Palekh boxes: history and description of painting. Palekh painting: history of origin, distinctive features and technology for making objects using the technique of lacquer miniatures Palekh articles

Palekh has been famous for its icon painters since pre-Petrine times. Palekh icon painting reached its greatest flourishing in the 18th - early 19th centuries. 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, the temples 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.

The people of Palestine became acquainted with the new material papier-mâché, which for a century had been the basis for Fedoskin’s lacquer miniatures.

The masters mastered the new material, transferring to it the traditional technology of tempera painting for ancient Russian icons and the conventional style of the image.

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 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 of the 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 original and subtle art of lacquer miniatures from Palekh incorporated the principles of ancient Russian painting and folk art as its basis.

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.

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).

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.

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Helpful 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, 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.

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 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 miniatures 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.

The word Palekh has many meanings. So, Palekh - what is it? Palekh is the name of an ancient village located far from the noise and bustle of big cities. This is a folk craft and painting. Finally, this is one of the symbols of Russia, the same as the Russian matryoshka, Khokhloma and Gzhel dishes.

Written mentions of the village date back to the beginning of the seventeenth century, as the patrimony of the Buturlin princes, relatives of Ivan the Terrible. Even then, they wrote about it as a large settlement. And oral stories about its occurrence go back to the Mongol-Tatar yoke.

The origin of painting

Then, from the devastated Vladimir and Suzdal, people fled into the wilderness, away from Tatar-Mongol captivity. Among them were monastic icon painters, who took with them small icons - pysanky. From these icon painters the world-famous Palekh painting arose.

This place was not widely known. Isolation, dense forests and swamps, remoteness from trade routes, contributed to the preservation of ancient traditions in fishing, only hand-made production and the bright originality of products.

Icon painting was initially practiced only in monasteries, but from the thirteenth century, the first secular workshops began to emerge. In Palekh, icon painting became a family production. Entire dynasties of local icon painters glorified Palekh throughout Russia and abroad with their paintings. They even tried to marry their own painters, so as not to pass on the secrets of their craft to others.

Interesting fact

There is a story about how the great Goethe learned about the skill of the artists of Palekh and became eager to see the famous icons painted by harsh Russian men in the village huts of snow-covered Rus'. His dream came true; as a gift they sent him icons, not inferior to the Byzantine ones, painted by the Kaurtsev brothers.

Modern times

After the accession of Soviet power, everything changed. People were put in prison for icon painting, and could even be shot. Almost the entire male population lost income. Many scattered around the cities in search of work. One of these artists was Ivan Golikov. He became a theater artist in Moscow, and soon created his first piece - a cardboard box painted in miniature.

This work was highly appreciated and soon, upon returning to their homeland, an artel of artists, former icon painters, was assembled. Maxim Gorky, who himself once worked part-time in a Palekh workshop, provided them with enormous assistance. The craftsmen were “between two fires.” Their former artists considered them apostates, and the new government could not forget their religious past. But Palekh products: boxes, snuff boxes, dishes, brought in the currency so necessary for the young state, so they were allowed to live and paint.

The heyday of art occurred in the sixties and eighties. At that time, a huge number of products with Palekh script were produced - postcards, stamps, various souvenirs, painted boxes for cosmetics, trays and plates.

Nowadays Palekh painting is presented in a wide selection: from expensive exhibition works to souvenirs, decorative panels, various boxes and cases. All products are made in a single copy or a small collection.

Christmas tree decorations, hand-painted by artists from Palekh and Mstera, with congratulatory inscriptions, are a recent phenomenon on the art market. But they have already won a place in the hearts of beauty lovers and collectors. Dishes with Palekh script are a wonderful gift for any memorable date.

Features of Palekh painting

The Palekh school can be immediately recognized by the black background of the works and multi-figure compositions illuminated in gold, reminiscent of icon painting. The painting is different:

• Miniature, graceful execution;
• Smoothness and softness of shades;
• Filigree and picturesque;
• Full of elements;
• Accurate painting of small details;
• A variety of tones and transitions.

Another feature includes the saturation of objects in motion, these are not only people and animals, but also trees, clouds, and inanimate nature. The iconographic style depicts people, reliefs, and nature, all of which are distinguished by their fragility and grace.

Painting technique

The birth of a Palekh product is a long and arduous process. Items are made from special porous cardboard. The required number of sheets of cardboard are glued with liquid paste, then put on a special blank and placed in a press. Parts for products are formed separately. Then they are dried for two weeks, then soaked in hot drying oil and kept in ovens. The resulting parts become hard and durable.

The surfaces that will later be painted are leveled, polished with sandpaper and primed several times with a mixture of soot, drying oil and clay. After each primer, dry and sand. A solution of soot in oil is applied to the outer sides several times, then covered with black varnish. Internal surfaces are treated with red varnish. Then the product is completely painted over with colorless polish.

All surfaces become smooth and shiny. To prevent the applied paints from rolling off, the necessary areas for painting are cleaned with pumice and handed over to the artists.

Workstations are equipped with special hand rests to prevent the hand from becoming numb. There are special combs for painting interior walls, and large magnifying glasses are also designed for them. Some images can only be viewed at high magnification.

The artist sketches the painting in pencil, then draws it in with white. After drawing with paints, he paints with gold leaf, previously crushed and rubbed with his fingers. At the end, the master signs, varnishes and finally dries the finished product.

Interesting fact

For a special gold shine, the object is polished with a wolf's tooth. No instrument, even the most high-tech, can compare with its smoothness and silkiness.

Palekh painting pictures

Palekh writing is the most rare and unique of its kind. The laboriousness of the manual process and the filigree precision of the work allow us to create true masterpieces that constitute the national pride of Russia. It combines the fundamental principles of Byzantine inspired icon painting and living arts and crafts folk art.

After the revolution, artel craftsmen were just looking for their own unique genre; they had to create paintings of plates, cigarette cases and boxes in a propaganda style. Pictures appeared depicting Lenin with workers and peasants, industrialization, the meeting of the first tractor in the village, joyful collective farmers in the fields. “Proletarian” jewelry-brooches, with personal inscriptions – “Shura”, “Katya”, “Marusya” were very popular. But even then, master painters created their works with extreme precision, scrupulousness, and in compliance with all decorative canons and traditions. Artists described the achievements of the Russian people through fairy-tale images: the theme of electricity - the image of the Firebird, negative heroes - Koshchei, Leshy and Baba Yaga.

The Palekh school is not for military themes; the pictures bloom with rural landscapes with a church and a river, historical events, illustrations of fairy-tale and epic scenes. But this is typical in peacetime. During the Patriotic War, when all the men went to the front, the tradition was continued by old men and teenagers. They created stunning murals - “In the Footsteps of the Enemy”, “Attack”, “People’s War”. The masters achieved their goal - the Palekh workshops did not close even during the war, and the art school continued to operate.

Palekh lacquer miniatures have their own unique world. It is both real and fantastic; even simple everyday scenes are full of joy, movement and poetry.

Elements of Palekh painting

The joyful multi-colored patterns against a black background - all this is Palekh painting. On a small surface there are many different elements. To see all the beauty of a lacquer miniature, you often have to resort to a magnifying glass. These are amazing fancy trees and flowers with painted leaves. The Paleshans have found a way to make images of the crown convex and embossed, for which they use the technique of applying white in several layers. The trees, despite the sketchy design, become alive.

Fairytale grasses and elongated stone mountains with “flanks”, careful depiction of faces and body parts, multi-colored radiance. To enliven the composition, artists use white highlights and golden waves in the curls of hair, the bends of grass, the mane of horses, and sea waves. In Palekh miniatures, a mandatory element is the final outline of the figures with a golden outline.

Primary colors in painting

In Palekh painting the main background is black. It represents the earth, depth and primordial chaos, giving birth to life, light, joy and peace. The ancient Russian combination of colors is inherent - red, yellow and green. Red is a symbol of beauty, fertility (the sun is red, spring is red). Green is a sign of plants, youth, life in nature, relaxation. Yellow speaks of maturity, maturation, achievement of success and prosperity. Gold is abundantly present in Palekh painting. It symbolizes the sun, abundance and the heritage of icon painting - not the created Divine light that illuminates the whole world and pierces everything - even the eternal darkness.

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:

• a huge number of Soviet postcards were produced with miniatures made using the Palekh technique;
• stamps with Palekh painting were issued;
• 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;
• precise 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, to illustrate the classical works of great Russian authors, they use plots 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 prepare the necessary item that will be painted, for example, a box.

(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. Black varnish is applied to the entire outer surface of the workpiece, and red varnish is most often applied to the inner surface.

After the 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 the pigment, the consistency becomes plastic, so the paint applies 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 or Palekh miniature is one of the traditional Russian artistic crafts, a type of lacquer painting.

The folk craft that developed in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo region, consists of 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.

The Palekh icon painting style developed under the influence of the Moscow, Novgorod, Stroganov and Yaroslavl icon painting schools. Palekh icons were famous for their particularly delicate writing with the use of gold on the clothes of saints and in ornaments. The painting of icons was divided into several stages, each of which was carried out by different masters: one primed the board, the second (the flag bearer) drew the outline of the future icon, the third painted the final part - the entire composition, except for the faces - they were painted by a personal artist. The names and texts were written by the master signer, and the dryer completed the work on the icon.

In the middle of the 19th century, several workshops operated in Palekh, the largest of which were the establishments of the Safonovs, Belousovs, Korovykins, and Parilovs.

After the revolution of 1917, Palekh icon painters faced the need to search for new forms of realizing their creative potential. In 1918, the craftsmen united into the Palekh artistic decorative artel, which produced painted wooden products. In 1923, they were presented at an art and industrial exhibition in Moscow and awarded a second degree diploma.

At the same time, the Palesians first became acquainted with a new material - papier-mâché, which for a century was the basis for Fedoskino lacquer miniatures. With the support of the famous art critic and native of Palekh, Anatoly Bakushinsky, the masters mastered the new material, transferring to it the technology of tempera painting traditional for ancient Russian icons and the conventional stylistics of the image.

In 1924, Palekh artists enjoyed great success at an exhibition in Venice. Soon the Palesans received an invitation from Italy to send four artists 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, 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, Alexey Vatagin and others. In 1925, the works of the Palesans received recognition at the International Exhibition in Paris.

In June 1932, more than 100 people worked at the Artel of Ancient Painting, including 48 masters and 20 candidate students.

In March 1935, the artel was transformed into the "Association of Artists of Palekh". It was closed in 1940 and restored in 1943.

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 pattern on a predominantly 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 red, yellow and green colors go back to the traditions of ancient Russian icon painting. The composition is usually framed with exquisite ornaments made of melted gold.

Palekh artists successfully worked in the field of theatrical and decorative art, book graphics, monumental painting, painting of porcelain, as well as restoration of monumental painting.

Currently, creative organizations operate in Palekh: JSC "Partnership Palekh", cooperative "Association of Artists of Palekh", Small Enterprise (SE) "Masters of Palekh", MP "Traditions of Palekh", Closed Joint Stock Company "Palekh", creative workshop "Paleshane" ".

Since 1926, apprenticeship has been 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 from 1936 into the Palekh Art School named after M. Gorky.

Currently, the school provides 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 N.V. Dydykina, House-Museum of I.I. Golikov, Museum-Estate of N.M. Zinoviev.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Palekh painting originated in the village of Palekh, Ivanovo region, from where it got its name. This type of decorative and applied art 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 peculiarities of Palekh painting are the elegance of the figures, the clarity, subtlety and delineation of the drawings, a dark background, and a large amount of 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 miniatures 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.

The peculiarities of Palekh painting are related to 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 is used to paint icons.

For Palekh painting, a black or dark background is used, which symbolizes darkness, from which, in the process of painstaking and complex work, life and color are born, moreover, it has an 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 on the 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’s 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 videos that present various options for lacquer miniatures and tell in detail about the stages of creating these unique and amazing images.