Additionally, "California Psalms" had already been published in the Russian literary magazine "Neva" — a fact previously noted but which you struck from the record along with reference to every other publication by Apraksina, perhaps to maintain the narrative of supposed self-promotion and self-publication. You have retained the mention of her 2000 publication by the St. Petersburg Philosophical Society, but have removed the citation for this, for seemingly unfounded reasons.

You've removed all reference to Apraksina's work with the composer Alexander Lokshin, which has been documented extensively. Apart from her articles on Lokshin given scholarly publication in Russia, her portrait of Lokshin can be seen on the cover of multiple recordings of Lokshin's work, as well as at the head of the Wikipedia article on Lokshin. You've removed the reference to her work by Moisey Kagan, one of the most respected Russian art critics of the 20th century, who clearly identifies the importance of her work "Faces of Shostakovich" as an interpretation of the composer and as a work of portraiture. (On what basis have you called him a "related party"? I certainly don't know.  Just as there was nothing "hagiographic" in the original quote from the academic monograph cited, as you'll see if you take another look with different lenses.)  Digital reproductions of Apraksina's portraits of Lokshin and Shostakovich were also provided with the article not as "excessive images," as you've termed them, but to illustrate specific points, and as among the artist's most often reproduced works, including publications with international distribution such as Soviet Union.

You've removed whole swathes of the original article as supposedly representing irrelevant "name-dropping," a rather provocative charge. Yes, certain well-known individuals have comprised Apraksina's circle of associates or subjects at various times, because all were engaged in significant endeavors. It is of significance that she produced paintings related to the Borodin Quartet, to the Leningrad Philharmonic under Mravinsky, to Lokshin, to Shostakovich, to the composer Boris Tishchenko, to the violinist Mikhail Gantvarg, because these people have been vessels of the culture of classical music and the arts as a whole in St. Petersburg and beyond, and Apraksina has belonged to and further their tradition. As also cited in the Wikipedia article, in Mak's and Kushnir's article, and extensively online elsewhere, her role as the muse of Mike Naumenko was also incredibly significant — a little like Suze Rotolo for Bob Dylan, but completely different in the sense of Apraksina's independent contribution to a sphere of arts much broader than popular music, through her own creative life, as both Mak and Kushnir indicate.

That there are fewer references regarding these topics than there could be, results primarily from Apraksina having spent the most of the past 14 years in the U.S., largely outside the scope of the Russian mass media, and to her having little interest in the sort of self-promotion you claim marked the Wikipedia article on her biography and her work, and from the fact that the Internet is not inclusive, or the lone aribiter, of all times and places.

To continue: Tatyana Apraksina is currently based in California, so it is natural that some additional articles on her have appeared in the media there. You removed one citation as "excessively local news giving scant treatment"; even were this accurate, alternate citations could easily be supplied. Indeed, some but not all would be from state-level media and potentially could be insufficient in themselves to establish Apraksina's significance. But as regards significance, these are hardly isolated sources, and they were included for what they added in showing the shape of her biography.

You removed reference to Representative Sam Farr's support of Apraksina, calling him an "irrelevant politician not known for artistic opinions," while in fact Sam Farr is known both for his ties with the preservation of the legacy of the poet Robinson Jeffers in his district, as well as for conservation efforts in Big Sur, one of his primary motivations for joining the group of representatives of California-based arts organizations and educational institutions who wrote in favor of Apraksina's continued work in the United States at this time.

You've removed reference to Apraksina's 2008 cantata libretto as being presented on a "blog" — the blog of the American Composers Assocation, a highly respected organization, not a personal site.

You've removed all reference to Apraksina's 1989-90 tour of America with her paintings as a Soviet artist, sponsored by the Soros Foundation, a tour which received extensive press coverage wherever she exhibited, although again predating the Internet era.

Reality does not depend on the Internet. None of the activities described is highly remunerative or premeditatively popular in orientation, but for those who value refined, non-speculative culture, all this merits some degree of reverence.

Again, I have little interest in how you choose to proceed with this matter via Wikipedia administration; the platform is hardly exclusive, and while you may seek infallibility, of course no one can be. Having sought to contribute to the natural process of synthesis of information, drawing on my own knowledge and others', I merely find it impossible to accept a reckless, albeit thorough, assault on both the quality of the source information and its underlying reality. We can do better than this. As you seem to invite, I'm happy to work with you in good faith to ensure that the Wikipedia article is in a form you find satisfactory. Please keep in mind, however, that promotion is not my business, nor is it the business of anyone associated with Tatyana Apraksina. Rather, it is the pursuit of life and craft, one of the major benefits of being a "living person" as I understand it. At the same time, I hope you'll agree that "living" need not preclude constructive discourse. Jmanteith (㊟) 10:37 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Russia-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 18:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Poetry-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 18:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Visual arts-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 18:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Authors-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 18:34, 1 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Delete unless Jmanteith can show actual significant coverage (let's see the links) of the subject in reliable news sources. I did a search under both alphabets and could find no newspaper coverage nor book coverage of any note.  This is AfD, we don't need essays, a few sentences verifying notability is sufficient.  Otherwise, articles on CREATIVES like this without sufficient coverage get deleted all the time, when they are discovered.--Milowent • hasspoken  01:00, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Here are links for the initial stage of the article's reconstruction. For reference, below are provided translations from relevant source materials. Other links are available, and more should be forthcoming over the next 12 months given the scheduled publication of two bilingual editions of Apraksina's work in 2013. Thanks.

LINK 1:

Kushnir, Alexander. Mike, "Sweet N and Others" - from 100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock. (in Russian)

The link given (http://www.rockanet.ru/100/17.phtml) is to this album's entry in the full electronic version of the book. The print publication details are as follows: Moscow: Agraf, Kraft+, 2003. 400 pages. ISBN 5-7784-0251-1. (М.: Аграф, Крафт+, 2003. — 400 с. — ISBN 5-7784-0251-1)

Russian Wikipedia contains pages on both Kushnir and the book "100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock".

The Kushnir article opens:

"Alexander Isaakovich Kushnir is a journalist, music producer, the general director of the music information agency "Kushnir Productions," the author of a series of books on Soviet and Russian music, including "Headliners" and "100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock. He is the author of liner notes for anthologies of CDs by the groups "Nautilus Pompilus" and "Aquarium" and for the series "Legends of Russian Rock."

"Алекса́ндр Исаа́кович Кушни́р — журналист, музыкальный продюсер, генеральный директор музыкально-информационного агентства «Кушнир Продакшн», автор ряда книг о советской и российской музыке, в том числе «Хедлайнеры», «100 магнитоальбомов советского рока». Автор текстов для антологии компакт-дисков групп «Наутилус Помпилиус», «Аквариум», серии «Легенды русского рока».

On Kushnir (Кушнир, Александр Исаакович): http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кушнир,_Александр_Исаакович

On 100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock (100 магнитоальбомов советского рока): http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_магнитоальбомов_советского_рока From the article:

"100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock is a book by Alexander Kushnir about rock music in the USSR with detailed information and the story of the making of the 100 selected cassette albums. The book is based on numerous interviews with musicians and people who took part in the albums' recordings, as well with writers, photographers and artists.  The book was highly successful and received many favorable reviews."

"«100 магнитоальбомов советского рока» — книга Александра Кушнира о рок-музыке в СССР с подробной информацией и историей создания ста избранных магнитоальбомов. В основу книги легли многочисленные интервью с музыкантами и людьми, участвовавшими в записи альбомов, писателями, фотографами и художниками. Книга имела большой успех и множество положительных отзывов."

"Sweet N and Others" (Сладкая N и другие) (1980) appears fifth in the book chronologically, among three solo albums and one group (Zoopark) album by Mike Naumenko identified as among the 100 most significant Soviet rock albums. See also http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сладкая_N_и_другие

From "100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock" in reference to "Sweet N and Others":

...In conclusion, a few words about the album's main heroine, the semi-mythical Sweet N, to whom several compositions are dedicated and whose existence Mike long stubbornly denied "Sweet N is a stunning woman I'm madly in love with, but at the same time I'm not completely sure she exists in real life... But maybe she does look like the woman on the cover," Mike said in an interview with the Leningrad underground rock magazine "Roxie" several months after recording the album. In reality the source for the image of Sweet N came from the Leningrad artist Tatyana Apraksina, whom Mike had actually known since 1974. Outwardly interesting, with a magnetic inner world the charm of a fairy tale sorceress played by Marina Vlady, Tatyana was Mike's primary muse at the time.

"Mike would visit me on his own or with one of his friends, modestly comprising a small escort for "Aquarium," recalls Tatyana, whose artistic pseudonym was connected with her having lived on Apraksin Lane for much of her life. "Skinny, scrawny, big-nosed, eyes shining with good-natured curiosity, Mike was ready to take part in everything and be everyone's friend. Up to that time, he hadn't written a single one of his famous songs, although he already carried around a neatly kept notebook in which the foundations of future hits were being laid. Mike could take years to bring one song to fruition, from time to time jotting down a word, a phrase in the notebook, trying out different variations as if composing a mosaic, gradually editing the lyrics."

The kaleidoscope of associations that arose for Mike through four years of friendship with Tatyana and the sudden flare-up of a brief affair developed into the collective image of Sweet N. In many people's eyes, Sweet N became a symbol of the time, not least of all by virtue of the successfully chosen image — no less original than Vera Kholodnaya, and no less romantic than Blok's Beautiful Stranger. In one of his late interviews, Mike confessed the most "All my songs are dedicated to her..."

With the beginning of his marriage in 1980, Mikhail Naumenko was forced to revise his muse, although later he made many attempts to return to this discovery. During the "Sweet N" recording sessions at the Leningrad marionette theater, he wrote the compositions "Sweet N" No. 2 ("When I Knew You as Someone Else") and "Sweet N" No. 3 ("Bitter Angel"), and indeed, in a series of later songs, he repeatedly included this image in his lyrics.

As a major poet, Mike tried to avoid direct identification and biography in conveying the image of Sweet N. And only heaven knows how much the character of the abstract woman who appeared "on paper" corresponded to reality. "Who were you with, where did you spend the night, my Sweet N?" Mike sings. All this wasn't much like Tanya Apraksina, who initiated the breakup of the relationship with Mike on her own not long before the album's recording.

"As a real person, I no long meant what he invested in the new content of my image," says Tatyana. "As it happened, if I hadn't broken up with him, he'd never have become a star. That's for sure...  There's a certain peculiar thing, which I think originated with the publishers of "Roxie" magazine.  It was as if they censored whatever had to do with our past.  Although later on Mike himself in his new songs spoke to me without contact with who I was."

Russian text: ...В заключение несколько слов о главной героине альбома - полумифической Сладкой N, которой посвящалось сразу несколько композиций и существование которой Майк упорно отрицал долгое время.

«Сладкая N - потрясающая женщина, которую я безумно люблю, но при этом я не совсем уверен в том, что она существует в природе... Но, может быть, она и похожа на ту - на обложке», - говорил Майк спустя несколько месяцев после записи альбома в интервью ленинградскому подпольному рок-журналу «Рокси». В реальности прообразом Сладкой N послужила ленинградская художница Татьяна Апраксина, с которой Майк познакомился еще в 1974 году. Интересная внешне, с притягательным внутренним миром и шармом сказочной колдуньи в исполнении Марины Влади, Татьяна была тогда основной музой Майка.

«Майк приходил ко мне в гости один или с кем-нибудь из друзей, скромно составляя маленькую свиту «Аквариума», — вспоминает Татьяна, чей артистический псевдоним был связан с тем, что большую часть жизни она прожила в Апраксином переулке. - Худенький, щуплый, с большим носом, с глазами, блестевшими добродушным любопытством, Майк готов был во всем участвовать и со всеми дружить. Ни одной из своих знаменитых песен он к тому времени еще не написал, хотя уже носил с собой аккуратную тетрадку, в которой закладывались основы будущих хитов. Он мог годами вынашивать одну песню, время от времени вписывая в тетрадку то слова, то фразу, прикидывая разные варианты - как бы составляя мозаику - и подвергая текст постепенной редактуре».

Веер ассоциаций, возникших у Майка после четырех лет дружбы с Татьяной и резко вспыхнувшего, но недолгого романа, развернулся как собирательный образ Сладкой N. В глазах многих Сладкая N стала символом времени не в последнюю очередь благодаря удачно выбранному образу - не менее оригинальному, чем Вера Холодная, и не менее романтичному, чем Прекрасная Незнакомка Блока. В одном из своих поздних интервью Майк выдал очень сокровенное и, пожалуй, самое главное: «Все мои песни посвящены ей...»

С момента женитьбы в 80-м году Михаил Науменко был вынужден ретушировать свою музу, хотя впоследствии не раз пробовал вернуться к этой находке. Еще во время сессии в театре кукол Майк записал композиции «Сладкая N» № 2 («Когда я знал тебя совсем другой») и «Сладкая N» № 3 («Горький Ангел»), да и в ряде поздних песен он неоднократно включал в текст этот образ: «Она спросила меня: «А как же Сладкая N?»/Запечатлев на моем плече финальный укус/И я ответил пространно: «Я влюблен в вас обеих/И меня так сейчас достал мой пригородный блюз».

Как большой поэт, Майк старался избегать в подаче образа Сладкой N полного сходства и автобиографичности. И только небеса знают, насколько получившийся «на бумаге» характер абстрактной женщины соответствовал действительности. «С кем и где ты провела эту ночь, моя Сладкая N?» Все это было не очень похоже на Таню Апраксину, которая незадолго до записи сама стала инициатором разрыва отношений с Майком.

«Я настоящая уже не значила для него то, что он вкладывал в новое содержание моего образа, - говорит Татьяна. - Получилось так, что если бы я его не бросила, он бы не стал звездой. Это точно... Существует некая странность, исходящая, по-моему, от издателей журнала «Рокси». Они как бы наложили запрет на все, что имеет отношение к нашему прошлому. Хотя и Майк впоследствии в новых песнях обращался ко мне, минуя меня».

LINK 2:

Vladimir Mak. "Apraksin Blues." Vesti (newspaper, Israel). November 29, 2012. В. Мак. Апраксин блюз. Вести (газета, Израиль) от 29.11.2012

http://www.nautilus.co.il/Pages/pgsPress/pgVmakPress.aspx?artID=753&menuID=6&srcPPack=ru,0,0

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesti_(newspaper):

"Vesti (Russian: Вести, "News") is an Israeli Russian-language daily newspaper. Based in Tel Aviv, the paper is Israel's most widely read Russian-language paper and its only remaining daily paper in Russian."

Translated excerpts from article:

In this article's title, you can hear the Petersburg underground. Here is Grebenschikov's "Mochalkin Blues," which the broad masses came to know through the film "Assa," but fans of "Aquarium" knew of six years before, and Apraksin Lane, by Nevsky and Apraksin Court. And Tatyana Apraksina herself is an artist and writer of literature whose sphere of interests extends from the underground Leningrad rock of the 1970s to Shostakovich and the composers of his circle and era, from Goethe to Okudzhava, from depictions of Leningrad courtyards to the landscapes of California...

Tanya Kachalina arrived in Leningrad while still in the first grades in school, and nine years later settled on Apraksin Lane. The name of the street at first became a pseudonym then her actual surname, which eclipsed the one she'd inherited... And so on Apraksin Lane lived Tatyana Apraksina — a painter and graphic artist, almost self-taught. In the mid-1970s her company consisted of rock musicians, Grebenschikov chief among them. Rather, it now seems that BG was the main person in this crowd... I think many were his equal...  Despite all the admiration for Aquarium as a whole and Grebenschikov in particular, the most talented, I think, was Mike Naumenko, the founder and unchanging leader of Zoopark. Tatyana Apraksina was his muse starting in the mid-1970s; songs dedicated to her include "Sweet N," "If It Rains, "Your River's Blues" and "Morning for Two." In one of his interviews, Mike said all his songs were dedicated to her...  Of course, an artist may tend to exaggerated, but there's a measure of truth in these words.

Tatyana's first significant artistic success came in 1984, when she completed a cycle of monochrome expressionist landscapes featuring abandoned buildings and courtyards in Leningrad. The exhibit, "Gaze from Within," hung at the Library of the Academy of Sciences, unexpectedly became popular and then less unexpectedly was shut down by the police on accounted of the "unofficial" character of the image of the "city from the courtyard side." The exhibit was moved to the House of Architects, and Tatyana became a consultant for a competition for the reconstruction of Apraksin Court.

In 1982 Tatyana met the harpsichordist Aina Kalnciema and namely here her path to classical music began. Rock started to suffocate her — repetitive lyrics, primitive music, any complexity leads to a total lack of comprehension by the mass public. And at that time...Mravinsky was conducting, as were Maris Jansons and Dmitriev; the astounding Bulgarian Chakirov often came to Petersburg, and the Philharmonic was headed by the legendary Ivan Sollertinsky's son, Dmitry Ivanovich. With his help, Apraksina began to attend rehearsals and create sketches, which were collected in 1984 at an exhibit at the Philharmonic. A year later, Sollertinsky proposed that Tatyana create a portrait of Shostakovich. In 1986 the work was ready. Apraksina bequeathed "Faces of Shostakovich" to the Leningrad Conservatory, and the painting was hung in Dmitry Dmitriyevich's former classroom. After Shostakovich the artist turned to two fantastic composers who were still living then — Alexander Lokshin and Moisey Weinberg...

Completely different interests lead the artist to the sciences. Apraksina began to explore the connections between the arts and sciences through philosophical studies; she started to publish the magazine "Athenian Class," amd in 1995 became the head publisher of "Apraksin Blues." Judging from the name, her old love of rock didn't fade. In the 1990s...artistic life in Russia was furiously active. Apraksina organized the festival "March Solo," took part in the Sollertinsky Festival, gave lectures, illustrated books, exhibited... In 1999 Tatyana came to America a second time, but this time established a settlement there — in the Santa Lucia Mountains in California. The same year, one of Apraksina's most significant literary works appeared: "California Psalms." The last decade has been very literary in Tatyana Apraksina's creative work. Books of poetry and memoirs on Lokshin are being released; "Apraksin Blues" is publishing American poets and writers... Who is she, Tatyana Apraksina? A writer, an artist, a philosopher? That she's a striking personality is a undoubtable. But as for who this personality contains and when each side takes the lead — that's a question you'll have to ask her yourself.

VESTI. Non-stop. 29.11.2012 LINK 3:

Polevich, A. "The Musical Staff of Tatyana Apraksina." Anomalia No.4 (159), February 20, 1998. (Полевич А. Нотный Стан Татьяны Апраксиной. Аномалия No 04(159), 20 февраля 1998.)

http://www.pressa.spb.ru/newspapers/anomal/arts/anomal-159-art-7.html

Anomalia was a newspaper published in St. Petersburg from 1996-98. Complete electronic archives are maintained by pressa.spb.ru (http://www.pressa.spb.ru/newspapers/anomal).

A. Polevich is a journalist and a member of the Saint Petersburg Journalists Union.

Key sentences: "...Tatyana had no desire to attend the art-focused school on the Fontanka...and when the tormenting faculty decided to send her off to a regular school, she was even pleased.  And until age 21 she never once picked up a brush or pencil...

Once Tatyana answered a posting at the Volodarsky Factory... The person who worked there...started teaching her to letter posters, exhibition stands, diagrams and so on. Then she had jobs at Palaces of Culture, stores and movie theaters. When the director at one movie theater insisted, "Draw only in gold on red!" her patience ran out: Tatyana gave notice and decided to quit her day job forever. It would be painting and painting alone...

Although she didn't play even one musical instrument, she loved and understood music. Tatyana felt an insurmountable attraction to instruments and love for those who coax divine sounds from them. She started spending four to six hours at a time at the Philharmonic for rehearsals of the symphony orchestra. The musicians grew accustomed to seeing her in the hall, then saw her works — and understood, and felt, and approved. The director even furnished her with a studio at the Philharmonic. And a first exhibit was held there...

One day one of the more influential people in the musical world, knowing Apraksina's work, made her a proposal: neither the Philharmonic nor the conservatory bearing Dmitry Dmitrievich's name have his portrait.

Say Apraksina, "I grew interested in everything connected with Shostakovich. The musicologist Mikhail Grigorievich Byalik introduced me to Shostakovich's relatives.  The composer Boris Ivanovich Tischenko acquainted me with Shostakovich's music.  Naturally, the painting's genesis came from music.  Preparing for it took a year — then I painted the portrait in four days.  After that I was sick for two weeks."

When Dmitry Dmitrievich's 80th jubilee arrived, the conservatory decided to acquire the portrait of Shostakovich, but offered the author such a meager price, due to lack of funds, that the artist followed the example of P. I. Tchaikovsky, who, having written the "1812 Overture" on a commission from Moscow and learning the sum he was to be offered, wrote in a letter that it was better for him to give an expensive gift than to sell cheaply... And at a grand ceremony by the light of photographers' flashbulbs, the painting was hung at the conservatory. This was in 1986...

The next year in Moscow the Kurchatov Institute hosted the first significant exhibit of T. Apraksina's oil paintings; later this exhibit moved to the Glinka Central Museum of Musical Culture, where Muscovites had a chance to grow acquainted with the Petersburg native's creative work for a whole month...

Then new times arrived. Windows and doors opened to all nations... The Art League of Chicago invited Tatyana Apraksina for a seven-month tour of eleven states in America...

Tatyana Apraksina's artistic canvases...live independent lives in America, in Europe, in Japan... Her "Borodin Quartet" hangs at the home of the famous cellist Valentin Alexandrovich Berlinsky, the portrait of Shostakovich moved from the conservatory to the office of the head of the Composers Union, Andrei Pavlovich Petrov...

Tatyana Apraksina has painted more than a hundred oil paintings and done hundreds of sheets of watercolors and drawings. She studied for four semesters at the Academy of Sciences' Oriental Institute...

LINK 4:

Kagan, M.S. Behold the Man… Life, Death and Immortality in the "Magic Mirror" of Fine Art St. Petersburg: Logos Publishing, 2003. P. 200.

Каган М. С. Се Человек… Жизнь, смерть и бессмертие в «вольшебном зеркале» изобразительного искусства. — СПб.: Издательство «Логос», 2003. С. 200

Extensive article on Moisey Kagan in Russian Wikipedia:

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Каган,_Моисей_Самойлович: Моисе́й Само́йлович Кага́н (18 мая 1921, Киев, Украинская ССР,  — 10 февраля 2006, Санкт-Петербург, Россия) — известный петербургский учёный, философ, культуролог...

"Moisey Samoilovich Kagan (May 18, 1921, Kiev, Ukrainian SSR —February 10, 2006, Saint Petersburg, Russia) was a well-known Petersburg scholar, philosopher and culturologist."

In "Behold the Man," Kagan writes: "the evolution of an approach already familiar from medieval art…the 'group portrait of a single person'…the great composer's personality truly emerges as a 'republic of subjects'… Painting here makes visible what A. Voznesensky formulated poetically… As a way to assess this reading of a contemporary personality at its real worth, this 'group portrait' could well be compared with the well-known portrait of Marilyn Monroe painted by A. Warhol."

LINK SET 5:

Lokshin, A.A. Genius of Evil / Apraksina, T.I. A Face That Had No Riddles (second edition, expanded). Moscow: MAKS-Press, 2005 (Локшин АА. «Гений зла». / Апраксина Т. И. Лицо, в котором не было загадок — [2-е изд., доп.]. — М.: МАКС-Пресс, 2005)

Myaskovsky N.Ya., Yudina M.V., Barshai R.B., Tischenko B.I., Apraksina T.I. and others. On the Composer Alexander Lokshin. Moscow: Dialog-Moscow State University Press, 1998. ISBN 5-89209-201-1 (Мясковский Н. Я., Юдина М. В., Баршай Р. Б., Тищенко Б. И., Апраксина Т. И. и другие. О композиторе Александре Локшине. — М.: Диалог-МГУ, 1998. ISBN 5-89209-201-1)

For reference only, an English translation of Apraksina's writing on Lokshin is available on Lokshin.org: https://lokshin.org/lokshin-life-apraksina-en.htm

Here is a link to Apraksina's portrait of Lokshin as cover art for a 2001 CD of Lokshin's Symphony No. 4 and Three Scenes from Goethe's Faust from Swedish firm Bis: http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-CD-1156

and to the same portrait as cover art for a CD of Lokshin's Symphonies No. 5 and 9 from Russian firm Olympia: http://nnm.ru/blogs/19vitas72/lokshin-aleksandr-simfoniya-9-i-5-kvintet-dlya-strunnyh-2007-flac-tracks-lossless/

LINK 6:

Prazdnikov A. (director) "Consonance" (documentary film). Lentelefilm, 1989. RuData.ru Encyclopedia of Film database entry: http://www.rudata.ru/wiki/Созвучие_(фильм).

"Consonance" is a 1989 film about Leningrad in the works of the Leningrad artist T. Apraksina in consonance with the music of D. Shostakovich.

"«Созвучие» — кинофильм 1989 года. Фильм о Ленинграде в работах ленинградской художницы Т. Апраксиной в созвучии с музыкой Д.Шостаковича."

LINK 7:

Gladush, Natalia. "March Solo" with an Academic Face. Center for Cultural Studies, Department of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State University. 1999

Н. Гладуш. «„Мартовское соло“ с академическим лицом.» Центр Изучения Культуры Философского Факультета Санкт-Петербургского Государственного Университета.

http://cultcentr.philosophy.spbu.ru/exibit90/ablues99.htm

Key sentences: "The week before Easter.  This time the festival March Solo was dedicated to the 275th anniversary of St. Petersburg State University.  Among the organizers were the Center for Cultural Studies, two divisions of the SPSU Department of Philosophy — ethics and the philosophy of culture and culturology, and finally Apraksin Blues...

As for the music and art... There were concerts by the orchestra "Saint Petersburg Camerata" conducted by F. Simmons (USA), Vermicelli Orchestra, songs and dances of the 13th to 15th centuries performed by Longa Brevis, the ensemble of Western European song and music Schola cantorum, the harpist Yana Sokolova, Ariadna Karyagina with the program "Parallel Voices..." The final chord on the last day of the festival was the solo program of the famous sitarist Sergei Gasanov, whose performance served as a guide to the country called "Traditional Music of the East"... Different styles, different instruments, different performers — there it is, syncretism in our real practice of the apprehension of art...

The exhibit "Age of Music" creates a strange impression: you approach a painting, see a face — and then it "comes to life," as a musician in the concert program performs a work, and you try to combine the two images: the one you see directly on the stage, and the one that Tatyana Apraksina saw with the inner vision of an artist."

"Неделя перед Пасхой. На этот раз фестиваль “Мартовское соло” был посвящен 275-летию Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета. В числе организаторов выступили Центр Изучения Культуры, две кафедры философского факультета СПбГУ — этики и эстетики и философии культуры и культурологии и, наконец, сам “Апраксин блюз”.

...о музыке и живописи. Какая была музыка... Концерты оркестра “Санкт-Петербург камерата” с дирижером Ф. Симмонсом (США), “Vermicelli Orchestra”, песни и танцы ХШ-ХУ веков в исполнении “Longa brevis”, ансамбль западноевропейской школы пения и музицирования “Schola cantorum”, арфистка Яна Соколова, Ариадна Карягина с программой “Параллельные голоса”... Завершающим аккордом в последний день фестиваля, дал сольную программу известный ситарист Сергей Гасанов, чье выступление предстало как путеводитель по стране, называемой “Традиционная музыка Востока”...

Разные стили, разные инструменты, разные исполнители — вот он, синкретизм в нашей реальной практике постижения искусства.

...о самой выставке “Век музыки”...странное впечатление: подходишь к картине, видишь лицо — а потом оно “оживает” — в программе концерта музыкант исполняет произведение, а ты пытаешься совместить два образа: тот, который видишь непосредственно на сцене, и тот, который увидела Татьяна Апраксина внутренним зрением художника."

Jmanteith (㊟) 6:45 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * AFAIK the Kunashir source was always present. I find the Nautilus-based source, whatever its ultimate source, to be dubious. It's dated November 29, 2012; it's used to support information (e.g. year 1982) in the Russian version, but that Wikipedia information actually pre-dates the coverage (see here). Nautilus article follows the Wikipedia article very closely; this indicates article likely used the Russian language Wikipedia entry as a substantial source.
 * That aside, Russian-language Wikipedia entries don't indicate coverage of Apraksina in a reliable source; nor do link sets 4 (by Apraksina, not about her; do the other authors even mention the subject?), 5 (publications by Apraksina, not about her), 6 (a wiki), and 7 (Gladush is associated with Apraksina). Having worked with notable others doesn't help the subject WP:INHERIT notability. Having cover art or a permanent display at the Composers Union (a professional organization, not a museum) doesn't help WP:ARTIST without actual coverage of these facts. JFHJr (㊟) 16:19, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * I am not going to read that wall of text. Simply give me links to three profiles of the subject (i.e., articles about her) in mainstream regional newspapers, and that's all we need, typically.--Milowent • hasspoken  16:52, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

-- LINKS --

LINK 1:

Kushnir, Alexander. Mike, "Sweet N and Others" - from 100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock. Moscow: Agraf, Kraft+, 2003. 400 pages. ISBN 5-7784-0251-1. (М.: Аграф, Крафт+, 2003. — 400 с. — ISBN 5-7784-0251-1)

http://www.rockanet.ru/100/17.phtml

Yes, the Kushnir article was always present, and represents a primary source (oft-cited on the Internet), just as its context, the acclaimed journalist's book, represents a primary source on the era and cultural movement described.

LINK 2:

Vladimir Mak. "Apraksin Blues." Vesti (newspaper, Israel). November 29, 2012. (В. Мак. Апраксин блюз. Вести (газета, Израиль) от 29.11.2012)

http://www.nautilus.co.il/Pages/pgsPress/pgVmakPress.aspx?artID=753&menuID=6&srcPPack=ru,0,0

The Vesti/Nautilus article's consonance with the content of the Russian Wikipedia article provides additional validation for the Russian Wikipedia article. The journalist has clearly consulted other sources in preparation for Apraksina's 2012 "California Psalms" readings in Jerusalem, as well as decades of personal experience of the cultural movements in question to verify the reliability, sense and significance of what his article reports. Indeed, certain information in the Russian Wikipedia article predated the associated citations to the Vesti article; this information was originally included in the Russian Wikipedia article as information verified reports on subject in other sources for which links are unavailable; citations were added retroactively as soon as a reputable news source made this information newly available online. Moreover citations of the Anomalia article don't currently appear in the Russian Wikipedia article. Because of dynamics of the evolution of press technology policies and technology itself, online press coverage for many of Apraksina's major exhibits is currently limited to secondary sources. Citations of print archives regarding her activities in California are available below. The Israeli Vesti article also aligns with the Russian Anomalia article, published 14 years before, although the author of the Anomalia article shows interest only in the aspects of Apraksina's biography connected with classical, not rock, music, along with her graphic arts training (likely a matter of taste comparing journalist Polevich to journalists Kushnir and Mak).

An associated link is also available via the Jerusalem Russian Public Library.

Kerner, I. Apraksin Blues in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Russian Public Library. (И. Кернер. Апраксин Блюз - в Иерусалиме Иерусалимская городская русская библиотека.)

http://jerusalib.3dn.ru/272/informacija_21-11-12.pdf

LINK 3:

Polevich, A. "The Musical Staff of Tatyana Apraksina." Anomalia No.4 (159), February 20, 1998. (Полевич А. Нотный Стан Татьяны Апраксиной. Аномалия No 04(159), 20 февраля 1998.) http://www.pressa.spb.ru/newspapers/anomal/arts/anomal-159-art-7.html This 1,250-word feature appeared in mainstream biweekly newspaper which published 59 issues (perhaps a long run for Russia in the 1990s) and remains available online in its entirety today. The article includes coverage of Apraksina's portrait of Shostakovich and its permanent display at the House of Composers. Also discussed in the article by Sagalov (see citation 2).

LINK 4:

Gladush, Natalia. "March Solo" with an Academic Face. Center for Cultural Studies, Department of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State University. 1999 (Н. Гладуш. «„Мартовское соло“ с академическим лицом.» Центр Изучения Культуры Философского Факультета Санкт-Петербургского Государственного Университета.)

http://cultcentr.philosophy.spbu.ru/exibit90/ablues99.htm

As earlier stated, at time of writing in 1998, Natalya Gladush was not associated with Tatyana Apraksina. Much of Gladush's article for the Center of Contemporary Culture clearly reflects her own interests, detailing comments on cultural theory made by the editor of leading Russian literary journal "Zvezda" during Apraksina's "March Solo" festival. Beyond this, she succinctly and objectively conveys the festival's scope and format.

LINK 5 (replacing link 6, a Wiki):

Museum of Television and Radio in the Internet: Consonance. (Музей телевидения и радио в интернете - Созвучие)

http://www.tvmuseum.ru/card.asp?ob_no=3188

Annotation: The film describes the Leningrad artist Tatyana Apraksina, whose creative work was greatly influenced by the music of D.D. Shostakovich. (Аннотация: Фильм рассказывает о ленинградской художнице Татьяне Апраксиной, чье творчество испытало на себе большое влияние музыки Д.Д.Шостаковича.)

Screenplay: L. Efimov. Director: A. Prazdnikov. Cameraman: K. Vinogradov. (Автор сценария: Ефимов Л. Режиссер: Праздников А. Оператор: Виноградов К.)

-- RE: LOKSHIN --

Re: various works by Apraksina on Lokshin, note multiple citations of Apraksina's writing on Alexander Lokshin and portrait of Lokshin in discussions of the composer's biography:

berkovich-zametki.com/Nomer28/Bossart1.htm

froland.ru/lokshin.html

http://sviatoslavrichter.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2&start=15

www.peoples.ru/art/music/composer/lokshin/

http://www.classicalforum.ru/index.php?topic=1512.2230;wap2

http://culturavrn.ru/music/228

-- CITATIONS --

CITATION 1:

Kagan, M.S. Behold the Man… Life, Death and Immortality in the "Magic Mirror" of Fine Art. St. Petersburg: Logos Publishing, 2003. P. 200. (Каган М. С. Се Человек… Жизнь, смерть и бессмертие в «вольшебном зеркале» изобразительного искусства. — СПб.: Издательство «Логос», 2003. С. 200)

CITATION 2:

Sagalov, Z. "California Psalms." "Posrednik" newspaper, Philadelphia, Penn., March 5-18, 2003, No. 5 (88) Long feature profiling Apraksina. Text can be provided if needed.

CITATION SET 3 (U.S. regional press coverage; cited materials given below for reference):

3A. Gartshore, B. "Russian artist Tatyana Apraksina to read poems tonight." Monterey County Herald, Friday, November 17, 2000. 3B. "Russian poet to read at City Art." Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, Calif., December 15, 2000 3C. "New Frontier Poets." Monterey County Weekly Hot Picks, June 8-14, 2000 3D. "Tatyana Apraksina. Paintings and Poetry." Henry Miller Library Newsletter, May-July 2000. 3E. "From Russia to Carmel." Carmel Pine Cone, Carmel, California, USA, 2003.

CITATION 3A.

Gartshore, B. "Russian artist Tatyana Apraksina to read poems tonight." Monterey County Herald, Friday, November 17, 2000.

Poems growing out of nearly two years in Big Sur will be presented by Russian artist Tatyana Apraksina at 7 tonight in Irvine Auditorium at Monterey Institute for International Studies on a stage filled with her paintings.

Apraksina will present "California Psalms" in Russian amd her translator, James Manteith, will present them in English.

The program is co-sponsored by the Monterey Museum of Art and MIIS.

In St. Petersburg, Russia, Apraksina developed her painting skills by working with classical musicians, including the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Borodin Quartet. Ten years ago, she toured the United States with 70 paintings. She is also known as a philosopher and as publisher of a magazine which includes all of the arts.

It was her desire to retreat from urban life for new inspiration for her painting that brought her to Palo Colorado Canyon.

"When she came here, she discovered that to express what she found she had to start writing poetry," said Manteith, whom she had met in St. Petersburg where he was studying to become a literary translator.

"It's a huge poem of many different parts, all intertwined at many different levels," he said. "She headed off into the unknown and began working in a different genre."

When Manteith took her to Carmel Mission, "in Serra's cell, it was like a thunderbolt sent to connect her with Serra on a personal, emotional level," he said. "The same thing happened at Tor House, with her and Jeffers, and she writes about both."

CITATION 3B.

"Russian poet to read at City Art." Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, Calif., December 15, 2000

Russian poet Tatyana Apraksina will read with her translator on Thursday, December 14, 7:00 p.m., at CityArt Gallery in Point Arena.

Apraksina is known first and foremost as an artist who works with the subject of musical creativity. But she does not limit herself to easel painting and drawing or to the medium of representational art. She has authored an influential series of literary and philosophic works and has spoken regularly at festivals and academic establishments.

Apraksina returned to the United States in 1999, pursuing a new series of literary and visual projects, including the epic poem cycle "California Psalms."

CITATION 3C.

"New Frontier Poets." Monterey County Weekly Hot Picks, June 8-14, 2000

Ever wondered what an ode to the Big Sur Coast would sound like in Russian? Tatyana Apraksina comes to us all the way from her native St. Petersburg, adding poetry to her already long list of artistic talents. A painter and an editor by trade, Apraksina took the inspirational beauty of Big Sur to produce a series of poems entitled "California Psalms," dedicated to various "heroes" of the coast. Already acclaimed by reputable art critics including our very own Congressman Sam Farr, Apraksina, along with her English translator James Manteith, promises to present a dynamic and energetic artistic voice. Also reading from her poetry collection about using "elements of nature to explore human truths of loss, fortitude, wholeness, passion" is Santa Cruz poet Jessamay Howell. 7 pm. Cherry Center for the Arts, Guadalupe and 4th, Carmel. $7/door. 624-7491

CITATION 3D.

"Tatyana Apraksina. Paintings and Poetry." Henry Miller Library Newsletter, May-July 2000.

Staying amid the beauty of the Big Sur landscapes, an established master of the brush seized the pen, and found herself writing a mammoth work of verse. On Sunday, April 30 at 7PM, "California Psalms," which mark the poetic debut of Tatyana Apraksina, will be presented by its author and her assistant, James Manteith. This reading is the only one planned in Big Sur, the area which inspired it, and in which it was written.

Ms. Apraksina was first brought to prominence as an artist by a series of "city landscapes" representing St. Petersburg, Russia, her home for much of her life. Her interest in music led her to an early partnership with such noted ensembles as St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the Borodin Quartet. It was said of her that she was "the only artist who truly approaches canvasses like works of music." In 1989, having received a grant from the Soros Foundation, she traveled and lectured in the U.S. along with more than thirty of her paintings.

In addition to "California Psalms," a selection of Apraksina's recent artwork will be available for viewing at the time of the reading.

James Manteith studied Russian at Middlebury College and at St. Petersburg State University. He is the translator of much of Apraksina's work.

CITATION 3E.

"From Russia to Carmel." Carmel Pine Cone, Carmel, California, USA, 2003.

Tatyana Apraksina, Russian artist and poet, was granted a U.S. visa for having "extraordinary ability in the arts," thanks to the help of Rep. Sam Farr. She was honored congressionally for her "potential to exercise great influence on the world's understanding of [the American] landscape."

Apraksina has had numerous solo exhibitions in her hometown of St. Petersburg, as well as Moscow, Leipzig, New York, Baltimore and San Francisco. Her oils and pastels use a theme of classical music, as exemplified in the painting shown above inspired by J.S. Bach's "Mass in B Minor." Her pastels are now on view at the China Art Gallery. Dolores near Seventh, Carmel by the Sea.

Jmanteith (㊟) 2:33 5 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Delete I copied the above wall of text into word and it told me there were 8,218 words. At which point I promptly decided cannot read all of that especially in its format. I conducted my own WP:BEFORE check in place and it revealed Google News void of hits and Google Books largely dominated by poetry collections where her poems were included. No WP:SIGCOV about the poet herself. As such it did not seem to meet WP:CREATIVE -- BUT if an admin is able to read through the above text and discover she has been the subject of multiple and reliable publications then you may discount my !vote as successfully countered. Mkdw talk 00:44, 6 February 2013 (UTC)

-- LINKS AND CITATIONS --

Kushnir, Alexander. Mike, "Sweet N and Others" - from 100 Cassette Albums of Soviet Rock. Moscow: Agraf, Kraft+, 2003. 400 pages. ISBN 5-7784-0251-1. http://www.rockanet.ru/100/17.phtml

Vladimir Mak. "Apraksin Blues." Vesti (newspaper, Israel). November 29, 2012. http://www.nautilus.co.il/Pages/pgsPress/pgVmakPress.aspx?artID=753&menuID=6&srcPPack=ru,0,0

Polevich, A. "The Musical Staff of Tatyana Apraksina." Anomalia No.4 (159), February 20, 1998. http://www.pressa.spb.ru/newspapers/anomal/arts/anomal-159-art-7.html

Gladush, Natalia. "March Solo with an Academic Face." Center for Cultural Studies, Department of Philosophy, St. Petersburg State University, 1999. http://cultcentr.philosophy.spbu.ru/exibit90/ablues99.htm

Kerner, I. Apraksin Blues in Jerusalem. Jerusalem Russian Public Library, November 2012. http://jerusalib.3dn.ru/272/informacija_21-11-12.pdf

Museum of Television and Radio in the Internet: Consonance (documentary on Tatyana Apraksina, Lentelefilm, 1989). http://www.tvmuseum.ru/card.asp?ob_no=3188

Fedoseev, A. "Blues on the Theme of Deserts and Fields of Relevance." Snob magazine, Aug. 8, 2009. http://www.snob.ru/profile/7003/print/5250

Jacobson, R. "On Hearing the Poet Read in Her Native Russian. For Soviet expatriate Tatyana Apraksina, inspired by her California Psalms." The Pedestal Magazine: The Political Anthology, 2004. http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/gallery.php?item=1225

Askerov, Eldar. Tatyana Apraksina. Music in the USSR magazine, Moscow: VAAP-Inform, summer 1987.

Askerov, Eldar. Tatyana Apraksina. Musical Life magazine, USSR Composers Union and Ministry of Culture, summer 1987.

Tatyana Apraksina. Soviet Union magazine, Moscow, June-July 1987.

Kagan, M.S. Behold the Man… Life, Death and Immortality in the "Magic Mirror" of Fine Art. St. Petersburg: Logos Publishing, 2003. P. 200.

Sagalov, Z. "California Psalms." "Posrednik" newspaper, Philadelphia, Penn., March 5-18, 2003, No. 5 (88).

Gartshore, B. "Russian artist Tatyana Apraksina to read poems tonight." Monterey County Herald, Friday, November 17, 2000.

"Russian poet to read at City Art." Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, Calif., December 15, 2000

"New Frontier Poets." Monterey County Weekly Hot Picks, June 8-14, 2000

"Tatyana Apraksina. Paintings and Poetry." Henry Miller Library Newsletter, May-July 2000.

"From Russia to Carmel." Carmel Pine Cone, Carmel, California, USA, 2003.

Jmanteith (㊟) 8:17 6 February 2013 (UTC) 
 * Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so a clearer consensus may be reached.


 * Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, J04n(talk page) 11:27, 7 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Weak delete I might as well weigh in, since I actually read this whole entire thing. This article and related articles seem to have COI problems.  The nominator is right.  -Haikon 00:28, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

Everything above is provided for those who require thoroughness. Otherwise, these below three citations should completely satisfy Milowent's request for three profiles of the subject in mainstream regional newspapers (periodicals are equivalent, I'm guessing):

Askerov, Eldar. "A Source of Inspiration." Profile of Tatyana Apraksina. "Music in the USSR" magazine. USSR Copyright Agency, V/O Mezhdunarodnaya kniga, The USSR Union of Composers. Moscow: VAAP-Inform, January-March 1988, p. 72-73.

Askerov, Eldar. Profile of Tatyana Apraksina. Musical Life magazine, Moscow: USSR Composers Union and Ministry of Culture, summer 1987.

Profile of Tatyana Apraksina. Soviet Union magazine, Moscow, June-July 1987.

All of these magazines had national distribution; two had international distribution. It was historically significant as a benchmark of glasnost that an artist outside the "system" and with roots in the underground received this level of coverage; previously any coverage at all would have been out of the question. These citations should have been present in the original article, and can now be added, as the magazines are in the collections of a variety of major university libraries internationally.

Jmanteith (㊟) 3:22 8 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Keep - Holy TL;DR, Batman!!! Sufficient sources are contained in the mind-numbing wave of text above for a GNG pass. COI issues may exist, but content is generally even-handed and informative. The encyclopedia is better off with the piece than without it. Carrite (talk) 04:36, 13 February 2013 (UTC)


 * not notable She doesn't pass ARTIST and the mainstream sources aren't really about her except for announcements. I agree problems with many sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.205.68.48 (talk) 22:38, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

Re: ARTIST, all five criteria appear to be met to a sufficient extent. 1) Peer recognition: The article establishes the recognition of the subject by top-ranking peers in the area of her art's specialization, classical music, and in general by an intellectual elite, by the mid-1980s and thereafter. 2) Subject of or expert source for major publications: "Music in the USSR," "Musical Life" and "Soviet Union" were mainstream magazines either for the artist's specialty area, classical music, or representing the nation as a whole, internally and internationally. The subject served as an expert source for a key publication on the genesis of aesthetically significant Russian rock music, as well as for significant publications on the composer Aleksandr Lokshin. 3) New concept, theory or technique: The individual nature of the subject's visual approach to music is noted in most art-related sources. 4) Multiple independent periodical articles: A wide range of source citations is provided, as is production information for a short documentary film produced on the subject by reputable Russian TV production company Lentelefilm. 5) Significant exhibitions, critical attention, collections: Citations reference solo exhibits held at the top symphony concert hall in St. Petersburg, a top scientific research center and the national museum of musical culture in Moscow, a central historic hall at St. Petersburg State University, and throughout the U.S., beginning in the 1980s, a period when the exhibit of any Soviet artist abroad was in itself a significant event in the face of political obstacles. Major Russian art critic Moisey Kagan asserts the subject's notability, as does literary critic Sergei Glovyuk, while profiles in "Music in the USSR" and "Musical Life" endorse the artist's work, despite her unaffiliated, semi-underground status. The subject's work is represented in the permanent collection of St. Petersburg's House of Composers, affiliated with the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The House of Composers, based since 1948 in the former mansion of Princess Gagarina, is effectively a museum, functioning as a cultural center for regular public concerts and art exhibits, in addition to housing significant permanent collections and archives from Russia's musical history. http://www.spb-composers.ru/ http://www.spb-composers.ru/history.

Jmanteith (㊟) 7:57 14 February 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Джеймс Мантет (talk • contribs)
 * "Effectively a museum" is questionable. I don't think a painting on a wall in a symphony hall is a permanent exhibit in a museum. I think it's clear you've vastly overstated her impact and the significance of her work and where it's displayed. That said, I don't see WP:42 because there aren't multiple (different from each other, independent of the subject) reliable sources giving in-depth coverage from which we could put together an encyclopedic biography without the benefit of WP:IKNOWIT or WP:TRUE. JFHJr (㊟) 21:22, 14 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Keep much per Carrite. Sufficient references among that wall of text, including what seems to be a movie about her. --GRuban (talk) 20:58, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Where's the movie? If you're referring to this, (Consonance), a non-wiki source would actually show the film's significance. This source indicates it's 12 minutes long. Am I missing the film you're referring to? I'm afraid it's been puffed to the point of misrepresentation by Jmanteith. It's not exactly seminal coverage, especially as films go. JFHJr (㊟) 21:16, 14 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Apparently 13 minutes. :-). True, it's no "Citizen Kane", but it is dedicated to her. And the other items aren't huge either, but there are a number of them, from several countries, over a span of years, that aren't trivial (not the ones from the US, unfortunately, those are 1-liners "local poet to have a reading", which is trivial). I think between all that, together, they cross our notability line; though I can see why someone might think otherwise. --GRuban (talk) 23:03, 14 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Indeed, as per GRuban, the exact point is to look at everything together, and simply to read carefully and without prejudice. The article itself is not a wall of text, and regarding WP:IKNOWIT and WP:TRUE, every significant statement in the article is clearly identified as originating in a published, verifiable source. Participants in this discussion with Russian-language knowledge or Google Translate skills can confirm this. Every detail mentioned was regarded by an independent journalist as significant.  Referring to even a more limited array of articles than cited here would be enough to construct a basic biography through any of the given publication dates. As for WP:42, regarding source variety, reliability, independence from the subject, the sources obviously vary by content, and the allegations questioning reliability and independence for the decades' worth of citations are unsupported, along lines of WP:JUSTAPOLICY, and unproductive as concerns the actual article.

Regarding allegations of inflation, the article is evenhanded and informative as per Carrite. Yes, the independent sources themselves frequently codify their own or others' appreciation of the subject's work; the Wikipedia article does not reference this material, however. The article is written with a view to countering WP:SYSTEMIC_BIAS, a stated Wikipedia aim. This discussion should adhere to WP:Assume_good_faith, and efforts to maintain a tone in keeping with this policy are appreciated.

Yes, the film is short, but is dedicated to the subject, as GRuban notes, and moreover is an official production of a non-commercial state broadcasting company for national broadcast. Authorizing participants include an internationally acclaimed symphony orchestra — the orchestra most closely associated with the composer (Shostakovich, widely viewed as the greatest Russian composer of the Soviet period) whose work is used in the film. As do other sources, the elements of the film testify to a sufficiently high level of peer recognition. Even a shorter film would represent a significant source in this respect.

As GRuban notes, the Russian-language sources are indeed more substantial than the English-language sources (although "Music in the USSR" and "Soviet Union" were published in English among other languages). However, the U.S.-based English-language notices further substantiate the subject's creative biography, as well as acknowledgement of her notability in the U.S. geographic area in which she wrote work also noted in other countries and in her own language base as significant. These articles and notices describe readings and exhibits at major venues (Monterey Institute of International Studies and Henry Miller Library are in particular known internationally, while partner organization Monterey Museum of Art is the major regional museum), and in all cases indicate an attitude of esteem for the subject as a notable foreign arrival, on the part of the reporting press source and of peers and cultural organization in the area.

Again regarding the holding of the subject's artwork at the House of Composers in St. Petersburg, JFHJr's distinction between a museum and a concert hall (which as noted includes museum space) appears groundless and unsupported. The subject's work concerns musical thematics, and the hall itself is central to the history and legacy of the artwork's subject, thus the artwork's place in this permanent collection supports peer recognition in harmony with the context of cultural monuments, as with the "Consonance" film and other sources.

The factors here in sum, taken as no more, but also no less, than stated, would indeed appear to carry the subject beyond the line for Wikipedia inclusion, as indicated by Carrite and GRuban, and can perhaps now be accepted as such by others such as Milowent and in an admin decision.

Jmanteith (㊟) 21:09 15 February 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Джеймс Мантет (talk • contribs)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.