Palekh village - an ancient Russian village of Vladimir-Suzdal land, one of the centers of ancient Russian art, located 64 kilometers from the regional center. The population is 6400, of which 500 are artists living within their community.
Palekh was a village until 1947, then in 1947 it was renamed into a settlement. The exact date of the emergence of Palekh is unknown, but the records preserved in the annals indicate that it existed until the 15th century.
Palekh stands on a hill, among the fields and forests, divided into two parts by the Paleshka River, there are many springs and ponds.
The history of Palekh goes back to ancient times. Palekh is the name of Finno-Ugric origin. The results of archaeological excavations confirm that one of the numerous Finno-Ugric tribes has long lived on the territory of the region. The Finno-Ugric completely dissolved among the Slavs, who gradually settled the northeastern lands of Rus' and their linguistic culture can be traced only in geographical names - Purekh, Palekh, Landeh, Lukh, Lyulekh. There is a belief told by a local resident Felitsata Grigoryevna Palikina about the origin of the name
Niya Palekh.
"... Deaf forests stood, there was no population ... there was a big fire in the forest ... from" lightning. "The fire burned all the trees on the mountain. And soon people here announced come from those who were looking for a free life, either from the Tatar raid, or from the boyar yoke they fled. The mountain was called Palyona, otherwise it was Palikha. And the village began to be called Palekh.
There is also a legend: “Palekh arose in those violent years of ancient times, when countless Tatar hordes marched on Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. The devastated population fled into the dense forests and swamps and took icons with them. went the name Palekh.
In the 16th and 17th centuries various crafts originated in the village. The beginning of the flourishing of the ancient icon-painting industry of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus in Palekh belongs to this period. In the 18th century, the art of Palekh icon painters acquired a peculiar style, later called "Palekh letters". Palekh icons were famous for the special subtlety of writing, tempera paints with the use of gold on the clothes of saints. The exact date of the appearance of Palekh icon painting has not been established by written sources. The style of Palekh icon painting is based on the traditions of the ancient Suzdal school and some features of Moscow icon painting of the 15th-16th centuries. .
("Do not cry for me, Mati - 1769)
Many works of Palekh icon painting were created under the influence of Western European art and the Russian academic school, the so-called "Fryazh" writing.
Palekh icons were admired by Goethe, Chekhov, Nekrasov, Leskov. Caskets, caskets, powder boxes, cigarette cases made in this village are sold all over the world. Some are exhibited in the halls of museums or are the pride of collectors.
("Akathist to the Savior" - the middle of the 18th century, "Akathist to the Mother of God", "Transfiguration" - the end of the 18th - the beginning of the 19th centuries).
In addition to icon painting, the Paleshians were engaged in monumental painting, participating in the painting and restoration of churches and cathedrals, including the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, the churches of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the Novodevichy Convent.
Palekh icon painting
Modern Palekh is one of the recognized centers of lacquer miniatures. After the revolution of 1917, the icon painters of Palekh had to look for new ways to use their creative powers.
In 1918, the artists created the Palekh Art Decorative Artel, which was engaged in painting on wood.
Paleshians got acquainted with the new papier-mâché material, which for a century was the basis for Fedoskin's lacquer miniature. The masters mastered the new material, transferring to it the technology of tempera painting traditional for the ancient Russian icon and the conditional style of the image, created a new style of miniature painting, which is distinguished by a special subtlety of artistic techniques. It was called the Palekh Miniature.
The founders of the Palekh style are I. I. Golikov and Alexander Alexandrovich Glazunov, in the Moscow workshopwhich Ivan Golikov wrote the first work in the so-called Pal ex style.
For the first time, Palekh miniatures on papier-mache, commissioned by the Handicraft Museum, were presented at the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition in 1923, where they were awarded a 2nd degree diploma. In 1925, Palekh miniatures were exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris. The peculiarity of the Palekh miniature is typical plots borrowed from everyday life, literary works of the classics, fairy tales, epics and songs. The style of Palekh painting is characterized by a thin and smooth drawing on a predominantly black background, an abundance of golden shading, and the clarity of the silhouette of flattened figures, sometimes completely covering the surface of the lid and side walls of the caskets. The decorativeness of the landscape and architecture, the elongated graceful proportions of the figures, the color scheme 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 an exquisite ornament made of crafted gold.
Palekh painting is a kind of folk arts and crafts that arose from icon painting traditions and is a Russian miniature painting with tempera paints on papier-mâché and wooden objects.
Palekh painting originated in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo region, already in Soviet times, but its roots go back centuries. The first mention of the art of Palekh painters dates back to the 17th century. The word Palekh itself refers to the Finno-Ugric group, the speakers of which completely disappeared among the Slavic people, leaving only geographical names - Palekh, Sezun, Purekh, etc. in their memories of their linguistic culture. It is believed that the village of Palekh was formed by people fleeing from the Tatar-Mongol on the site of a scorched area of \u200b\u200bthe forest, which is called singed in the common people. And so the name of the settlement was born, from which the names “Palekh icon painting”, “Palekh painting” and “Palekh miniature” originated.
General features of Palekh painting
Like any folk applied art related to a particular area, Palekh painting has a number of its own characteristics and features based on the traditions of the masters of this school. Since the founders of the art of Palekh miniatures were former icon painters, this fact could not but affect the style of writing artistic compositions created by Palekh painters. The Palekh masters of icon painting were distinguished by their impeccable sense of color and the finest drawing of every detail, which they brought to the drawings on caskets, cigarette cases and other handicrafts. We can say that the entire Palekh lacquer miniature is based on icon painting, its traditions and techniques.
Palekh painting differs from the painting style of other Russian folk schools in that the artists do not depict ornaments or individual figures, but draw whole compositions - real miniature paintings depicting a particular plot. The art of Palekh is poetry in drawing, moments of Russian songs and fairy tales, imprinted by the artist's hand on the surface of objects. The subjects of the master of miniature painting were taken from everyday life, Russian folk tales, songs and epics, as well as classical works of literature, for example, from Pushkin's fairy tales and Krylov's fables. Due to their sophistication, richness of colors and details of the drawing, Palekh miniatures create a feeling of lightness and celebration.
Distinctive features of the Palekh school are:
- miniature letter;
- the general soft tone of writing the composition;
- ornamental sophistication of the pattern;
- saturation of the composition with elements;
- picturesqueness of every detail;
- patterning of the letter;
- variety of color transitions;
- trees with naturalistic foliage;
- Stroganoff elongation and fragility of figures;
- the subtlety of drawing the naked parts of the human body;
- saturation with movement;
- gold painting;
- spaces;
- backgrounds of dark tones.
The black background, made with varnish and being the main “space” for the future composition, is not accidental in the Palekh miniature. The fact is that the art of lacquer miniature originated in the ancient countries of the Far East, where the material on which the image was painted was lacquer wood - a natural raw material. There was no such thing in Russia, so Russian craftsmen began to use papier-mâché covered with black varnish for painting. This coating has become the hallmark of Palekh painting. In addition, the black background for the Palekh miniature symbolizes darkness, from which, in the process of painting, life and color are born. In addition, the black background has its own internal volume, which gives the finished drawings depth in the composition.
Another distinctive feature of Palekh painting is that from the beginning of the art of Palekh miniature painting to this day, artists paint pictures with egg tempera, which was used to paint icons.
The golden color is not only part of the color scheme of the drawing and a distinctive feature of the works of Palekh painters. Thin lines of gold and silver serve to reveal light and shadows, reveal the shape of figures and individual elements of the composition. In addition, gold symbolizes light, which in the Christian worldview means something Divine, eternal.
The work of a miniaturist requires filigree precision, accuracy of every line, accuracy. Often, Palekh masters have to use a magnifying glass when writing their miniature masterpieces. The unique manner and elegance of the Palekh lacquer miniature is based on the centuries-old traditions of ancient Russian painting and the rich experience of folk art.
You can see the features of the technology in the pictures.
History of origin and development in Russia
The birth of the art of miniature painting in Palekh is not accidental. It arose from the centuries-old traditions of Russian painting and folk art, which is its basis. The experience of many generations of Palekh painters and icon painters is very diverse and rich.
Palekh's icon painters developed their own unique style under the influence of their neighbors - the Novgorod, Stronovo and Yaroslavl schools, as well as the Volga painting of the 17th century. Despite the fact that the icon-painting style adhered to strict canons, each school tried to bring its own features and characteristics into the painting of icons, expressed in the selection of colors, details of the image of people, objects, clothing, or landscape elements. Depending on the time and conditions of writing icons, the manner of depiction and the set of elements changed. On some Palekh icons you can find details from the everyday life of people of that time: dishes, interior items, weapons or clothes. There are images of chambers, wagons, landscapes and architectural elements.
The first mention of Palekh is found in chronicles dating back to the beginning of the 17th century. In the historical documents of that time, there are descriptions of Palekh as a place with a well-developed icon-painting industry - by that time there were about twenty icon-painting workshops in the village. However, its own style, distinguished by its special elegance, filigree accuracy of the image, subtlety and smoothness of lines, and a large number of colors of golden hues used to write the robes of saints, developed only closer to the middle of the 18th century.
In addition to painting icons, the Paleshians were also engaged in monumental painting, taking part in the painting of temples and churches, creating real masterpieces on the walls, without which we cannot imagine the decoration of even the most modest church interiors. For example, from 1762 to 1774, the Exaltation of the Cross Church was erected in the very center of Palekh, the painting of which was entirely done by local artists.
By the middle of the 17th century, folk rumor had spread the news about the magnificent works of the Palekh painters and reached the major cities of Russia, including Moscow. Palekh masters began to be invited to the capital city for painting and restoration of temples, cathedrals and churches. The art and talent of the icon painters of the village, located on the Paleshka River, can be appreciated even today by visiting such famous historical monuments of Russia as the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, the Novodevichy Convent or the Sergiev Posad Lavra.
Palekh icons were a very expensive pleasure, as they were painted for a long time and carefully, according to the samples of the preserved old works of the masters of the past, and were the best examples of the Russian icon painting tradition. Despite the high price, there was no shortage of demand for icons painted in Palekh, and from the 18th century Palekh became the center of icon painting, preserving the best traditions of the Russian painting school of the 15th-17th centuries. The Palekh school became famous throughout the country, the icon-painting industry flourished, and the works of the masters were bought up very willingly.
However, by the end of the 19th century, the creation of icons in Russia took on an almost industrial scale, which led to a deterioration in the quality of works. In pursuit of the speed of creating icon-painting compositions, for an increase in the number of works, everything that was so valued in Russian painting was lost - drawing details, creating airiness, transparency of the image, filling the volume with various elements, conveying the subtlest emotions on the faces of saints. Icons were becoming cheaper, and their quality was getting worse and worse. A particularly heavy blow to the traditions of manuscript painting was the invention and spread of mass printing, as a result of which very cheap and affordable printed icons appeared. However, the last and most crushing blow to Russian, including Palekh, icon painting was dealt by the socialist revolution of 1917. After those events, the Palekh masters were left practically without work, since under the new government, the creation of icons became not only unprofitable, but simply dangerous. Thus, a sharp turn was marked for Palekh painting, when it took all the experience accumulated over the centuries to be used in another area of creativity. Well, icon painting has ceased to exist.
The art of Palekh miniatures is relatively young. It was born already during the Soviet era. After the end of the civil war, the Palekh masters came up with a new kind of application of their art. Literally within five or six years, a new art of the great Palekh was born - a lacquer miniature on all kinds of items used in everyday life: caskets, cigarette cases, brooches, notebooks, powder boxes and other necessary little things made of papier-mâché. The new art was also characterized by a new theme - plots from village life, plots from Russian folk tales, plots taken from the work of Russian writers and poets were added.
The first attempt to switch to a new type of art happened in 1918, when the former masters of icon painting created their “First Artistic Decorative Palekh Artel”, which is engaged in restoration. But because of the civil war, it soon fell apart.
In the middle of 1920, Palekh artists united in a new artel, which was engaged in painting wooden utensils and other household items. And since 1923, the best masters of art painting have found the best application for the traditions of the icon painting genre - they began to use writing and the Palekh style of painting to create painted products from papier-mâché, borrowing the idea from the masters of Fedoskino near Moscow, where such folk craft has existed for more than a century. The desire of Palekh icon painters to sing the beauty of their native nature, to pass on to new generations their richest experience and the secrets of painting, kept for centuries, led to the creation of a special artistic language. A group of former Palekh icon painters managed to create a symbiosis of the classical traditions of Russian painting and folklore, using the techniques of these genres to make unique items made of wood and papier-mâché.
In their miniatures, the masters of the early Soviet era used not only themes from the life of the people and the motives of the nature of their native land, but also fairy tales, episodes from fables and songs. Among the plots of Palekh painting, along with round dances, troikas of horses, musicians and hunting scenes, there are heroes of Krylov's fables, Pushkin's fairy tales and magnificent landscapes of the picturesque places of their native land.
The masters of the twenties and thirties of the last century did not abandon the use of egg tempera, the usual techniques of artistic writing and elements written in gold. For their lacquer miniatures, the Palestinians took as a basis the vast experience in creating icon-painting canvases: the organization and fullness of space, the integrity of the composition, medieval stylization, conventionality of shapes and figures, the use of the ornamental basis of the picture. All these techniques helped to solve the problem of transferring a flat image to the surface of three-dimensional objects.
The works of masters of Palekh painting made an indelible impression on connoisseurs of folk art abroad. Patrons of foreign countries, shocked by the art of Russian painters, offered Palekh masters the most favorable conditions for creative activity. Maxim Gorky, who was one of the admirers of Palekh lacquer miniatures, invited Palekh artists to the Moscow region. However, Russian masters did not want to break away from their roots, preferring to draw their creative inspiration from the beauties of their native land. Slender silhouettes of tented temples, iridescent glare on the calm water surface of the Paleshka rivulet, black and white birch trunks and foliage playing with the sun's rays, pine crowns shimmering with dark shades of green, towering hills covered with meadow flowers - all this splendor of Russian landscapes found its place among variety of themes in Palekh painting.
Over time, caskets, brooches and other items used for painting began to decorate images associated with the development of the technical progress of the Soviet era. Drawings of the first tractor, mowers, combines, fields sown with wheat and the life of collective farm villages, as well as images of new buildings, holidays dedicated to one or another memorable anniversary, conveying the pulse of that time, appeared on the black lacquer coating. In the compositions of some of the masters of Palekh of the Soviet era, there are paintings of industrialization, captured in the style of symbolism. Often, artists dress the achievements of the Soviet people in a fairy-tale form to convey images. The theme of electrification is solved through the image of the Firebird, and the shortcomings of people take the form of bad folklore characters in the form of Leshy and Baba Yaga, over whom young pioneers arrange a fair trial. But even in these works, the influence of fresco painting and the best traditions of the Palekh style can be traced.
There is also a children's theme in the Palekh miniature of the Soviet era. On the pictures created by the painters of the Palekh art workshops, stories appear that tell about young naturalists, fishermen, and pioneers.
Each of the creators of Palekh miniatures is unique and diverse. Each of them is a true master of composition. In Soviet times, the strict art of Palekh is transformed: dynamics and freedom are added to the miniatures. Each period brought its own special nuance to Palekh painting, reflecting the events of its time. So in the post-war era, plots glorifying the heroic deed of the people and images of memorable battles of past eras became relevant topics for Palekh painting. Many of the artists turn to military themes, turning the harsh reality of the times of great battles into the sublime romanticism of sacrifice and feat for the sake of their native country and glorifying the Russian people defending their freedom in the battle against foreign invaders.
At the same time, many art historians call the period of the fifties not the most successful. At that time, many of the Palekh artists began to strive for the realism of the created miniatures, sacrificing the sophistication, sublimity and romantic component inherent in the old tradition. The influence of Soviet ideology was manifested in the creation of compositions with maximum external credibility, thanks to which pathos themes appeared in the Palekh miniature, glorifying the labor feat of the people. As a result, the traditional allegorical and poetic beauty of the pictorial language disappeared from Palekh painting for a while. But there was excessive embellishment, pathos and monumentality. But even in those difficult times, adherents of the oldest school of Palekh remained, continuing and passing on to the next generations the traditions and secrets of the masters of the past, creating paintings that did not go beyond the language of true art.
A separate thread of Palekh miniature painting are stories from songs, both folk and those created by Soviet authors. Having gone through all the hardships of post-war life, the Palekh masters again turn to peaceful subjects, drawing them from the song and poetic genre. The Palekh masters, who took the themes of the songs of Soviet classics as the basis of their compositions, managed to convey the entire emotional fullness of life of that time.
The sixties of the last century became a period of overcoming hackneyed canonical forms and excessive naturalism. Palekh painters were looking for new images and themes, referring to the legacy of the classics. Plots from classical operas and literature appear in the works of the masters. Themes from the works of Goethe, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and other classics were embodied in Palekh lacquer miniatures. At the same time, the artists of Palekh again turn to the original Russian plots: the patriarchal way of life of the villages, shepherd motifs and uncomplicated landscapes of their native land. Simple images of a basket with mushrooms, bouquets of wild flowers, bunches of juicy berries, springs of clear cool water also appear in the drawings.
The image of a Russian woman also finds its place among the works of Palekh painters. The artists were able to fully reveal the essence of the keeper of the hearth - simple in its naturalness, possessing that very elusive, it would seem, beauty that the Russian land itself carries.
A new branch appears in the work of Palekh painters - painting on porcelain. Although attempts to create works on this material have been carried out since 1920, then this did not bring success. In order to still master the necessary writing technique, Palekh artists often visited factories for the production of ceramics and porcelain. And over time, the Paleshians learned to use all the possibilities of a white background, and also mastered the technique of painting with paints on ceramics, which changed their original color when the products were fired.
The seventies and eighties brought a new surge in the work of Palekh masters. The works of artists of that time are distinguished by the expressiveness of the images created in the drawing, the emotionality of the composition, the lively energy of the written characters. In addition to writing traditional miniatures, Palekh painters take part in the creation of scenery for concert programs, in the creation of monumental paintings on fairy-tale themes, in the design of the interiors of cinemas and palaces of cultures. Some artists sought to embody innovative ideas, moving away from traditional canons, but not rejecting the accumulated experience in the technique of writing in a special Palekh style.
The Soviet period not only gave rise to the Palekh lacquer miniature, but also contributed to the development of this craft. The Museum of Ancient Painting in Palekh was organized, which was renamed the State Museum of Palekh Art. The rich experience of the Palekh masters was used to create sketches of scenery for theatrical performances, illustrations for book editions of the works of Pushkin, Krylov, Gorky and other Russian and Soviet writers. Palekh artists took part in the restoration of church murals in many Russian cities, including Moscow. The development of the Palekh miniature brought new trends to Russian folk painting. In the Palekh lacquer miniature, the motifs of antiquity, the Renaissance, as well as the trends of modern art movements began to be used. Palekh masters mastered new color transitions, focusing on more subtle relationships between tones. With the development of Palekh art, the traditional modeling of the volume of the depicted figures with gold spaces became a solution for other tasks of miniature painting - artists began to use gold to fill the space of the picture with light and warmth. Some masters moved away from the theme of their native heritage and turned to the historical motifs of other countries. A special touch in the work of Palekh artists was the theme of the Eastern countries, where the masters of Palekh managed to convey all the brightness of the colors of the East and its unique flavor. Some works of Palekh masters were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
Modernity
At present, Palekh painting is as relevant as in past times. Every year, the Palekh art school produces new masters who have absorbed the traditions and style of the original Palekh painting. They create unique hand-painted works of art. Each thing carries the unique style of the master, individual features inherent in his work and artistic vision.
A huge burden of responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of modern masters, because they are the successors of the traditions of their eminent ancestors, whose hands created real masterpieces that went down in the history of not only Russian art. The best examples of Palekh painting have long been included in the number of works of art that are world heritage.
Modernity has brought many changes to the culture and daily life of the Paleshans. The way of life of the ancient village has changed, which has now become a regional urban-type settlement. More and more comes the influence of large cities and modern themes in art. Meanwhile, folk traditions, naturalness, simplicity and folklore images remain in the past. However, these changes are not capable of seriously affecting the original Russian beginning. The centuries-old traditions of Palekh painting live in the work of Palekh masters to this day. Even in our time, Palekh does not change his picturesque nature. The soul of the people, Russian flavor and centuries-old traditions of craftsmanship, passed down from generation to generation, live in the work of its artists. As before, Palekh artists strive to see beauty in everyday life, turn reality into a fairy tale, capture the beauty of their native nature in their works.
Modern painters of Palekh use all the accumulated experience of the old masters in creating their compositions: natural colors, the traditions of fresco painting, a special style inherent in the artists of this corner of Russia only. Their work is united by sincere devotion to the traditions of their school, the deep sources of Palekh art. Plots for creating unique miniatures of modern masters are eternal themes, which are sung by the classics of the past and the authors of our time. Paleshians draw their inspiration from the rich heritage of Russian culture and the splendor of their native nature.
Conclusion
Preserving the unique traditions of folk craft and the heritage of the great masters of the Palekh school, Fratelli Bassini produces lacquerware in the style of Palekh miniatures of the widest range: from real works of art of museum value to small souvenirs that are so nice to buy as a gift. Caskets, decorative panels, caskets, jewelry, boxes, trunks, cases, made by the hands of our craftsmen, are in museum and private collections in Russia and abroad.
In 2005, an icon-painting workshop was founded at our enterprise, the task of which was the revival of traditional Russian icon-painting. Behind our masters is a wealth of practical experience passed down by past generations of Russian painters. Special art education, the highest professionalism of artists and strict observance of the canons of stylistics and techniques of the Palekh icon-painting style, allow us to complete an order of any complexity from a miniature jewelry fold and icons for the home to the manufacture of iconostasis and monumental cathedral painting.
Own production base and the potential of highly qualified specialists and professional artists make it possible to make unique gifts that exist in a single copy or represent a collection of several items.
The works of our painters were exhibited and were successful at numerous foreign exhibitions: in Hamburg at the "Mark der Volker", in Potsdam at the European Congress of Storytellers, in London (at the Pushkin House), at the Paris office of UNESCO.
New Year's toys are far from just ordinary Christmas tree decorations that evoke a sense of celebration and a feeling of sincere admiration, not only objects of admiration. Currently, these are also the pride of collectors who collect their unique pieces of Christmas tree decorations, testifying to the taste, interests and preferences of the owner. And also about its stability and well-being.
Christmas balls, hand-painted by masters of lacquer miniatures Palekh and Kholuy, are a fairly new phenomenon that has existed on the art market for only a few recent years. Preserving the ancient folk tradition at its core, our miniaturists have mastered the elements and trends of modern fine art in painting toys. It became possible to create New Year's decorations not only with traditional ornaments, but also with modern subjects, made in a different pictorial manner, not constrained by the stylistic canons of craft.
Hand-painted Christmas balls, figurines, caskets and other products with traditional fairy tale, literary, architectural and folklore plots, complemented by congratulatory inscriptions and logos - this is a magnificent and unique gift.
The technology for the production of Christmas tree decorations basically repeats the traditional one, with the only difference being that the lacquer used for painting is applied to glass, and not to a base of papier-mâché or wood. Due to the “bent” base and the fragility of the material, the process of varnishing, painting and polishing requires special skills from craftsmen and artists, which our professionals are fluent in.
Palekh or Palekh miniature is one of the traditional Russian art crafts, a type of lacquer painting.
Folk craft, developed in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo region, is lacquer miniatures in tempera on papier-mâché. Palekh is the center of icon painting in the traditions of Russian painting of the 15th-17th centuries.
In 1924, Palekh artists enjoyed great success at an exhibition in Venice. Soon, the Paleshans from Italy received an invitation to send four masters to organize a school, but the artists refused to leave their homeland.
The founding of the Artel of Ancient Painting is considered to be the birthday of Palekh art.
Initially, the "Artel" included seven people: Ivan Golikov, Ivan Bakanov, Alexander and Ivan Zubkov, Alexander and Vladimir Kotukhin, Ivan Markichev. Soon they were joined by Dmitry Butorin, Alexei Vatagin and others. In 1925, the works of the Paleshans were recognized at the International Exhibition in Paris.
In June 1932, more than 100 people worked in the Artel of Ancient Painting, 48 of them were masters, 20 were candidates for apprenticeship.
In March 1935, the artel was transformed into the Association of Artists of Palekh. In 1940 it was closed, in 1943 it was restored.
In 1954, the "Partnership" was transformed into Art and Production Workshops (PHPM). In the same year, the Palekh branch of the Union of Artists of the RSFSR was created.
In 1989, the Palekh art and production workshops were closed.
The style of Palekh painting is characterized by a thin and smooth drawing on a predominantly black background, an abundance of golden shading, and the clarity of the silhouette of flattened figures, sometimes completely covering the surface of the lid and side walls of the caskets. The decorativeness of the landscape and architecture, the elongated graceful proportions of the figures, the color scheme built on a combination of red, yellow and green colors go back to the traditions of ancient Russian icon painting. The composition is usually framed with an exquisite ornament made of crafted gold.
Palekh artists successfully worked in the field of theatrical and decorative art, book graphics, monumental painting, porcelain painting, as well as the restoration of monumental painting.
Currently, creative organizations are working in Palekh: Palekh Partnership JSC, Palekh Artists Association cooperative, Palekh Masters Small Enterprise (MP), Palekh Traditions MP, Palekh Closed Joint-Stock Company, Paleshane creative workshop ".
Since 1926, apprenticeship was revived at the "Artel of Ancient Painting". At the turn of 1920-1930, a vocational school was opened, reorganized in 1935 into an art college, and since 1936 - into the Palekh Art School named after M. Gorky.
Currently, the school conducts training in the specialty "Decorative and Applied Arts and Folk Crafts" (lacquer miniature painting).
The State Museum of Palekh Art was created. Its collection includes more than 15.4 thousand items. It includes 1.5 thousand icons of the 14th-20th centuries, works of Western European painting of the 16th-18th centuries, more than three thousand works of lacquer miniatures, sculpture, graphics, early printed books, embroidered items, household items and ethnography.
There are four memorial museums in the structure of the State Museum of Palekh Art: House-Museum of P.D. Korina, Museum-workshop of N.V. Dydykina, House-Museum of I.I. Golikov, N.M. Zinoviev.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Palekh miniature is a kind of folk Russian miniature painting with tempera on papier-mâché lacquerware (boxes, caskets, cigarette cases). It arose in 1923 in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo Region, on the basis of icon painting. Palekh miniatures are characterized by everyday, literary, folklore, historical plots, bright local colors on a black background, a thin smooth pattern, an abundance of gold, and elegant elongated figures.Story
Palekh has been famous for its icon painters since pre-Petrine times. Palekh icon painting reached its peak in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The local style was formed under the influence of the Moscow, Novgorod, Stroganov and Yaroslavl schools. In addition to icon painting, the Paleshians were engaged in monumental painting, participating in the painting and restoration of churches and cathedrals, including the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, the churches of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the Novodevichy Convent.
After the revolution of 1917, the icon painting industry in Palekh ceased to exist. On December 5, 1924, the Artel of Ancient Painting was organized in Palekh to paint papier-mâché products. Its founders were I.I. Golikov, I.M. Bakanov, A.V. Kotukhin, V.V. Kotukhin, I.V. Markichev, I.I. Zubkov, A.I. Zubkov. As a result of a long creative search, the former icon painters showed the world virtuosic compositions on papier-mâché boxes, colored with a rainbow of colors and golden patterns. Paleshians did not abandon the usual technique of writing with egg paints using created gold. In the figurative solution of new works, they still used medieval methods of stylization, the conventionality of forms. The most popular and most successfully solved compositions of the first years of the existence of the Palekh miniature were “troikas”, “hunts”, “battles”, “couples”, “shepherdesses”, “idylls”, “partying”. In these works there was neither a developed plot nor a vivid image, only a strongly pronounced ornamental beginning. Immediacy, sincerity and poetry gave charm and warmth to the first works of the Paleshans.
One of the brightest and most talented artists of Palekh was Ivan Ivanovich Golikov. He was called the master of the horse, battle and troika. Fairy-tale horses with fragile legs in Golikov's miniatures are colored with all the colors of the rainbow, and "battles" and "hunts" are a manifestation of the indomitable imagination of the Palekh artist. Golikov's "troikas" are dynamic, impulsive, but sometimes majestic and solemn. I.I. Golikov addressed this motif many times, drawing winter and summer troikas on a variety of objects: brooches, powder boxes, cigarette cases, trays.
THEM. Bakanov was considered in Palekh the best connoisseur of icon painting traditions. He impeccably mastered the original technique of overlaying colorful layers. Due to the translucence of the lower layers of paint through thin, transparent upper layers, the effect of an internal glow of painting is created, the effect of overflowing one tone into another. Bakanov created many wonderful works that have become classics of Palekh art. He turned to song themes (“Stepan Razin”, “On the pavement street”), sang the image of his native Palekh. His best works are written on the themes of Pushkin's works - "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", "From the Threshold of My Hut", "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray".
Ivan Ivanovich Zubkov was a connoisseur of native rural nature. There is no developed action in his miniatures, the artist, as it were, contemplates nature. The figures have smooth, somewhat slow rhythms of movement, which gives a feeling of peace and quiet. Artistic thinking of I.I. Zubkov was pictorial and plastic, and not ornamental and decorative. The artist builds a colorful scale on subtle tonal relationships, on gentle transitions from one color to another. These are his miniatures "A couple", "At the river", "Landscape".
Early romantic works of A.M. Gorky, built on the song rhythm, are close and consonant with the style of the Palekh miniature. Illustrating them, the Paleshians practically did not know failures. Among the best works is the box of I.P. Vakurov "Petrel". The red silhouette of a worker with a hammer seems to grow out of a stone block. “I wanted this person to look like a worker and a writer and a builder, and that he could wisely manage the state,” this is how I.P. explained his plan. Vakurov in E. Vikhrev's book "Paleshane". In this miniature, as in other dramatic compositions by Vakurov, the black background is of great importance. The artist leaves large planes of the background unrecorded, connecting them with intense-sounding color spots.
One of the most original Palekh artists is Aristarkh Aleksandrovich Dydykin. In his compositions, he skillfully combined ancient icon-painting motifs and new techniques mastered in the process of working on miniatures. The works of this master are characterized by a special interpretation of the landscape, an abundant overlay of gold in the ornament and gaps. The best miniatures of A.A. Dydykina: “You, Vanya, have your head blown up”, “Demyanova’s ear”, “Emancipation of a woman”, “Volga Russian river” - are in the collection of the GMPI. The miniature “You, Vanya, have your head blown up” is written on the theme of an old Russian song. In the center of the composition is a crying girl escorting her fiancé to the city. Her figure, drooping from grief, is echoed by the trees bowing their crowns and softly outlined hills, conveying the smoothness, melodiousness of the Russian melody.
In the art of Palekh lacquer miniature, the portrait develops as an independent genre. Its founders were former personal icon painters: Pravdin N.A., Palikin I.F., Serebryakov I.G. Portrait images are created on various papier-mâché items: plates, caskets, brooches, cigarette cases. Palekh artists paint portraits of statesmen, historical figures and their contemporaries.
In the middle of the 20th century, realistic tendencies intensified in the art of Palekh, expressed by the desire of many artists for external plausibility in revealing the plot and individual images. Many compositions of those years are characterized by splendor, excessive monumentality and embellishment.
The next generations of miniaturists sought to revive the traditions created by the founders of the Palekh miniature. The art of lacquer miniature has not exhausted itself, it has a huge potential.
Palekh artists show their talent in many types of fine arts: monumental painting, book graphics, theatrical scenery.
Currently, more than 600 artists live and work in Palekh, every tenth resident of Palekh is a graduate of the Palekh Art School. A.M. Gorky. They work in various creative teams: the Palekh Artists Association cooperative, Palekh Partnership JSC, Palekh Artists LLC, icon-painting and iconostasis workshops.
Cigarette case "Battle", 1930
Golikov Ivan Ivanovich 1886 - 1937
Wood, tempera, gold, silver, lacquer. 16.2 x 24.7 x 3.2
Casket "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", 1934
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 19.7 x 26.9 x 4.5
Plate "And throws her overboard...", 1929
Bakanov Ivan Mikhailovich 1870 - 1936
Porcelain, ceramic paints. 22.7 x 35
Casket "Crane and Heron" Casket, 1941
Bazhenov Pavel Dmitrievich 1904 - 1941
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 9 x 17 x 4.5
Plate "Flourish, collective farm land", 1955
Kovalev Alexey Viktorovich 1915 - 2000
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. D - 32. h - 2.5
Lid of the casket "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", 1956
Kotukhina Anna Alexandrovna, born in 1915
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 11.5 x 19
Plate "Palekh"
Chikurin Alexander Vasilyevich 1875 - 1965
Papier mache. tempera, gold.
Casket "Chichikov at the Box", 1936
Salabanov Vasily Mikhailovich 1902 - 1941
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 19.6 x 26.7 x 4.4
Casket "Chapaev", 1955
Zaitsev Alexander Vasilievich 1918 - 2001
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, aluminium, lacquer. 6.2 x 8 x 4
Casket "The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf", 1984
Buldakov Valery Vasilyevich, born in 1951
Casket "Wedding", Casket 1994
Lopatina Nina Pavlovna, born in 1948
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 9.5 x 14.5 x 9.5
Plate "Song", 1979
Khodov Valentin Mikhailovich 1942 - 1988
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. D - 26, h - 2.5
Casket "Faust", 1957
Golikov N.I.
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer.
Plate "Rider on a white horse", 1984
Ermolaev Boris Mikhailovich 1934 - 2001
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. D - 23.5, h - 2.5
Casket "Russian Linen", 1974
Kukulieva Kaleria Vasilievna, born in 1937
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 19.7 x 26 x 8
Casket "Nastya" 1993 - 1994
Shanitsyna Ekaterina Fedorovna, born in 1947
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 9.5 x 12 x 3
Casket "Merchant Kalashnikov", 1972
Morokin Vyacheslav Fedorovich, born in 1945
Casket "Winter" 1993
Ivanova A.N.
Casket "Fight of Chelubey with Peresvet", 1945
Chalunin Pavel Fedorovich 1918 - 1980
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 18 x 23 x 7
Casket "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", 1992
Kochetov Gennady Nikolaevich, born in 1941
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 20 x 26.5 x 5.5
Cigarette case "Guidon", 1999
Lyubimov Gleb Vasilyevich, born in 1945
Papier-mâché, tempera, gold, lacquer. 12.5 x 10 x 2.5
Widely known outside of Russia are black boxes with fairy tales - products from the village of Palekh, located in the Ivanovo region. It is Palekh caskets (caskets, brooches), along with Zhostovo trays and Khokhloma, that go abroad as a souvenir in the luggage of a foreign tourist. However, in the village of Palekh there is something to see besides the production of caskets: there are 19 objects that you can visit, among which are: the icon museum, the House-Museum of I.I. Golikov, Museum of Palekh Art, Exaltation of the Cross Church, completely painted by Palekh masters.
Palekh is one of the centers of Russian folk craft, located 350 km from Moscow and 60 km from Ivanovo. The population of Palekh is only 4800 people (as of 2017). A visit to Palekh can be combined with sightseeing in the Ivanovo region, the city of Ivanovo, Ples, Kineshma.
Palekh is the “main competitor” of Fedoskino near Moscow, since they also paint papier-mâché boxes here. During the next vacation, I managed to visit the village of Palekh with a tour, which I will tell the readers of the site about.
At the beginning of the tour, we were dropped off the bus next to a poster showing that there are at least 19 tourist attractions in Palekh: But in our program, unfortunately, there was only time for a cursory examination of four of them.
What to see in Palekh
- Museum of Palekh Art (Palekh, Bakanova St., 50)
- Exaltation of the Cross Church (Palekh, Bazarny lane, 1)
- Icon Museum (Palekh village, Lenina st., 6)
- Museum of Lacquer Miniatures,
- House-museum of the artist N. Golikov (Palekh, Lenina st., 2)
- House-Museum Sculpture by N. Dydykin (Palekh, Lenin St., 25a)
- House-Museum of N. Zinoviev
- House-Museum of P. Korin (Palekh, Demyan Bedny St., 19)
- Icon Museum in Palekh
Museum of Icons in Palekh
Our acquaintance with Palekh began with the Icon Museum. It was a real discovery for me that Palekh before the revolution was one of the centers of icon painting and had nothing to do with the manufacture of caskets. Local icon painters have developed their own original and recognizable style with their professional secrets.
The museum collection is rich and includes not only Palekh icons, but also those brought for many years from other ancient cities of Russia. There are even wooden sculptures from Old Believer churches.
Unfortunately, I set the settings incorrectly and most of the shots came out unsuccessfully. After all, as it turned out, the most important thing in the Palekh icon is the color scheme.
House-Museum of I.I. Golikov in Palekh
Then we proceeded to the house-museum of I.I. Golikov. This is the person who, in the socio-economic conditions that changed after 1917, was able to “reorient” artists to a new type of activity. The changed internal political system threatened the destruction of Palekh art. I.I. Golikov with a group of like-minded people founded a decorative art artel. Of course, we had to part with iconography, but the famous style was able to "take root" on decorative items. In particular, in the house-museum there is a copy of the book "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", which was illustrated by I.I. Golikov.
The house, which has become a museum, was built by the artist himself in 1928 for his family. Here the conditions of his life and work are recreated; exhibited his belongings. And also here are documents and photographs illustrating the process of creating a new direction of Palekh art and a stand has been designed that clearly shows the process of creating a Palekh casket.
Inside the house, I took only one photo. Surprisingly, even when you come with a group, you have to pay for photography in the amount of 150 rubles. The Icon Museum did not tell us about this. But in the Museum of Palekh Art, which we went to after the house of I.I. Golikov, they even made a remark to me when they saw that I was taking a lot of pictures. True, I didn’t pay for anything, but I stopped taking pictures.
The Museum of Palekh Art already exhibits those items that were made by Soviet masters, as well as modern works. And it's not just boxes. There is furniture, wall panels, stationery and jewelry. There is a showcase with porcelain products. At one time, they tried to use Palekh painting to decorate plates and other porcelain items, but it did not work out.
The subjects of the product painting were epics, Russian folk tales and Pushkin's tales, as well as the life of Soviet people, although I would call the plots more propaganda than everyday. I could not photograph one wonderful work called "The Trial of the Pioneers on Baba Yaga."
I liked the box dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Unfortunately, most of the exhibits are in not very good condition: the lacquer covering the miniatures is badly cracked. The fact is that Palekh did not have its own varnish. Here he was not needed. They applied to Fedoskino for a prescription, but they refused to provide it. Several years passed before Palekh created its own signature lacquer for products.
How to distinguish real products from Palekh from fakes at the household level
- Palekh fake caskets flooded all souvenir shops and markets, how can you distinguish real products from Palekh from fakes? The museum told us some secrets:
- Most often, products from Palekh are black on the outside (green and blue are very rare), but always red on the inside;
- High quality polishing of both external and internal surfaces. There should be no scratches, stains or blisters;
- The lids of the boxes (caskets and caskets) are tightly fitted to the base - the box;
- Special marks: in the lower left corner, look for the signature "Palekh" in gold, in the lower right - the author's surname;
- On the bottom of the box UNDER VARNISH, we are looking for the Palekh brand name. On fakes, this sign is usually glued on top;
- Pay attention to the packaging: upon purchase, the finished product must be packed in a rigid box, which must be glued inside with cotton wool to protect the varnish and the image;
Palekh products are expensive. The box cannot cost 100 rubles, as it is almost a handmade jewelry work.
Exaltation of the Cross Church
The last object of our excursion was to be the Exaltation of the Cross Church, completely painted by Palekh masters. At one time it was declared a museum and this saved it from destruction. But at six o'clock in the evening the temple was closed and we did not get into it.
Palekh caskets are still considered a good gift. Production does not "die" despite the fact that the products are quite expensive, and there are many cheap Chinese fakes around. There is also a school that produces new masters of lacquer miniatures. By the way, the school of icon painting is also being revived.
We were not given time for souvenirs. Personally, I was not going to buy anything, because I imagined the price of the products in advance. But, just looking into the shop, I saw an object proving that Palekh is not only caskets and that the craftsmen are trying to keep up with the times.
How to get to the village of Palekh from Moscow
By car. The most convenient and fastest way to get to Palekh is by car, because the distance from Moscow to Palekh is only 400 km (M7 highway through Vladimir and Ivanovo, then P152 through Shuya). Expensive will take about 6 hours.
By bus. From the Shchelkovsky station in Moscow there is a bus to the Yuzha station. On the way about 7 hours. There are also buses with transfers in the city of Ivanovo - these buses leave from the Novogireevo station.
By train. The nearest railway station from Palekh is 75 km (Shuya) - this method will be convenient for those who will travel from St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, so it will not work to get to Palekh by train.
From Moscow you will have to take a train to Ivanovo (7 hours) - train - Moscow - Kineshma, and then from Ivanovo by bus to get to Palekh.
Buses from Ivanovo to Palekh run quite often - once every half an hour, the journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes.
