Virtuoso miniatures on jewelry made of natural stones, which in the West are called "Russian miracle"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

"Golden hands" - so figuratively, with high respect, the Russian people from time immemorial called people who know how to create unusual things with them. So today, in our publication, a story about an artist from the Moscow region Svetlana Belovodova and her lacquer miniatures, made in the style of Fedoskino miniatures on ornaments made of natural stones, which are highly valued in Europe and America and which are called nothing but a Russian miracle.

Lacquer miniature painting on small objects: boxes, caskets, powder boxes, ornaments attracts many art connoisseurs and collectors around the world with its extraordinary beauty and grace. Such painting is called lacquer because colored and transparent varnishes serve not only as full-fledged materials for painting, but also as the most important means of artistic expression of the work. It is they who give the colors depth and strength, at the same time softening, uniting them, immersing them in the very flesh of the product.

A bit of history

It is known that lacquerware originated before the new era in China, where in the II millennium BC. the sap of lacquer wood was used, which the ancient masters used to cover cups, caskets, vases. It was then that lacquer painting was born, which reached the highest level in the East. Only in the XVI-XVII centuries oriental lacquerware, made with tempera paints on papier-mâché items, were brought to Europe and conquered Europeans with their beauty. European masters, in turn, significantly simplified the technology, starting to use oil paints and varnishes in painting.

In Russia, interest in lacquer painting began to manifest itself only from the time of Peter the Great. In 1721, one of the offices of Peter the Great in the Peterhof Monplaisir palace was decorated with 94 lacquer panels, very skillfully made by Russian masters in the Chinese style. Then they began to teach painting with varnish at the Academy of Arts. And even later, many manufacturing industries appeared around the two Russian capitals, on the basis of which, to this day, only four centers for the creation of lacquer miniatures have survived in Russia: Fedoskino, Palekh, Kholui, Mstera.

So, almost three centuries ago, the merchant P. I. Korobov built in the village of Danilkovo near Moscow, which later merged with the neighboring village of Fedoskin, the first small factory of lacquerware made of papier-mâché. And a little later, under his successors, the Lukutins, Russian masters developed unique techniques of Fedoskino painting. They have not been lost to this day.

About the artist

Russian craftswoman, artist of miniature painting Svetlana Belovodova lives and works in the city of Dmitrov, Moscow region. Painting in miniature has become her profession since she graduated with honors from the Fedoskino Art School in 1996. Svetlana is a member of the Union of Artists of Decorative and Applied Arts of Russia. For 15 years Svetlana has been engaged in her favorite work - she has been creating a fairy tale embodied in designer jewelry, small panels, lacquer boxes, and the craftswoman also paints amazing portraits in her fabulous technique.

Belovodova loves to work with stones, beads, combine lacquer technique with embroidery and painting. Since 2011, she has been a regular participant in art exhibitions of various levels - from local to national. Her works were exhibited at the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art (Moscow), the Central House of Artists, the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Federation, Polytechnic Museum.

Recently, the talented artist has been creating exclusive jewelry and gifts - miniature lacquer boxes and panels. But her designer pendants, which she paints on natural stones such as selenite, mother of pearl, agate and others, are especially attractive, while trying to preserve the pattern and shine of the stone itself. In addition, Belovodova loves to paint non-standard portraits in her characteristic fairy-tale manner. In addition, she skillfully combines the technique of varnish with shells, stones, Swarovski crystals and various beads.

Her mastery of the writing technique, the brightness of the colors, the ability to correlate the composition of the painting with the shape of the product, as well as the choice of interesting subjects, made the works of the miniaturist artisan popular in Europe. Unfortunately, many of her works go to European countries and America. Abroad, these things are acquired, like a Russian miracle, whole collections are collected and even galleries of Russian lacquer miniature paintings are opened. Here, in Russia, alas, it is not yet customary to collect works of art by our contemporary artists.

“I will paint the world the way I love.” Dreams that come true

When Svetlana was in grade 1, she dreamed of becoming a teacher. Moving to the 5th, she became interested in mathematics, went to Olympiads, and began to dream of a mathematics faculty at the university. In 7th she already began to rush between history and literature, and by the 9th grade she could not decide which was better. As a result, she accidentally entered an art school, and her dreams became very ambitious - nothing more, nothing less than becoming a great famous artist!

- Svetlana says now.

To develop further, she, as an artist, had to immerse herself a lot in the history of costumes and the history of art. When she had her first blog, Svetlana had a chance to remember her forgotten literary talent, and she began to compose fairy tales for her works, however, which she continues to do now on the pages of her instagram. And in the end, the craftswoman did become a teacher, although she really dreamed about it only in the 1st grade! She has students whom she teaches in the art of lacquer miniature.

All dreams have come true by themselves. A complete set: a teacher, an artist, a housewife, history, literature, and even mathematics I had to remember when I became an IP.

- Svetlana Belovodova writes on her Instagram. - If someone has a desire to become an artist, albeit not the most important in life, but a completely sincere dream, then I wish everything to work out for you in the best possible way …"

Fedoskino lacquer miniature is one of the oldest Russian folk crafts. Every year, samples of lacquer art are widely presented in the expositions of museums and galleries in Russia and other countries. This folk art, having appeared and formed more than two centuries ago, became in truth Russian miracle that conquered the world.