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RUSSIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE
THROUGH THE CENTURIES

 
 

Mstyera and Khouli

 
 

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.

 
 

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