Palekh- a small village in the Ivanovo region, the first mention of which dates back to the beginning XVII century. And today it is the world’s most famous center of iconography and lacquer painting, which has no analogues in any corner of our planet. The works of Palekhov masters do not leave anyone indifferent,
who once saw them.
At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, Palekh saw the appearance of masters who painted holy images, painted temples and cathedrals, and restored ancient frescoes. The beginning of the 19th century saw the heyday of Palekh icon painting, which was in great demand not only in Russia, but also abroad. Peculiar, fine art Palekh lacquer miniatures combine the principles of ancient Russian painting and folk art.
If in some cities the creation of icons had an almost industrial spread, then in Palekh for many years The original writing of holy images was preserved, the writing of which was carried out by members of peasant families in their free time from agricultural work.
It was noteworthy that in the peasant families of icon painters there was a division of labor: the drawing was applied to the base by the “banner”, the clothes and chambers were painted by the “dolicnik”, and the faces by the “lichnik”. Palekh icons were created over a long period of time and meticulously; they were consistent with the canons of ancient models, so their value was high.
But by the end of the 19th century in Rus', the number of icon painters increased greatly, which caused a decrease in the cost and deterioration in the quality of icon painting, and the demand for Palekh icons sharply decreased due to the high cost.
And the revolution that took place in Russia in 1917 changed not only the entire structure of Russia but also the attitude towards the church. The production of icons became unclaimed and icon painters were completely left without work.
But lacquer miniature painting in Palekh is a relatively young movement that emerged only about two centuries ago. The prerequisite for its emergence was that at the end of the 18th century, the Moscow merchant Korobov founded the production of lacquered visors for army caps. And when snuff came into fashion, he also began producing lacquer snuff boxes.
Over time, these boxes acquired a luxurious and rich appearance; they began to be used to decorate rooms. Using colorful colors and Russian folk themes, Palekh craftsmen used various subjects from fairy tales, epics and legends in their work.
Upon completion civil war Palekh craftsmen resumed their craft, now making boxes, brooches, powder compacts and other items from papier-mâché. They depicted scenes from Russian folk tales, skits village life, and also used the work of Russian writers and poets.
Second world war also contributed her own subjects to Palekh painting - colorful military scenes. During Soviet times, Palekh was characterized by pathos, ideology, and monumentalism. And only years later the artists managed to return romance and sublimity, poetry and allegory.
To this day, lacquer miniatures differ bright colors on a black background, elongated figures, thin lines. Decorative landscapes and architecture, elegant gold ornaments framing the composition - all this makes Palekh painting unique.
Each of the master miniaturists has his own professional style. This painstaking work requires from them not only inspiration, but also great precision and accuracy, since all painting is done by hand, and very often a magnifying glass is required for this. Most of the miniatures are unique or produced in very small quantities.
Palekh painting is one of the rarest and most unique in the world and, despite the complexity of the process, Palekh residents still paint blanks in the “old-fashioned” way.
These are, first of all, lacquer miniatures (boxes, caskets, souvenirs, badges), jewelry, icons, panels, portraits and canvases for interiors.
From the history of Palekh painting
This special kind painting originated in Ancient Rus'. In those days, Palekh painting was used to decorate temples and icons. The abundance of gold, soft tones and elongated figures inherent in this type of painting were perfectly suited for creating biblical stories. But the monotonous theme did not provide an outlet for the creative self-expression of artists, and over time, some masters moved away from a purely religious theme and wove pictures of Russian nature, fairy tale plots, and folklore motifs into their works.
Icon of the Pantocrator (Pantocrator). Wood, gesso, tempera, oil. 31 x 26.4 cm. State Museum Palekh art. Artist V.V. Zhegalov
In addition to icons, boxes, panels, and household appliances (for example, writing utensils, trays) began to appear. Lush flowers bloomed on their surface, dressed in the crimson of the forest, Alyonushka cried by the river, rushed towards gray wolf Ivan Tsarevich or the Russian people had fun celebrating Maslenitsa. And each plot was and remains unique, because it is written by hand and is never repeated.
The village of Palekh. Casket (1934). Artist I.M. Bakanov
Palekh painting technique
The Palekh technique cannot be confused with any other, only it is characterized by patterns, thin, graceful lines, elongation and careful linear cutting of figures, and an abundance of landscape decorations. And the technique of applying, fixing and processing the drawing, passed down from antiquity, gives it internal depth and richness of colors. A similar technique was used to paint ancient frescoes, and it has no analogues in the whole world. Modern masters of Palekh painting create their works by hand from start to finish, relying only on old techniques and techniques. The artist independently prepares the future item, specially processes it, paints it, applies gold and seals the result. Thanks to high quality, Paleshan products are valued all over the world.
Manufacturing of products for painting
The blank for Palekh lacquer miniatures is cardboard. The master cuts it into shapes of a certain size and glues them one on top of the other on a wooden block using flour paste. The number of layers is determined by the thickness of the product. The workpiece is then pressed and dried for several days. The resulting semi-finished product must be completely saturated with linseed oil (for this purpose flour glue was used, which, unlike synthetic glue, will allow linseed oil to pass through itself and allow it to be deeply absorbed). The workpiece is dipped into a vat of hot oil and kept there for a day. Then oven drying again (2 days at 100˚C). Now the product can be sanded, processed with a file or an emery brush. At the same stage, hooks, canopies, and hinges are attached to the product.
To prime the product, a special composition is prepared from oil, soot and red clay. Several layers of varnish are already applied to the primer: 2-3 layers of black varnish on the outside, and oil varnish with cinnabar (a mineral made from mercury and sulfur) on the inside. Last stage obtaining the correct workpiece - applying 7 layers of light varnish with mandatory oven drying of each layer. Light varnish is also made by Palekh craftsmen. old recipes. Now the product is ready for painting, which real artists do only with self-prepared paints from egg yolks, vinegar and minerals. The master goes over the surface of the product with pumice so that the paints do not spread, draws the contours of the pattern first with a pencil, then with whitewash, and then paints it with a thin squirrel hair brush (which he makes himself). The dimensions of the pattern are so small that artists often have to resort to using a magnifying glass.
"Three girls under the window." Casket (1931). Artist P.D. Bazhenov
The painted product is dried and the design is fixed with varnish. Only after this the master begins to paint the product with gold and silver leaf. To make precious metals shine, they are polished with agate or wolf's tooth. The entire product is again coated with several layers of varnish, dried and sanded to a mirror shine.
"Chichikov at Korobochka." Casket (1936). Artist V.M. Salabanov
Palekh painting originated in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo region, from where it got its name. This type is decorative applied creativity is truly unique, because, despite the fact that it has existed for many centuries, the technologies and techniques for creating compositions do not change - the master himself prepares the object that he will paint from beginning to end. Therefore, it is impossible to find two identical items painted in the Palekh style. The features of Palekh painting are the elegance of figures, clarity, subtlety and delineation of drawings, a dark background, large number shading done in gold.
As a rule, souvenirs and objects that serve as interior decoration are painted with Palekh miniatures - boxes, caskets, panels, ashtrays, brooches and similar items.
Artists do not create individual ornaments or figures, but draw entire pictures depicting certain subjects. All the figures in the Palekh artist’s drawing are elongated – people, horses, and animals. The characters in the paintings are always on the move, as evidenced by clearly defined folds of clothing and waves of hair. The masters took and take the theme for the miniature from everyday life, fairy tales, songs, epics and fables, and thanks to the variety of colors and small details, the effect of lightness and celebration is created.
Peculiarities Palekh painting are connected with the fact that it was born from icon painting and is based on its traditions and techniques; even as a paint, masters still use egg tempera, which they use to paint icons.
For Palekh painting, a black or dark background is used, which symbolizes the darkness, from which, in the process of painstaking and difficult work life and color are born, and it also has internal volume, which gives the paintings a special depth.
The technique of applying, fixing and processing the design has been passed down from ancient times from generation to generation, thanks to which unique things made using the Palekh technique are popular all over the world and are part of the culture not only of our country, but of the whole world.
We study the technology of making Palekh painting in miniature
Cardboard is used as a blank for Palekh miniatures. The master cuts it into shapes and, using flour paste, glues it together in several layers (depending on the thickness of the product). Then the workpiece is pressed and thoroughly dried for several days.
After drying, the semi-finished product is impregnated with linseed oil - for this, it is immersed in a vat of hot oil for a day, after which it is dried in an oven for 2 days at a temperature of 100°. After this, the product is treated with an emery brush, sanded and the necessary fittings are attached.
At this stage, the product is primed with a special composition of a mixture of oil, soot and red clay and varnished - 2 - 3 layers of black varnish on the outside and oil varnish with cinnabar with inside. Then another seven (!) layers of light varnish are applied, making sure to dry each layer in the oven. Only after all these preparatory manipulations does the product become suitable for painting - the master lightly walks over the surface of the product with pumice, draws the contours of the design and then paints it with a thin squirrel hair brush. Individual drawings in a composition are so small that craftsmen have to use a magnifying glass.
It is noteworthy that the master makes all the tools and materials himself - paints, brushes, varnishes with primers, and other compounds necessary for high-quality work.
At this stage, the painted product is dried and the pictures are fixed with a special varnish. After this, the master begins painting with gold and silver leaf, polishing it all with agate or wolf tooth (for additional shine). Then all products are again coated with several layers of varnish, dried and polished to a mirror shine. Due to the large number of varnish layers that cover the product during the work process, Palekh painting is also called lacquer miniature.
Due to the brightness of the colors and the vividness of the images, drawings in the style of Palekh painting are used to illustrate children's books with fairy tales. For children, these images are very interesting, since the drawing represents not just a static picture, but a whole story or plot of the work. But the photo below shows illustrations for some children's fairy tales, made in the Palekh style.
Video on the topic of the article
In order to get better acquainted with Palekh painting, we suggest watching several video stories in which various options lacquer miniatures and describes in detail the stages of creating these unique and amazing images.
Palekh painting is one of the most recognizable artistic crafts of the Russian people. Palekh painting takes its origins from post-revolutionary central Russia. The current Ivanovo region was then the Vladimir province, and the fishery took its name from the village of Palekh, which was in the Vyaznikovsky district. Earlier, in the pre-revolutionary period, the masters of Palekh were more famous for their skill in painting icons and decorating churches, so we can assume that Palekh painting has its origins in icon painting.
History of the fishery
Initially, the artists of Palekh were most famous for their church painting, but in the post-revolutionary period, the Palekh art artel was created in Palekh, whose masters began to engage in wood painting. And in 1925, the works of the artists of this artel were exhibited at an exhibition in Paris and gained worldwide fame.
(Palekh)
A special boom in Palekh painting is characteristic of the late 1960s - early 1980s:
- was issued huge amount Soviet postcards with miniatures made in Palekh technique;
- stamps were issued with Palekh painting;
- souvenir and gift cosmetic sets were sold in boxes with Palekh painting and with the same images on the labels;
- Decorative trays and jewelry boxes, which depicted not only the plots of epics and fairy tales, but also the stories of the achievements of the Soviet people, were very popular.
Elements of Palekh painting
(drawing)
The most important difference between Palekh painting and other native Russian painting crafts is the drawing of miniature compositions - images that tell a certain plot. Unlike ornamental painting and character images, Palekh painting requires drawing the smallest details of the design to convey the subtleties and character of all characters or phenomena. The following are chosen as the basis: plots of epics, fables and legends; everyday scenes.
Black is chosen as the main color for the background, and gold tones and their variations are considered the main colors for painting.
(painted work)
Other important differences are:
- multi-tone shadow painting;
- somewhat elongated images of the characters;
- accurate drawing of elements, for example, the foliage of trees is written in accordance with the natural image;
- a large number of drawn nuances and details.
Even now you can find books in which, for illustration classical works great Russian authors, use subjects made in Palekh painting.
Execution technique
Carrying out Palekh painting on a box, casket, tray or compact requires compliance with certain sequential stages. First they make a blank required item, who will sign, for example, boxes.
(Palekh miniature)
The blank is carried out by layering sheets of cardboard until the required density of the product is achieved. Next, the entire workpiece is covered with primer in several layers (applying each layer in turn) and at the end putty is applied, which is left until completely dry. At the next stage, the workpiece is rubbed with pumice to achieve a structural surface on which it is better to apply varnish and paint. For the whole outer surface black varnish is applied to the workpiece, and most often red varnish is applied to the inner part.
After preparatory work The future drawing is painted over with white, and the details are drawn with a thin pencil.
Then they prepare tempera paints, or rather egg emulsion, with which the dry pigment of the paint is diluted. To do this, the egg yolk is separated from the white, and then beaten with a whisk with the addition of vinegar. After mixing the emulsion with pigment, the consistency becomes plastic, so the paint goes on more softly. A special nuance when making egg emulsion in Palekh is diluting it not with water, but with vinegar or bread kvass.
(Palekh boxes)
Paint is applied to a black varnish base using squirrel brushes, which are most often created by the masters themselves, to obtain the necessary strokes for painting.
Often, when painting, masters use a magnifying glass or magnifying glass.
Finally, the design is fixed with several layers of transparent varnish (5 to 10 layers) and polished to a shine.
Palekh painting is a very labor-intensive craft that requires a lot of time from the artist. Therefore, products with Palekh painting are very valuable and are quite expensive.
Palekh has been famous for its icon painters since pre-Petrine times. Palekh icon painting reached its greatest flourishing in the 18th century. early XIX century. The local style developed under the influence of the Moscow, Novgorod, Stroganov and Yaroslavl schools.
In addition to icon painting, the Palesians were engaged in monumental painting, participating in the painting and restoration of churches and cathedrals, including the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, churches of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the Novodevichy Convent.
After the revolution of 1917, Palekh artists were forced to look for new forms of realizing their creative potential. In 1918, artists created the Palekh artistic decorative artel, which was engaged in painting on wood.
, CC BY-SA 3.0The people of Palestine became acquainted with the new material papier-mâché, which for a century had been the basis for Fedoskin’s lacquer miniatures.
Masters have mastered new material, transferring onto it the traditional technology of tempera painting for ancient Russian icons and the conventional style of the image.
"Snow Maiden" author. Polunina On December 5, 1924, seven Palekh artists I. I. Golikov, I. V. Markichev, I. M. Bakanov, I. I. Zubkov, A. I. Zubkov, A. V. Kotukhin, V. V. Kotukhin united in "Artel of Ancient Painting". Later they were joined by artists I. P. Vakurov, D. N. Butorin, N. M. Zinoviev. In 1925, Palekh miniatures were exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris.
"The village of Palekh." Box, 1934. I. M. Bakanov Alex Bakharev, Public Domain The Union of Palekh Artists arose in 1932. In 1935, the artel was transformed into the Palekh Artists' Association, and in 1954 the Palekh art and production workshops of the USSR Art Fund were formed.
Typical subjects of Palekh miniatures are borrowed from everyday life, literary works classics, fairy tales, epics and songs. The works are usually done with tempera paints on a black background and painted in gold.
How to distinguish from fakes
Each product, made by hand by a master, is never repeated, and undoubtedly reflects the creative individuality of the author.
The unique and subtle art of lacquer miniatures in Palekh incorporates the principles of ancient Russian painting and folk art as its basis.
vector-images.com, Public Domain Palekh miniatures are signed according to a single pattern. On the cover of the item there is a serial number of the semi-finished product, an indication of the place (Palekh), the surname and initials of the author.
Since 1934, the signature “Made in USSR” was placed on the bottom of the box, which in 1992 was changed to “Made in Russia”. All signatures are made in created gold.
At the end of the 80s, a trademark appeared on the works of Palekh Artists - the firebird. Each work is accompanied by a certificate indicating the authenticity of the work.
For more than ten years, the main production association for the production of miniatures has been ".
The presence of the company's trademark indicates genuine Palekh lacquer painting.
Guide to Russian Crafts, CC BY-SA 3.0 Briefly about the technology
The work of a Palekh artist begins with the preparation of paint. Paints in Palekh are diluted using egg emulsion.
Before painting, the surface of the product is treated with pumice. Then the artist applies a drawing to the semi-finished product with a finely sharpened pencil.
Then the image is drawn with whitewash using a thin squirrel brush (the artists also make their own brushes).
A layer of white is necessary so that when the painting is subsequently coated with varnish, black spots do not appear through the paint (the varnish slightly dissolves the paint).
Brand "Snow Maiden" Mariluna, CC BY-SA 3.0 Having finished the work with paints, the artist takes up the gold. Gold leaf (one portion - 10 sheets 12x7 cm) is carefully crushed and rubbed with fingers. Gold painting is also done with the finest brush.
After the artist has put his signature on the product, it is varnished and dried.
The piece is then polished on a mechanical wheel covered in plush or velvet.
Photo gallery
Useful information
Palekh miniature
Forefathers of the style
The founders of the Palekh style are I. I. Golikov and Alexander Aleksandrovich Glazunov, in whose Moscow workshop Ivan Golikov painted the first work in the so-called Palekh style.
First confession
For the first time, Palekh miniatures on papier-mâché, made to order Handicraft Museum, were presented at the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition in 1923, where they were awarded a 2nd degree diploma.
Training in Palekh miniature
In 1928, a vocational school of ancient painting was opened in Palekh, the training in which lasted four years. In 1935, the school was transformed into an art college. In 1936, the technical school transferred to the system of the All-Union Committee for Arts and began to be called a school (Palekh art school named after A. M. Gorky), where the training lasted 5 years. In the 2000s, the training period was reduced to 4 years.
Features of the Palekh letter
The style of Palekh painting is characterized by a thin and smooth pattern predominantly on a black background, an abundance of golden shading, and a clear silhouette of flattened figures, sometimes completely covering the surface of the lid and side walls of the boxes. The decorativeness of the landscape and architecture, the elongated graceful proportions of the figures, the color based on a combination of three primary colors - red, yellow and green, go back to the traditions of ancient Russian icon painting. The composition is usually framed with exquisite ornaments made of melted gold. Gold in Palekh miniature it is not only a key element of writing technique, but also part of the artistic worldview. It is associated with the symbol of light. In Christian symbolism, light becomes a prototype of Divine grace.
Contemporary artists
Currently, workshops of the Russian Art Fund, small private workshops and individual artists continue to work in Palekh. Among them are T. I. Zubkova, A. A. Kotukhina, N. I Golikov, A. M. Kurkin, K. Kukulieva and B. N. Kukuliev, A. D. Kochupalov, T. Khodova, V. V. Morokin, B. Ermolaev, E. Shchanitsyna and others.
Using a magnifying glass
The work of a miniature artist requires not only creative inspiration, but also enormous precision and thoroughness, which is why Palekh painters often have to resort to the help of a magnifying glass.
Wolf tooth
In order for the gold applied to the product to acquire shine, it must be polished. A wolf tooth is used for this - it has a particularly smooth surface. Even with the advent of new technologies and materials, nothing could replace this exotic instrument.
Manual finishing
The final finishing touches during polishing are done only by hand. The surface is covered with lard and treated for an hour with a palm moistened with water. From friction, the surface of the varnish heats up, becomes completely leveled and acquires a mirror shine.