| Home | Wish List | Auction! | Tell a friend! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | An Oak Tree Greening by Kritov, Feodor Stepanovich of Palekh #250712 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Russian Sunbirds |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Main view |
|
||||||||||
|
An oak tree greening by the ocean;
A golden chain about it would: Whereon a learned cat, in motion Both day and night, will walk around; On walking left, he tells a lay. A magic place: there wends his way The woodsprite, there's a mermaid sitting In branches, there on trails past knowing Are tracks of beast you never met; On chicken feet a hut is set With neither door nor window showing. There wood and dale with wonders teem; At dawn of day the breakers stream Upon the bare and barren lea, And thirty handsome armored heroes File from the waters' shining mirrors, With them their Usher from the Sea. There glimpse a prince, and in his slave; Alot, before the people massing, Across the wood, across the wave, A warlock bears a warrior brave; See Baba-Yaga's mortar glide All of itself, with her astride. There droops Kashey, on treasure bent; There's Russia's spirit... Russian scent! And there I stayed, and drank of mead; That oak tree greening by the shore I sat beneath, and of his lore The learned cat would chant and read. One tale of these I kept in mind, And tell it now to all my kind... So reads the famous preface to Pushkin's poetic tale of Ruslan and Ludmila. In Russian it is called "Lukomorye", and it gives hints at the fantasy world of Pushkin's fairy tales--not only Ruslan and Ludmila, but the Tale of Tsar Saltan, Sadko, the Golden Fish, and many others that have enchanted young and old alike. Just as enchanting is this artistic illustration of the poem, adapted by accomplished Palekh artist Feodor Stepanovich Kritov from Dmitry Butorin's 1934 original. Kritov is well known for his fairy tale adaptations, particularly through his pieces: "Prince Igor","Sivka-Burka", "Lukomorye", "Russian Fairy Tales", "Golden Cockerel", "By the Pikes Will", "Sadko", "Tale of Tsar Saltan". Kritov believes that his themes and unique color palette draw collectors to his work. Before he begins a piece, the artist spends a considerable amount of time thinking about the composition and how the scene can be best interpreted. The artist pays a lot of attention to detail using ancient Palekh technique. All of Kritov's work displays a distinct color pallet and quality. At the center of Kritov's composition sits the handsome Pushkin, dressed in gentlemanly attire and sitting under an oak tree. Most literary scholars consider Pushkin to be the father of Russian literature, as we know it. Unfortunately his life ended tragically after being mortally wounded during a duel at the ripe age of 37. The artist uses traditional iconographic technique, intermingling several scenes to tell the story. At the base of the oak tree, a wise cat walks from left to right, in a poetic waltz, telling stories and singing songs. Behind the oak tree, lurks a woodsprite, and in its branches sits a mermaid. From the treacherous sea, waves crash against the barren shore. Out of the sea appear thirty wondrous warriors decorated in mirrored armor, lead by the Usher of the sea. Baba Yaga rides her enchanted mortar overhead. In a castle on the hill, Ludmila has been taken captive. Below, Tsar Kaschei bends over his gold-filled treasure chest. To the left, the evil Chernomor eludes heroic Bogatyr, just above Ruslan's victorious ride with Tsar in hand. Words cannot describe the exquisite beauty of this box. You will be overwhelmed by the detail that went into this piece. Every leaf on the oak has veins, the wood grain on Baba Yaga's house is defined, every petal on every flower is clear, every hair on every head is individually painted, every scale on the mermaids is precise. The composition, blending of color, and execution on this box is simply perfect. Kritov is an absolute master of fairy tale! The rich fanciful style of the painting on this box brings pure joy to the observer. The colors are vibrant, and the detail work is so delicate that in some places one would need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate it. The characters are absolutely fascinating, and you will want to examine them individually, as each one tells its own story. Kritov has created more than an image, he has created a fairy tale world. Framing the composition are undulating, swirling filigree vines. On the bevel are wave and flower filigree. On the sides is the same style filigree as surrounds the composition. On the bottom bevel is gold scrollwork with accents. The box sits on raised feet. The artist has signed, titled and dated his work. Materials: paper-mache, egg-tempera paint, gold, aluminum, lacquer.
Item Specifications:
|
|
||||
| © Russian Sunbirds 1071 West Hill Ct. Cupertino, CA 95014 USA Phone: (408) 813-3896 Fax: (408) 705-1959 Contact via Email | ||||
