The village of Kholuy is one of ancient icon-painting centers of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality. After the revolution of 1917, local masters turned to miniature lacquer painting on papier mâché, following the example of Fedoskino, Palekh and Mstyora. They created their own unique artistic style, which was based on local icon painting traditions.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Kholuy masters established an experimental artistic group under the leadership of Vladimir Belov. The Honored Artist of Russia gathered young talents and encouraged them to look for new solutions in working with imagery and objects of different forms. In particular, he suggested creating decorative panels.

The artist believed that panel painting as a type of art was the future. He once said: ‘The smaller objects cannot convey imagery — the miniature becomes a simple gimmick. People are simply amazed at the fine, elegant lines. Painting on panels, on the contrary, is the art of conveying imagery’. In addition, the master composed a poem about this type of painting:

During that period, the artistic group created a number of panels based on historical events, fairy-tales and epics. The young masters were not afraid to experiment, although simultaneously remained within the traditions of the craft. Kholuy miniatures are characterized by dramatic intense plots and a greater role of the line: it is expressive, energetic, often resembles a twisted spiral. For example, in the work displayed in the museum, waves and clouds are painted in this manner.

The composition of the panel ‘Young Mare’ was based on the fairy tale by Pyotr Yershov ‘The Little Humpbacked Horse’. Vladimir Belov captured one of the first scenes of the fairytale: a white mare flies in the night sky, dotted with stars; Ivan rides backwards on it. In the lower left corner, the artist placed a fragment of the text that inspired him:

The miniature is filled with energetic movement: the master depicted the horse swiftly rushing with his mane flowing in the wind, while Ivan struggles to stay on top of it. High waves rage below, ready to sink ships, and clouds gather above.

The artist managed to combine in this work a liberal, bold painting style and an elegant color scheme with soft shading. To paint the sea against the background of the night sky, he used ochre and various greens, from soft emerald to saturated, going into black shades. The characters are the focal point of the foreground. Thus, the artist emphasized the central part of the miniature and created a concise composition that is not overloaded with details.