Lyubov Speranskaya

Speranskaya Lyubov Lvovna (1918–2010; Сперанская Любовь Львовна nee Stein) is People's artist of the Republic of Tatarstan, member of Russian Artist's Union, the first woman-scenograph in Tatarstan, theatre artist, portraitist, graphic painter, ceramist, ethnographer, the participant of Great Patriotic War.

Living in the Leningrad (today Saint-Petersburg), in 1941 she finished Leningrad State University, than she was mobilized for children's evacuation from seized Leningrad. She worked as a tutor until 1944 in remote village in Sarman district in the Republic of Tatarstan. There she opened national Tatar art. Singularity and charm of national art fascinated her for years. And first sketches had been appeared. She interested in origin of some elements of national art, character of national clothes and utensils.

As a result of many-years work in museum fonds in Kazan, Volga area and other cities the richest material had been collected. In 1972, after 25 years of work Kostyumi Kazanskikh Tatar (National Clothes of the Kazan Tatars) album was published with great success. Professor N. Nadirov wrote: "This album is an illustrated history of national clothes". Similar opinion was told by A.X. Xalikov, A.G. Axmadullin, R.G. Moxammadova, etc. And still there is no a better work in this area.

At the same time she began to work as an artist in TGTO&B, she became a follower of Pyotr Tikhonovich Speranski, one of the greatest masters of scena, the creator of Tatar national decorative art. She became his wife later. Then Lyubov Speranskaya finished Art College in 1953. The first playbill containing her name appeared in 1946. From 1953 till 1957 Speranskaya worked as chief artist in Kazan Dolls Theatre, since 1957 she worked as stage-artist director in Kazan theatres, also she was invited to other cities of Russian Federation (Ijevsk, Chelyabinsk, Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola, Siktivkar, Petrozavodsk, Moscow, etc.). There are more than 100 theatre productions in her art-baggage. Lyubov Speranskaya has become famous scenographic producer and master of scenic and national clothes. At the same time, in her scenic works, portraits we can see that Speranskaya is acute portraitist-psychologist.

Her theatre and scenic costumes as a rule turn to character with its own psychology, features of nationality and spirit of time. "After work decision of Speranskaya it is too difficult to imagine another character…"- her colleague told. Lyubov Speranskaya is constant participant of different Theatre Art Exhibitions in Tatarstan, Russia, former Soviet Union and international exhibitions. She has a diploma for participation in Russian Exhibition Bolshaya Volga (The Great Volga). Now she is ready to exhibit new series of posters Volga Muslims, which are dedicated to Kazan's 1000 anniversary.