The ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’ of the Mother of God is one of the most poetic images in Palekh iconography. The icon is not miraculous, but the locals revere it nonetheless.
An unknown artist painted the icon for the Holy Cross Church in the early 19th century. The Virgin Mary is in the center — She stands in full height with her arms stretched out. He right wrist is slightly raised, and she’s holding a scepter in that hand. She is giving bread to the people with her left hand.
The artist painted her in a traditional attire. Her figure is draped in a dense dark chiton, leaving only reddish-orange shoes in sight. A red maforium (veil) is wrapped around her head over a dark blue cap with gold stripes. It covers Virgin’s shoulders and chest, falling down in flowing drapes all the way down to the podium.
Eight seals surround Her figure. They are arranged in four levels to her either side. Select scenes depict the people in need: some are lost in a raging sea on a small ship, some are lost in the dense forest. The seals show the weeping people begging for protection: the frail elderly people, the limping and the lame, and the hungry poor. The Mother of God answers their prayers — she sends her angels and protectors to them.
The artist painted the figures and faces of the angels with great detail to make them as expressive as he could. He was just as diligent with painting the three or four characters in the forefront on every seal. The background characters are also very distinct. From there on out, the artist has painted the innumerable number of heads — and people — of those suffering in every seal but the top two.
The towering figure of Mary, however, does not present a contrast to these people — it’s also a part of the earthly world, which is full of woe and suffering. The artist from Palekh aimed to convey that unity. He united all figures with the artistic rhythm, repeating the rounded lines, silhouette outlines, and color spots.
To make the composition less monotonous, the artist added elements of dissonance: sometimes the movements of different figures are facing in different directions, and the dark spots sometimes appear in the predominantly light color scheme of the icon. These dissonances are repeated with even intervals on each level.
The artist did an incredible job with the color table of the icon. Mary’s dark, almost black dress seems blue — like the clothes of some angels and people. The artist created this effect with smoky-gray bluish gaps in the dark brown layers of paint. This approach to creating volume — filling gaps with cold shades — is one of the distinctive traits of Palekh icons. The golden background, in turn, gives the image of Mother of God the air of solemnity.
The icon as a whole this seems monumental and exalted.
An unknown artist painted the icon for the Holy Cross Church in the early 19th century. The Virgin Mary is in the center — She stands in full height with her arms stretched out. He right wrist is slightly raised, and she’s holding a scepter in that hand. She is giving bread to the people with her left hand.
The artist painted her in a traditional attire. Her figure is draped in a dense dark chiton, leaving only reddish-orange shoes in sight. A red maforium (veil) is wrapped around her head over a dark blue cap with gold stripes. It covers Virgin’s shoulders and chest, falling down in flowing drapes all the way down to the podium.
Eight seals surround Her figure. They are arranged in four levels to her either side. Select scenes depict the people in need: some are lost in a raging sea on a small ship, some are lost in the dense forest. The seals show the weeping people begging for protection: the frail elderly people, the limping and the lame, and the hungry poor. The Mother of God answers their prayers — she sends her angels and protectors to them.
The artist painted the figures and faces of the angels with great detail to make them as expressive as he could. He was just as diligent with painting the three or four characters in the forefront on every seal. The background characters are also very distinct. From there on out, the artist has painted the innumerable number of heads — and people — of those suffering in every seal but the top two.
The towering figure of Mary, however, does not present a contrast to these people — it’s also a part of the earthly world, which is full of woe and suffering. The artist from Palekh aimed to convey that unity. He united all figures with the artistic rhythm, repeating the rounded lines, silhouette outlines, and color spots.
To make the composition less monotonous, the artist added elements of dissonance: sometimes the movements of different figures are facing in different directions, and the dark spots sometimes appear in the predominantly light color scheme of the icon. These dissonances are repeated with even intervals on each level.
The artist did an incredible job with the color table of the icon. Mary’s dark, almost black dress seems blue — like the clothes of some angels and people. The artist created this effect with smoky-gray bluish gaps in the dark brown layers of paint. This approach to creating volume — filling gaps with cold shades — is one of the distinctive traits of Palekh icons. The golden background, in turn, gives the image of Mother of God the air of solemnity.
The icon as a whole this seems monumental and exalted.
