In his works Nikolai Zykov, a self-taught sculptor from the village of Beloyarsky, Sverdlovsk region, often depicted the spirits who live in the wood, house, and sauna, as well as other evil spirits. In his art, they lived their own lives: they created families and had children, guarded the forest or took care of the houses. But the sculptor also portrayed the characters of the Slavic higher mythology.
Zykov created a wooden sculpture ‘Veles’ dedicated to the patron god of animals in 1994. The master presented the second most important god of the Slavic pagan pantheon after Perun in the form of a blue-eyed man with a dark long beard and loose hair. In his left hand Veles holds a whip, which reminds that he was a patron of cattle.
Following the lapidary sculpture style — that is, extremely concise, short and clear — Zykov left the sculpture generalized and similar to a pagan idol. The master did not cut out the protruding details of the costume, he deliberately did not divide the volume of the body into different parts — the head, torso, and limbs.
Zykov made a high stand for Veles from an unprocessed piece of wood. Standing on it, the deity rises above the world. The master combined a rough wooden saw cut and a carefully sanded and tinted surface of the figurine. This reminds us that the powerful god revered by people always remained a part of living nature.
Nikolai Zykov graduated from the history department of the Ural State University, from his school years he was interested in applied arts — woodcarving and clay modeling.
Zykov created a wooden sculpture ‘Veles’ dedicated to the patron god of animals in 1994. The master presented the second most important god of the Slavic pagan pantheon after Perun in the form of a blue-eyed man with a dark long beard and loose hair. In his left hand Veles holds a whip, which reminds that he was a patron of cattle.
Following the lapidary sculpture style — that is, extremely concise, short and clear — Zykov left the sculpture generalized and similar to a pagan idol. The master did not cut out the protruding details of the costume, he deliberately did not divide the volume of the body into different parts — the head, torso, and limbs.
Zykov made a high stand for Veles from an unprocessed piece of wood. Standing on it, the deity rises above the world. The master combined a rough wooden saw cut and a carefully sanded and tinted surface of the figurine. This reminds us that the powerful god revered by people always remained a part of living nature.
Nikolai Zykov graduated from the history department of the Ural State University, from his school years he was interested in applied arts — woodcarving and clay modeling.
