Vladimir Nikolaievich Molodkin (born in 1945) is one of the leading contemporary masters of Mstyora miniature lacquer painting, a people’s artist of RF. The master’s multifaceted technique harked back to traditional best practice of past masters.

The painter began his career in the 1960s when he finished Mstyora art vocational school and started working as a painter at the factory. Vladimir Nikolaievich life has been connected with creativity and teaching profession since that time. He handed down his love for art to his sons. Nowadays they create Mstyora miniature lacquer painting, panel pictures, icons, interior wall painting, book illustrations together.

The small box “Excursion to the Past” was created by Vladimir Nikolaievich in the 1980-s when the author discovered patriotic topics which were new for Mstyora art. They had ideological importance and conveyed the spirit of time. 

The painting subject “Excursion to the Past” shows a whirligig of political events connected with Vladimir: firstly, Tartar invasion event — a siege of the town by Batu Khan troops at the beginning of February in 1238, secondly, revolutionary events and shutting up of churches, and finally, the Great Patriotic War events. During the war consignment of provisions and weapons supplies from the rear was performed via Vladimir. 

Vladimir Oblast set a tone in the manufacture of weapons. It was only at Kovrov factories that more than million weapons were made by workers. Legendary engineer Degtyarev created his famous anti-tank gun. About 15 mln weapons and 950 thousand aircraft instruments were manufactured at the factory “Avtopribor” for the war efforts. Necessary military hardware was transported from the east to the west via Vladimir, the evacuation was carried out from the west to the east.

Monuments of Early Russian architecture — the Golden gates, the Cathedral of the Assumption and Dmitrievskiy cathedral were eyewitnesses of all the historic cataclysms. It is them that let us open doors into the world of Russian history. Vladimir Molodkin revealed this idea in the small box painting. Warm coloring, monumental character of architectural structures, laconic and expressive shapes of people’s figures emphasize the idea.