|
Artists from Mstera and Kholui went through
the same experience as those in Palekh. After the revolution they too founded
artels, and instead of icons painted papier mache lacquered objects. From the
17th century, when the three villages became known for their icons, their
styles differed slightly, and even today they have preserved certain
distinctions. Thus instead of painting on a black background, as Palekh
painters do, Mstera artists paint polychrome backgrounds for their landscapes,
which they prefer to paint more than anything else. Often they start at the
bottom with brown hues, then do the main objects in cinnabar red with gold or
blue-green tones, and end the picture with blues softened with silvery hues
that blend into pale yellows. Kholui too does not use black backgrounds and
favors landscapes, but like Palekh gives enough space to human figures and has
a more intense depth of coloring. By often repeating the same themes or by
imitating old masters or each other, all three artels now face the same danger
of turning their decorative art into a craft. We favor the boxes from Mstyera
in the Xenophon collection.
|
|