Казалось бы, чего проще, смотрим в словарь Latin words and we get the result: lapido is translated as “stone” into Russian. Now from the noun make the epithet. Therefore, "lapidary" simply means "stone"? In what cases is used this scientific mot? Is it possible to say: “He was sitting with a lapidary face”? Probably not. The expression “lapidary house” is also impossible. Most often, this epithet is used in conjunction with the words "syllable" or "style." And to call someone's way of expressing lapidary means praising his or her oratorical abilities. It seems that the “stone” syllable or the style of presentation of thoughts on paper seems excessively heavy. But in order to fully understand what “lapidary” means, you need to make a small excursion into history.
In ancient times in Europe, the paper did not know.Plain text was written on wax tablets. When it became unnecessary, letters were erased. The wax was slightly heated, the surface was leveled with a spatula - and again they had a clean sheet for writing. But what to do with the texts of national importance, laws, decrees, international treaties? You can, of course, use papyrus. But then you will not put the text on the main square of the city for the acquaintance of citizens with it. That is why decrees, statutes and other documents of state importance were carved in stone. But, since this material is difficult to write down, the thought did not particularly spread through the tree. Antique office work was concise, brief, but at the same time weighty and understandable. This syllable was later called lapidary. The meaning of the word, therefore, varies somewhat. This is no longer a way to be expressed as ponderous, but a syllable worthy of being carved in stone.
Ancient Rome left us many stelae andmonuments, where the thought was expressed clearly and briefly, but at the same time beautiful and elegant. Following politicians who wanted to convey their will to the people, recognized speakers began to express themselves in this way. Rhetoric, one of the central sciences in ancient Rome, taught the art of speaking. Listeners needed to be carried away, not tired. Therefore, the lapidary speaker is a true master of syllable. After all, it is important not to overdo it. Excessive brevity could result in non-recognition by the majority of the audience. As the father of rhetoric himself expressed it, Horace, the more you try to be brief, the more you do incomprehensible. In oratory, it was important to grope a middle ground: expressively, clearly, clearly and concisely express your thoughts, while clotting them in a form that would penetrate into the very heart of the listener or reader.
This ability to speak beautifully and briefly becameDo not virtue in ancient Rome. But even with the fall of the great empire, oratory was not lost. Of course, there have been periods in history when the fashion for vysprennye, colorful, wordy and flowery expressions. But this style was mocked by great writers. For example, Shakespeare, who lived just in this era, wrote: "The more words - the less weight they have." And the great Russian classic Leo Tolstoy said that brief thoughts are good because they make the intelligent reader think. A striking example of lapidary style are aphorisms. These are brief sentences in which deep thought is clearly expressed. Funny, but there are aphorisms about brevity. No wonder Anton Pavlovich Chekhov talked about this. He owns the phrases that all ingenious is simple, and brevity is the sister of talent.
Brevity, clarity, conciseness - are the mainqualities that have adopted the art of modernism. In its rebellion against the academic style, it resorts to simple but strong strokes, rich, bright colors without semitones. It seeks to show life as it is, without embellishing the truth. Here is how one of his apologists, S.K. Makovsky, explained cubism in 1921: “The revolutionary style of painting lapidary. This new art does not tolerate refined, it is satiated with this sugary ". The same trends affected not only the visual arts of the early twentieth century, but also literature. And in our time, the concept of “minimalism” has found its application - a kind of lapidarity in interior design.
Anyone who saw buildings built in styleEmpire, doubt. What can this rich, richly decorated with stone decorations and metal forging architectural hulk with lapidarity have in common? Empire is the modified word "empire". The style became fashionable during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Later he was picked up during the Restoration. In the expanses of the Soviet Union its interesting branch is known - the Stalin Empire style. So, what brings the decor with pears sprinkling from the cornucopia, heavy stucco with hammer sickles and generously, if not over-decorated, cornices to the style called lapidary? This is a spiritual connection with ancient Rome. As you remember, lapidary we know from memorable stelae with inscriptions. Ancient columns, pilasters, motifs from Olympic mythology on friezes, as well as short lapidary inscriptions praising civil and state virtues are characteristic of the Empire style building.
