Show all images on one page	#001106 Title: Beauty by Kustodiev Artist: Antonova Natalia Viktorovna Size: 17.5x13.5x6.5 Price : $950 SOLD!

This large box was created by Fedoskino artist N. Antonova with astounding detail. The composition is an interpretation of a canvas-on-oil painting called "The Beauty". Painted in 1915 by Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, it currently hangs in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Boris Kustodiev (1878-1927) has a place of honour among those artists of the early twentieth century. A talented genre-painter, master of psychological portraiture, book illustrator and stage-set artist, Kustodiev produced masterpieces in almost all the imitative arts. But his talent is most apparent in his poetic paintings on themes from the life of the people, in which he conveyed the inexhaustible strength and beauty of the Russian soul. Colorful feasts and fairs are his favorite themes. His picture "The Beauty", cannot fail to attract the viewer. There is great charm and grace in the portrayal of the plump fair-haired woman seated on a chest. Her funny, awkward position reflects her naively and chaste purity, and her face is a picture of softness and kindness. Maxim Gorky was very fond of this painting, and the artist presented him with one of the variants he made of it.
The painting fills the entire surface of the lid, where the woman's figure is the main focus. Many kinds of brushstrokes and techniques have been used here to create the necessary effect to bring this composition to life. The woman's figure is skillfully painted with precise proportions. In the background the artist depicts the interior of a room typical for a merchant's house. The amount of attention to all the elements of the scene is incredible.
The composition is framed with a simple gold line, while the sides of the box are adorned with swirling gold patterns. The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the box while red lacquer completes the interior of the work. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition, and the box rests flat. The Fedoskino "troika" insignia can be found on the interior of the lid. The box is signed with the artist's name, village and year (2001). The piece is in prime condition!