Museum works rarely arrive on the doorstep of ones home or office. Antique furniture, priceless artifacts and passionately painted compositions. Frequently, however, opportunity does. Chance is like a leaf, fallen from the tree. How long will it stay in one place? I can hear the wind blowing already.
What cannot be seen with the naked eye can most assuredly be felt. Mood swells, contracting and expanding in dynamic fashion. Narrow hallways, compact bedrooms, claustrophobic quarters. There is no release for the temper of the day. Eyes speak volumes rather than the customary lash of tongue. Body language is deciphered on an individual basis. The true realization of the moment may not even be realized until several years have passed. And the resulting irony, novel adequate to no end. Purely human.
Distinct realism involving the characters which we all portray, as seen through the exquisite brushstrokes applied by Liliana Slaeva of Fedoskino. Her themes reflect the personalities of her characters exceptionally well. A singular harmony between colors.
Slaeva depicts a most famous oil on canvas by acclaimed Russian Painter, Vasily Pukirev (1832-1890). The painting is entitled, "The Unequal Marriage." The original concerns the theme of women's rights, or lack thereof. This was an extremely popular theme among literary masters of the time, thus adding strict importance and prominence to Pukirev's work. The painting holds a special place in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The story behind the painting involves the turbulent irony surrounding a young girl's marriage. The girl begins as a humble member of a large family several rungs down on the social ladder. She is also much much younger than the man she is marrying. We now have an unequal marriage in more ways than one. The composition follows the same path as a piece of literature written by enigmatic Russian writer Anton Chekhov (1894-1905). His version was entitled, "Anna On The Neck." Her marriage was supposed to bring some form of wealth into her family. Instead, there was nothing. As her husband gained years Anna gained a decisive psychological edge over her husband. She becomes involved, as mistress, with a younger man. Once her elderly husband becomes dependent on her, Anna replaces him as the dictator of the relationship. She has gained control, while paying with her humanity.
Oil-based paint is the primary medium used to compose the elegance of this piece. The expressions upon the characters faces are expertly orchestrated. Realistic glances. Amazing attention to detail. Tension among every twisting cheek and arch of brow. The mood dominates the composition fully. Although there must have been light in the room where this ceremony takes place, the artist paints the background layout with darker tones and less resolution. This generates a sense of impending gloom. There is great variation in the bride's dress. Ruffled material, lace accents and transparent texture. The groom is infinitely memorable. Stature built on attire, his expression gives us insight to his manipulative nature. With symbolic creativity, the artist gives us the impression that the Priest cannot find her hand in order to place the ring. A ceremony living in mirage.
Artists such as Vasily Pukirev, painting from 1800 to 1909, made use of an Indian Yellow pigment until it was abruptly removed from access by the maker Winsor Newton.
The Russians had access to Indian Yellow long after the rest of Europe. Thirteen opaque colors are needed to replace this one transparent color, from Permanent Green to Light Cadmium Red Dark. No one has ever brought these colors back or made a comparable replacement.
The box is constructed from quality paper-mache made in the village of Fedoskino. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while a vivid red lacquer completes the interior of the piece. A thin line of gold frames the art work on the lid. The base has been decorated with two parallel bands of gold, with the lower band being much thicker than the one above it. A hinge has been fastened to the left of the composition. The box stands raised above the surface with the use of its four angled feet carved from the bottom of the piece. Upon completion of the piece the artist writes their name, the Fedoskino name and the year of 2001 of which the piece was finished on the bottom of the composition.
Materials: Oil-based paint, paper-mache, gold paint and lacquer.
About Artist Slaeva, Liliana Anverovna:
Liliana Anverovna Slaeva was born in 1979 in Dmitrov, a town located within the Moscow Region.
In 1999 Liliana graduated from the Fedoskino Art School. She studied under such teachers as V.V. Sinelnikova, who taught the techniques of miniature painting, and N.G. Marchukov, who taught composition. Liliana’s graduation project, or diploma work as it is sometimes called, included two compositions entitled “Fortune-telling On Wreaths” and “Mermaids”.
Today Liliana works at the Fedoskino Lacquer Art Factory. She paints according to the style of Fedoskino miniatures with the use of oil paints. Themes she chooses and likes to work with include genre scenes, fairy-tales, portraits,
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read about Slaeva, Liliana Anverovna
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Item Specifications:
- Title: "An Unequal Marriage 2001"
- Price: $3500.00
- Status: SOLD
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