Four centuries of Palekh: Unique Russian iconography and lacquer miniature paintings that have no analogues in the world

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

Palekh - a small village in the Ivanovo region, the first mention of which dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. And today it is the world's most famous center of iconography and lacquer painting, which has no analogues in any corner of our planet. The works of Palekh masters do not leave indifferent anyone who once saw them.

At the turn of the 16-17th century, Palekh appeared masters who painted holy images, painted churches and cathedrals, restored ancient frescoes. At the beginning of the 19th century, Palekh icon painting flourished, which is in great demand not only in Russia, but also abroad. The peculiar, elegant art of Palekh lacquer miniature combines the principles of ancient Russian painting and folk art.

If in some cities the creation of icons was almost industrialized, then in Palekh for many years the original writing of holy images was preserved, the writing of which was carried out by members of peasant families in their free time from agricultural work.

It was noteworthy that in the peasant families of icon painters there was a division of labor: the drawing was applied to the base by the "denominator", the clothes and the wards were painted by the "preschooler", and the faces were written by the "personal". Palekh icons were created for a long time and meticulously, they were sustained according to the canons of old samples, so their value was high.

But by the end of the 19th century in Russia, the number of icon painters increased greatly, which caused a decrease in the cost and deterioration of the quality of icon painting, and the demand for Palekh icons dropped sharply due to the high cost.

And the revolution that took place in Russia in 1917 changed not only the entire way of life in Russia, but also the attitude towards the church. The production of icons became unclaimed and icon painters were left without work at all.

But the lacquer miniature painting of Palekh is a relatively young trend that arose only about two centuries ago. The prerequisite for the emergence was that at the end of the 18th century, the Moscow merchant Korobov founded the production of lacquered visors for army caps. And when snuff came into fashion, he also began to produce lacquer boxes-snuff boxes.

Over time, these boxes acquired a luxurious and rich look, they began to serve to decorate the premises. Using colorful coloring and Russian folk themes, Palekh masters used various subjects of fairy tales, epics and legends in their work.

At the end of the civil war, Palekh craftsmen resumed their craft, now making caskets, brooches, powder boxes and other items from papier-mâché. They depicted scenes from Russian folk tales, scenes of village life, and also used the work of Russian writers and poets.

The Second World War also brought its plots to the Palekh painting - colorful war scenes. During the Soviet era, Palekh was characterized by pathos, ideology, and monumentalism. And only years later, the artists managed to return romance and sublimity, poetry and allegory.

To this day, lacquer miniatures are distinguished by their bright colors on a black background, elongated figures, thin lines. The decorativeness of landscapes and architecture, an elegant gold ornament framing the composition - all this makes the Palekh painting unique.

Each of the miniaturists has his own professional style. This painstaking work requires not only inspiration from them, but also great precision and accuracy, since all painting is done by hand, and very often this requires a magnifying glass. Most of the miniatures are unique or are produced in very small quantities.

Palekh pictorial miniature, containing the finest work on details, miniature size, integrity of complex composition, a variety of patterns and ornaments made in gold on a black background, is in great demand among connoisseurs of this art all over the world. And the village itself attracts tourists as a unique center of Russian folk craft.

The Russian land is glorious for talents and craftsmen. And today many folk crafts are flourishing in Russia, one of which was founded by serf brothers - Zhostovo painting.