A box or casket is usually called a small box or drawer, which most often has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. They are convenient for storing jewelry, money, papers and other small valuable items. It is believed that the boxes appeared a long time ago and originate from chests in which clothes were stored. In Tsarist Russia in the middle of the 18th century, such a folk craft as lacquer miniatures became especially popular.
The boxes made using this technique by craftsmen from the Ivanovo village of Palekh are an excellent example of the craftsmanship and originality of the Russian people.
Historical reference
The history of Palekh miniatures as a folk art craft is closely connected with icon painting. In the 18th century, masters who skillfully painted icons lived in the village of Palekh, which at that time belonged to the Vyaznikovsky district of the Vladimir province. Along with icon painting, local craftsmen took part in the painting and restoration of the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin and churches located in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and on the territory of the Novodevichy Convent.
After the revolution of 1917, it became impossible to continue to engage in icon painting, so a year later the Palekh Art Decorative Artel was created. The artists who entered it began to paint on wood. The founders of Palekh miniature are considered to be Ivan Golikov and Alexander Glazunov. The craftsmen mastered a new material - papier-mâché, which is based on a mass obtained from mixing paper and cardboard with gypsum, starch and other substances. In 1923, Palekh miniatures were sent to the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Exhibition, where they received a II degree diploma.
In December 1924, seven masters from Palekh founded the Artel of Ancient Painting. The works of this association were sent to the World Exhibition in Paris in 1925. In 1932, the Union of Artists of Palekh was formed, and in 1935 the artel was transformed into the Association of Artists of Palekh. In 1954, the Palekh art and production workshops of the USSR Art Fund arose. Currently, you can learn the art of this miniature in 4 years at the Palekh Art School named after A. M. Gorky.
Manufacturing technology
As noted earlier, boxes in the tradition of lacquer miniatures had a papier-mâché base. The cardboard blank is compressed and then dried for several days. Next, it needs to be soaked in linseed oil for 24 hours and dried in a hot oven for 2 days. Then the semi-finished product is processed using an emery brush, polished and the necessary fittings are attached to it. At the end of this stage, the box is primed with a special composition, covered with black varnish in several layers and 7 layers of light varnish, carefully drying each layer in the oven.
The painting has a strict sequence in the application of tempera. Tempera paints have been used since ancient times; artists made them from dry powder pigments, in which emulsions served as a binder: natural (chicken yolk) and artificial (oils in an aqueous solution of glue). The skill of working with tempera needs to be studied for several years, only then can one achieve ideal smoothness of lines, accuracy and clarity of miniature silhouettes.
At the initial stage of painting, masters paint the composition with white, emphasizing dark and light places. Then the paints necessary to paint the box are applied. Craftsmen painstakingly draw the contours of all elements with handmade squirrel bones, emphasizing each detail with color and often using a magnifying glass. At the end of the painting, gold is applied (a sheet of gold is crushed and mixed with glue), it gives the drawing warmth and brightness, creating the feeling that the image is glowing from within.
Gold finishing was borrowed by Palekh masters from icon painting, where gold is a symbol of divine light.
At the last stage of production, the box is coated with oil varnish and polished. Polishing occurs by applying several layers of varnish, which are well dried at a given temperature for a certain time. Then the surface is leveled using glass and pumice, and then polished on a special moving wheel, which is covered with velvet.
Originality of style
The background for the drawings on the Palekh boxes is black - it is a symbol of the darkness from which life and colors are born, and gives depth to the entire composition. The inside of the product is always red. Palekh painting is also characterized by bright tempera paints and gold painting. Gracefully drawn elongated figures are an echo of icon painting traditions. The heroes are characters from fairy tales and epics, as well as classical works and songs. The boxes have their own names, for example, “Troika”, “Ermak’s Campaign”, “Stone Flower”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “Vasilisa the Beautiful”.
How to distinguish an original from a fake?
Painted boxes from Palekh are a wonderful interior decoration and a unique gift. But in order not to purchase a fake, you should pay attention to the following details when purchasing.
- Original Palekh boxes are usually black on the outside (sometimes they can be painted in shades of green or blue) and are always painted red on the inside.
- The painting is characterized by multi-tonal painting of shadows, slightly elongated images of characters, and precise drawing of all elements and details.
- Products from Palekh are distinguished by perfect polishing outside and inside. Scratches, stains and blisters are signs of a non-original box.
- The lid of the box is always tightly fitted to the base - the so-called box.
- The original item must have a gilded inscription “Palekh”, which is always located in the lower left corner, and in the lower right corner you can read the name of the master.
- A real Palekh box is packed in a tin box, which has a layer of glued cotton wool inside that can protect the varnish and painting from damage.
- A low price for such a product is always an indicator that it is a fake. Palekh miniature is a very labor-intensive folk craft, so such things are highly valued and cannot be cheap.
Palekh painted boxes are unique works of art into which the master puts his soul and all his many years of experience. Boxes made using the Palekh technique are known all over the world and are an integral part of the original Russian culture.
Watch the video for everything about Palekh boxes.
Many people know Palekh primarily as the center of lacquer miniatures. But they began to engage in lacquer miniatures in Palekh only after the revolution of the 17th year, when it became impossible to engage in icon painting, for which the city had been famous since ancient times. It’s good for politicians who instantly adapt with a change in the political system, and artists have to painfully search for new directions in their creative activity. And this happened more than once in the 20th century. When icon painting became irrelevant at the beginning of the century, the best artists of Palekh created the phenomenon of Palekh lacquer miniatures, which became famous throughout the world. In the 90s, a restructuring of the creative work of Palekh artists was again required, when the collectivist artel structure created during the years of Soviet power was completely destroyed. But the Palekh artists again emerged from this situation with honor and were able to preserve the accumulated centuries-old experience both in icon painting and in the creation of lacquer miniatures. Fortunately, the connection between generations was not interrupted.
We visited Palekh during the now traditional summer trip to the cities of the Golden Ring. If last year the main city of the trip was Plyos, then this year Palekh became such a city. The city made an indelible impression. Many people note the unique atmosphere of Palekh and the unusual aura of this place - an amazing city of artists. A river with a beautiful name flows through the city - Paleshka. And the residents of Palekh call themselves Paleshans. Palekh is the birthplace of the Firebird; on the coat of arms and flag of the city there is a Firebird, executed in the traditional style of Palekh lacquer miniatures - gold on a black background.
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Coat of arms of Palekh
Flag of Palekh
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Entrance to the city
History of Palekh
The history of Palekh goes back to ancient times. There are several versions of the origin of the toponym Palekh. In these places, in impenetrable forests and swamps, Finno-Ugric tribes lived in ancient times, which later merged with the tribes of the southern Slavs. Palekh in Finno-Ugric means an elevated place. Perhaps the name came from the words “fire, burn”, i.e. to burn the forest for settlement and plowing of fields. From written sources it is known that already in the 12-13th century Palekh was a large village. It is assumed that icon painters came to Palekh and surrounding villages after the capture of Vladimir by the Tatars in 1238, i.e., the Tatars could not have done it here either. Part of the population of the Vladimir-Suzdal land, including icon painters-monks, fled from the Tatars into dense, impenetrable forests, where they settled and preserved the art of icon painting. Icon painting was a family affair and there were entire family dynasties where boys became icon painters first by birth, and only then by vocation. In the 18th century, the art of Palekh icon painters acquired a unique style, later called “Palekh letters”. Palekh icons were famous for their special fineness of writing, bright tempera paints with the use of gold on the clothes of the saints. The Paleshans were also known as masters of monumental painting; they participated in the painting and restoration of many churches and cathedrals throughout Russia. For example, the masters of the workshop of the Belousov brothers painted the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. The list of religious objects in the painting and restoration of which Palekh icon painters had a hand in is impressive: these are the Dmitrov and Assumption Cathedrals of Vladimir, the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Assumption Cathedral of the Sviyazhsky Monastery, St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma and a lot others.
The famous Russian historian Georgy Dmitrievich Filimonov, one of the founders of the first Public Museum in Moscow and head of the archive of the Armory Chamber, who visited Palekh in 1863, spoke about the Palekh artists: “... In the matter of icon painting, no locality can currently compare with Palekh , because icon painting here is not just a means, but a goal.” And another quote: “Instead of pitiful peasant artisans, I, quite unexpectedly, met a developed people, full of bright convictions and knowing their history...”. Since then, with the light hand of G.D. Filimonov, the name “village-academy” has stuck to Palekh.
In those days, Palekh's fame went far beyond Russia. From the correspondence of the historian N.M. Karamzin, it is known that the German poet Goethe in his declining years dreamed of coming to Palekh and seeing how, among the Russian expanses, artists, more like peasants, painted icons on wood that Byzantine masters would envy. The Vladimir governor A. N. Suponev even sent two icons by Palekh icon painters the Kaurtsev brothers as a gift to Goethe in Weimar.
Emerging in the deep provinces, among peasants, Palekh icon painting became a significant phenomenon in Russian artistic culture. But all icon painting naturally ceased with the Bolsheviks coming to power. Many families were left without a livelihood, many masters parted with their artistic craft forever. However, there were many among the Paleshans who could not imagine themselves outside the artistic profession. And a new artistic phenomenon happened, again glorifying a small settlement in the Ivanovo region throughout the world. Palekh miniature, which arose as a result of social and cultural changes that occurred in Russia after the revolution of the 17th year, managed to preserve the centuries-old traditions of icon painting as high art, transfer them to new forms and fill them with a different content that was in demand by society.
The founder of the Palekh style is considered to be Ivan Golikov, who wrote the first work in the so-called Palekh style in the Moscow workshop of Alexander Glazunov. This work was called "Adam in Paradise." The masters mastered painting on the new material papier-mâché, from which boxes, powder compacts, and jewelry were made, and transferred to them the technology of tempera painting traditional for ancient Russian icons and the conventional stylistics of the image. 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. In 1924, seven Palekh artists, formerly accomplished masters of icon painting, led by Ivan Golikov, united in the “Artel of Ancient Painting.” Already in 1925, Palekh miniatures were exhibited at the World Exhibition in Paris and received a gold medal there. In 1932, after the famous Moscow exhibition “The Art of Palekh,” which aroused extraordinary public interest, the Union of Palekh Artists arose. In 1954, the Palekh art and production workshops of the USSR Art Fund were formed, which successfully closed in the 90s.
What to see in Palekh
State Museum of Palekh Art. The museum's website is very informative and has an interesting video tour of Palekh. The museum was organized in 1934. Maxim Gorky took an active part in organizing the museum, although he had never been to Palekh. The Museum of Palekh Art is a significant museum complex, which includes many departments. The last to open was the exhibition center, which today houses a museum of icons. The museum's exhibition includes many authentic ancient Palekh icons.
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Exposition and exhibition center, which houses the museum of icons
Icon “Akathist to the Savior” 1770s. It is considered the standard of the Palekh style of icon painting. One of the most valuable icons of the Palekh Museum.
The section of Palekh lacquer miniatures is located in a separate two-story building across Bakanova Street. The exhibition of the museum of lacquer miniatures begins with display cases telling about the artistic materials used in Palekh, the technology of making papier-mâché products, and the methods of Palekh painting. The next room tells about the work of the founders of the art of Palekh lacquer miniatures N. I. Golikov, A. V. Kotukhin, I. V. Markichev and other masters, including modern ones. Through the exhibition you can trace the entire history of Palekh lacquer miniatures. It’s better to take a tour of the museum, then the art of Palekh will definitely not pass your mind. The excursion for us was conducted by a representative of one of the most famous dynasties of artists in Palekh - the Korins. She herself is an artist by profession, like most of her relatives and ancestors, her husband is a sculptor.
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Lacquer miniatures are stored in display cases under glass and are difficult to photograph.
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Classic examples of Palekh lacquer miniatures
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Ideologically consistent works
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Work dedicated to Gagarin. They say that Yuri Gagarin personally ordered this work from Palekh craftsmen and planned to give it to Khrushchev.
Holy Cross Church. It was erected in 1762−1774 in the strict forms of ancient Russian architecture of the 17th century by master Yegor Dubov on a high hill and dominates Palekh. The temple was built at the expense of parishioners. The wall painting was completed by 1807. The temple consists of four limits and a high bell tower. The interior of the temple is covered with fresco paintings made by Palekh masters under the guidance of the Sapozhnikov brothers, owners of an icon-painting workshop in Moscow. Numerous compositions depict biblical history. All paintings are made in cold blue tones of a cloudless sky. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the temple. The blue color of the domes of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is its distinctive feature; you rarely see such a delicate heavenly color in the design of the domes. All members of our small company unanimously noted the architectural originality and exceptional beauty of the color design of the temple and associated it with the good artistic taste of the Palekh residents. The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross was not destroyed during the era of persecution of the church, and this is also the merit of the Paleshans. They showed some cunning when they turned to the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR to include the temple in the museum's exhibition. In the spring of 1936, the property of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, including ancient icons, was transferred to the State Museum of Palekh Art, which actually saved the temple and all its contents.
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Holy Cross Church
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Bell tower of the Holy Cross Church
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A fragment of the outer wall of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross with the author’s inscription: “This Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord is master Egor Dubov.”
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Evening panorama of Palekh with the bell tower of the Holy Cross Church
House-museum of Ivan Ivanovich Golikov. The first memorial museum in Palekh, associated with the creative heritage of the Palekh people. I. I. Golikov is considered the founder of Palekh lacquer miniatures and one of the most talented and bright artists of Palekh. The house-museum was opened in 1968 and is located in the courtyard of the Museum of Palekh Icons. The museum's exposition consists of a memorial room where the artist's personal belongings are presented, as well as a historical part telling about the creation of the Artel of Ancient Painting in Palekh. Unique ancient photographs of Palekh are presented. One of the museum’s stands presents the process of creating a Palekh box with Golikov’s rare personal instruments. Among the museum's exhibits is a rare book, “The Tale of Igor's Campaign,” published in 1934, with illustrations by Golikov. It is noteworthy that the artist not only created illustrations for the book, but also wrote all the text by hand.
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Golikov House-Museum
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Bust of I. I. Golikov in front of the house-museum
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Workplace of I. I. Golikov. The flask is an analogue of the fluorescent lamp under which the Palekh craftsmen worked. A weak solution of copper sulfate was poured into it and after reflecting the glow of a kerosene lamp, the light took on the desired spectrum.
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The stand demonstrates the sequence of creation of the famous Palekh box. On the stand there are personal instruments of I. I. Golikov.
House-Museum of Korin. In 1974, the House-Museum of Pavel Dmitrievich Korin, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, opened in Palekh. P. D. Korin carefully preserved this ancient house, built at the end of the 19th century by his grandmother, the furnishings and things that his ancestors used and bequeathed all this to his hometown along with a unique collection of icons, iconographic graphics and Western European engravings. The museum also contains works by many members of the Korin dynasty of artists - father, brothers and P. D. Korin himself: “Rowan Branch”, “Palekh Under Construction”, “Landscape with Pines”, etc.
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House-Museum of Korin
Museum-workshop of N.V. Dydykin. In 1978, a museum-workshop of the sculptor Nikolai Vasilyevich Dydykin, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, opened in Palekh. By analogy with the Korin House, this house preserves the memory of the ancient Palekh family of the Dydykins, whose representatives valued and were proud of their craft. In this tiny workshop, sculptural portraits of the oldest artists of lacquer miniatures were created: I. I. Golikov and N. M. Zinoviev, several sculptural and painting works by Andrei Rublev, portraits of A. Blok, D. Byron, S. Rachmaninov and others. Workshop and more than a hundred works by N.V. Dydykin were bequeathed by him to the State Museum of Palekh Art.
Church of Elijah the Prophet or Elias Church. It is an architectural monument of the 17th century. The church is located on the territory of an ancient churchyard, where the graves of famous Palekh artists are preserved: the Sofonov couple, the Korin couple, I. I. Golikov, I. M. Bakanov and others. The painting of the temple was carried out by local Palekh craftsmen from Sofonov’s workshop.
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Elias Church
The streets of old Palekh are a kind of museum, where every house reminds of the icon painters and masters of Palekh miniatures who lived and worked in them, their children and grandchildren - the next generation of artists - were born here.
On the main street hangs a bright poster in the Palekh style, which depicts the main attractions.
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Sights of Palekh, everything is within walking distance:
1-Hotel "Ark" 2-Salon "Russian Varnishes" 3-Museum of Lacquer Miniatures 4-Museum of Icons 5-House-Museum of I. I. Golikov 6-Bust of I. I. Golikov 7-House of Culture Palekh 8-Fountain "Spike" » 9-Church of the Exaltation of the Cross 10-Information and Local History Center 11-Stables 12-Temple of Elijah the Prophet (Ilya Church) 13-Chapel of A. Nevsky 14-Monument to the Paleshan Soldiers 15-House-Museum of P. D. Korin 16-Museum-Workshop N. V. Dydykina 17-Dining room “Palekh” 18-Palekh art school 19-Art workshop “Palekh style”
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This is the main street of Palekh
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The Paleshka River is located very close to the center of the village
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Backwater on the Paleshka River
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And this is the central house of Culture
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Almost the only local hotel called “Ark” with 7 rooms
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One of the main attractions is the stone house of the icon painter Nikolai Mikhailovich Sofonov. The house was built in 1860 and has survived to this day. N. M. Sofonov (1844-1910) - a famous master of icon painting, knew perfectly ancient Russian icon painting, its styles, carefully preserved the traditions of this art and educated his masters and students in this spirit. His icon-painting workshop employed up to 250 workers, and for the impeccable quality of his work he was awarded the title of “Supplier of His Imperial Majesty.” He was an excellent owner, paid his workers a good salary, gave them the opportunity to work seriously, built houses for his workers in Ilyinskaya Sloboda (now Gorky Street), some of which have survived to this day. The workers of his workshop, among other works, carried out the restoration of ancient monuments of icon painting: frescoes of the Moscow Kremlin, Novodevichy Convent, the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, churches of Sergiev Posad, Pskov, Tsaritsyn and other cities of Russia.
Where to learn Palekh writing
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 became part of the All-Union Committee for Arts and became known as the Palekh Art School named after A. M. Gorky. This school exists to this day. The duration of training is 4 years. Every year, 16 people are accepted for budget places, both residents of Palestine and residents of other regions. They say the competition is huge. Many graduates remain in Palekh. The quality of education at the Palekh School is highly valued by the professional community and graduates have no difficulty finding work in their specialty. In recent years, graduates are increasingly finding a calling in the Palekh artist’s native professional activity - icon painting and wall painting, and they are actively participating in the painting of Orthodox churches throughout Russia and abroad. Having survived the difficult 90s, the Palesians did not abandon their traditional craft. The Palekh Art School annually graduates young masters who carefully preserve the traditions and features that make Palekh miniature so interesting. Today in Palekh there are several artels and family businesses that produce both traditional lacquer miniatures and icons.
On the way back from Palekh, we passed by the Palekh Art School and above its entrance we noticed an announcement that an exhibition was being held in its foyer to sell the best works of the school’s students. We couldn’t resist looking at the works of the new generation of Palekh artists. The director of the school, Mikhail Romanovich Belousov, a very famous person in Palekh, easily came down to us to comment on the students’ work. It is largely to his credit that the school has such a high reputation in the Russian artistic community. As a souvenir, we bought a box from the best student of the school; in appearance it cannot be distinguished from the best examples of Palekh art, and this cannot but rejoice.
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Even the fire hydrant boxes at the school are painted to resemble Palekh.
But don’t rush to run and learn Palekh writing; in fact, it’s hellish work. First you need to make a form on which to paint. It is made from cardboard; the best material is made from coniferous wood. The cardboard is cut into strips, greased with flour paste and placed in several layers on a wooden form (blank). After the desired thickness has been obtained, the blank along with the cardboard is fixed in a special press. Under the influence of pressure, a workpiece of the required shape and size is obtained. The workpiece is dried at room temperature for about two weeks. Then it is dipped into warm linseed oil for impregnation for a day, after which it is dried for several days in a special oven, the temperature in which is maintained at a certain level. At the next stage, the workpiece is primed and polished. After sanding, several layers of black varnish are applied to its outer surface, and oil varnish with cinnabar is applied to the inner surface. Cinnabar is a well-known scarlet-colored mercury mineral. At the end of the process, the entire surface is varnished with several layers of light varnish. After applying each layer, the workpiece is dried in an oven. Finally, the workpiece is treated with pumice so that the paint does not roll off the smooth surface. Only after all these manipulations will the artist be able to begin painting. But this is just preparation. The painting itself is done with fresh egg tempera paints layer by layer over a fairly long period of time. The outline of the future design is applied to the product with a sharp pencil, then underpainting is done using white. It is on it that the master will apply many transparent and thin layers of painting. To apply them, you need the finest brushes, and each artist himself knits them from squirrel hair. The work is completed in cursive with created gold leaf (preparing created gold with egg yolk is a separate story) and “silver” based on aluminum. The gold frame of the picture is a key element of the Palekh writing technique. After this, the gold-painted design is polished with the tusk of a boar or wolf, and then the entire product is covered with several layers of varnish. After applying each of them, the design is dried, polished on a special polishing wheel, and then finished by hand polishing. Final polishing is done only by hand. The surface is treated for several hours with a palm moistened with water. The lacquer surface, polished by hand to a mirror finish, gives the image additional depth and richness. And after such work, how can one say that Palekh boxes are too expensive?
There are such heartfelt poems by the local poet from Ivanovo, Dmitry Semenovsky (1894-1960), dedicated to Palekh, which we could not help but mention:
Let the paints of the board be polished...
By the overflow of the casket...
A fascinated gaze will look...
The soul of the creator's people...
We liked Palekh as a city of ancient folk crafts, which has survived and developed despite the turbulent Russian history of the 20th century. This is not to say that everything is easy and simple for Palekh artists today. There are problems, like the whole country, but after visiting the city I was left with a bright feeling that everything will continue to work out well for the Palekh masters. The appearance of the city is somewhat unsettled, some work could be done on the roads and transport, some houses require renovation. And if we compare Palekh with small cozy Western European cities, then the comparison in appearance will certainly not be in favor of Palekh, but in terms of the emotional impact on the Russian person, not a single foreign city even comes close to Palekh.
A few words about the features of lacquer miniatures - the “calling card” of Palekh; too many fakes can be found today. Lacquer miniatures are traditionally black, with red inside. On the front side of the product there must be a gold inscription “Palekh” in the lower left corner, and the author’s initials in the lower right corner. The bottom of the product must bear the company's logo, varnished. The cost of the product cannot be low - Palekh painting is an expensive pleasure.
How to get to Palekh
There is no railway station in Palekh; the nearest station is 30 km away in Shuya. From Moscow it is better to go by train to Ivanovo. Next by bus. By car from the capital, the shortest route passes through Vladimir and Kovrov, a distance of approximately 350 kilometers. You need to take the M7 road through Vladimir and Ivanovo, and then along the P152 through Shuya - the journey will take about 6 hours. From Ivanovo to Palekh - 65 kilometers, from Nizhny Novgorod - 170 km.
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.
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 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.
, 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.
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.
"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 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 is made by hand by a master, 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 with 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.
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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.
