The famous Mstera artist Anatoly Ivanovich Shirokov created this marvelous painting depicting a celebration of Christmas.
In ancient times in Christmas Russian people dressed in masks and fancy dresses. They stopped in at different houses and the owners had to give them presents and sweets. This ancient rite in Russian sounds like "kaliyda." On the night of Christmas young girls were engaged in fortune-telling trying to find out their future--especially regarding their promised husbands.
In this composition everything is permeated with the sensation of a beautiful commemoration of the mortal birth of the Son of God. Two ethereally painted angels trumpet their tiny horns heralding the birth of Jesus Christ. A couple has stepped outside with candles, and bread and salt (a traditional symbol of welcome) in honor of the event. In the center of the scene, young people adorn a Christmas tree with multicolored balls and garlands. A troika, the symbol of Russia, rushes along a wide village street with its passengers in tow. And the image of the Holy Virgin, ethereally painted, rises above this wonderful scene, blessing people and earth. The cute wooden houses wrapped in deep snow, the beautiful cathedrals shining with their golden hues and fragile snowflakes whirling everywhere act together to create the sensation of a frigid Russian winter and the expectation of a Christmas miracle.
Egg-tempera paint is the primary medium used to paint this composition. Shirokov has perfectly combined shades of blue and green to create a stunning sky that fades into the landscape. The snow on the ground is lit up by the shimmering gold stars in the sky and reflects their yellow radiance. Gold and aluminum paints have been used as highlighting only sparingly. Instead gold is used primarily to depict the various sources of light in the scene.
Shirokov paints with smooth and soft strokes creating the definite and life-like images of the happy peasants, the beautiful horses, the majestic cathedrals and the surrounded landscape. Every minute detail is very important for the painter. This wonderful painting created by Shirokov rouses kind emotions and exudes positive energy.
The composition is outlined with gold paint, and then framed by a detailed floral design elaborated with golden curls and blue flowers highlighted with silver hues. This same pattern is enlarged and repeated on the sides of the box. The work is signed and titled by the author. The box is constructed out paper-mache that is durable and strong. The exterior is painted with black lacquer and the interior with red. The lid is hinged and the box sits flat. The bottom of the piece contains the scripted letter M of the Mstera factory.
MATERIALS: paper-mache, egg-tempera paint, black and red lacquer, gold and aluminum.
About Artist Shirokov, Anatoliy Ivanovich:
Anatoliy Ivanovich was born in 1954 in the village of Bolshoi (Big) Ramen in the Vyaznik region of Vladimir, Russia. He attended the Mstera Art School, where he studied under Shaleav Vladimiur Ivnaovich before graduating in 1978. As an established and well-known artist, he joined the Russian Federation Union of Artists in 1990.
According to Shirkov, his art reflects the influence of Stroganoff and thinks it is also similar to Simon Ushakov's work. However, he is a very unique miniaturist not only in his style, but also in his approach to painting. It is surprising to know that Shirkov never uses any magnifying device to achieve his microscopic detail! Although he paints a variety of t
...
read about Shirokov, Anatoliy Ivanovich
|
Item Specifications:
- Title: "Christmas 2000"
- Price: $1350.00
- Status: SOLD
|
Related Stories, Legends & Readings:
|
|
