Oleg Shapkin is one of the leading masters of Fedoskino miniature painting of our time. His works are distinguished by the finest sophisticated ornaments.
Many miniatures of the artist are dedicated to the world of luxury and celebration. Compositions on the ‘Gallant Century’ (Grand Siècle) and ‘Belle Époque’ are quite prominent among them. The first concept refers to the French 18th century culture, which was characterized by languid festivities of the noble, the elegance of home décor and beauty of manners; the second — to the period of the late 19th — early 20th centuries, when peace reigned in Europe and culture was flourishing. The fan ‘A Walk in the Park’ painted by Oleg Shapkin embodies these topics.
The master depicted two beautiful ladies during a promenade. The painting is stylized to reproduce the aesthetics of Art Nouveau: the miniature echoes the works of the early 20th century artistic movement ‘Mir iskusstva’ (World of Art). This artistic group is renowned for its special reverence for the art of previous epochs: its members were disillusioned with modern academic art, and believed that aesthetic ideals should be sought in the artworks of the past centuries. They often recreated romanticized imagery from the era of Peter the Great, the middle of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, depicted scenes from fairy-tales and myths with many symbolic references, and also placed the characters in elaborate settings with floral patterns made by soft and smooth lines.
The composition of the ‘Walk in the Park’ conveys this idealized atmosphere of the past centuries. However, despite the sophistication of the landscape and the splendor of the outfits, Oleg Shapkin’s ladies are beautiful “in an earthly way”: one of them looks directly into the eyes of the viewer with an open, lively and flirtatious expression.
The artist chose an unusual object to paint on — a folding fan. With more than 200 years of experience, the masters of the village of Fedoskino have learned to harmoniously unite the shape of an object — its volume, facets, extendable parts — and lacquer painting into a cohesive whole. In recent years, the masters of miniatures have frequently used complex objects for paintings: from a box in the shape of a truncated cube to similar fans with many leaves.
The author himself accurately and poetically described the art of the Fedoskino lacquer miniature, comparing it with maple leaves gradually emerging out of the dark water.
Many miniatures of the artist are dedicated to the world of luxury and celebration. Compositions on the ‘Gallant Century’ (Grand Siècle) and ‘Belle Époque’ are quite prominent among them. The first concept refers to the French 18th century culture, which was characterized by languid festivities of the noble, the elegance of home décor and beauty of manners; the second — to the period of the late 19th — early 20th centuries, when peace reigned in Europe and culture was flourishing. The fan ‘A Walk in the Park’ painted by Oleg Shapkin embodies these topics.
The master depicted two beautiful ladies during a promenade. The painting is stylized to reproduce the aesthetics of Art Nouveau: the miniature echoes the works of the early 20th century artistic movement ‘Mir iskusstva’ (World of Art). This artistic group is renowned for its special reverence for the art of previous epochs: its members were disillusioned with modern academic art, and believed that aesthetic ideals should be sought in the artworks of the past centuries. They often recreated romanticized imagery from the era of Peter the Great, the middle of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, depicted scenes from fairy-tales and myths with many symbolic references, and also placed the characters in elaborate settings with floral patterns made by soft and smooth lines.
The composition of the ‘Walk in the Park’ conveys this idealized atmosphere of the past centuries. However, despite the sophistication of the landscape and the splendor of the outfits, Oleg Shapkin’s ladies are beautiful “in an earthly way”: one of them looks directly into the eyes of the viewer with an open, lively and flirtatious expression.
The artist chose an unusual object to paint on — a folding fan. With more than 200 years of experience, the masters of the village of Fedoskino have learned to harmoniously unite the shape of an object — its volume, facets, extendable parts — and lacquer painting into a cohesive whole. In recent years, the masters of miniatures have frequently used complex objects for paintings: from a box in the shape of a truncated cube to similar fans with many leaves.
The author himself accurately and poetically described the art of the Fedoskino lacquer miniature, comparing it with maple leaves gradually emerging out of the dark water.
