"Lapidary" is what is it and why is it called that?

It would seem that it's easier, look in the dictionary of Latin words and get the result: lapido in Russian translates as "stone". Now from the noun we make the epithet. Hence, "lapidary" means simply "stone"? In what cases is this learned word used? Can you say: "He was sitting with a lapidary face"? Probably not. Also the expression "lapidary house" is 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 him or her oratorical abilities. It seems that the "stone" syllable or style of expressing thoughts on paper seems excessively heavy. But in order to fully understand what "lapidary" means, it is necessary to make a short digression into history.

What is written with a chisel ...

In ancient times, Europe did not know the paper. The usual text was written on wax tablets. When it became unnecessary, the letters were erased. A little heated wax, leveled spatula surface - and again had a blank sheet for writing. But what about the texts of state importance, laws, decrees, international treaties? You can, of course, use papyrus. But then the text will not be displayed on the main square of the city to familiarize citizens with it. That is why decrees, charters and other documentation of national importance were carved in stone. But, since this material is difficult to write down, the thought on the tree did not spread very much. The ancient office work was concise, concise, but at the same time weighty and understandable. This syllable was later called "lapidary". The meaning of the word thus changes somewhat. This is no longer a way of expressing heavily, but a syllable worthy of being carved into a stone.

Laconism and lapidarnost

Ancient Rome left us many steles and monuments, where the thought was expressed clearly and concisely, but at the same time beautiful and elegant. Following the politicians who wanted to convey their will to the people, so recognized speakers began to speak. Rhetoric, one of the central sciences in ancient Rome, taught the art of speaking. The listeners needed to be carried away, not exhausted. Therefore, the lapidary speaker is a real master of the syllable. After all, it is important not to overdo it. Excessive laconism could lead to non-recognition of the majority of the audience. As the father of rhetoric expressed himself, Horace, the more you try to be short, the more you become incomprehensible. In oratory it was important to find the golden mean: express clearly, clearly, concisely and concisely express your thoughts, while putting them into a form that would penetrate the very heart of the listener or reader.

Further metamorphosis of the meaning of the word "lapidary"

This ability to speak beautifully and briefly became almost a 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 fashion came in for high-spirited, colorful, verbose and ornate expressions. But this style was ridiculed by great writers. For example, Shakespeare, who lived in such an era, wrote: "The more words, the less weight they have." A great Russian classic Leo Tolstoy said that short thoughts are good in that they make the smart reader think himself. A vivid example of lapidary style are aphorisms. These are brief sentences in which a deep thought is clearly expressed. It's funny, but there are also aphorisms about brevity. It was not for nothing that Anton Pavlovich Chekhov spoke about this. He owns the phrase that all genius is simple, and brevity is the sister of talent.

"Lapidary": the meaning of the term in modernist art

Shortness, clarity, laconism - these are the main qualities that the art of modernism has adopted. In its riot against the academic style, it resorts to simple, but strong strokes, juicy, bright colors without halftones. It seeks to show life as it is, without embellishing the truth. This is how Cubism explained in 1921, one of his apologists, S. K. Makovsky: "The revolutionary style of painting is lapidary. This new art does not tolerate refined, it was fed up with this sweetness. " The same trends touched not only the fine arts of the early twentieth century, but also literature. And in our time, the notion of "minimalism" - a kind of lapidary in the design of interiors - has found its application.

Empire

Anyone who has seen buildings built in Empire style, will doubt. What can this rich, lavishly decorated with stone decorations and metallic forging have, an architectural giant with lapidarity? Empire - this is a modified word "empire". Style became fashionable in the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. Later it was picked up during the Restoration. In the vast expanses of the Soviet Union, it is known for its interesting offshoot - the Stalin Empire. So, what approximates the decor with apples-pears, pouring from the cornucopia, heavy stucco with hammer sickles and generously, if not to say - overly decorated cornices to the style, which is called "lapidary"? This is a spiritual connection with Ancient Rome. As you remember, we know about lapidary by memorable stele with inscriptions. For the construction in the Empire style, there are antique columns, pilasters, motifs from the Olympic mythology on friezes, as well as short lapidary inscriptions that praise civil and state virtues.