Show all images on one page	#001246 Title: Circles around circles Artist: Molodkin Daniil Size: 24x18x4.5 Price : $1295 SOLD!

This colorful composition is notable for its unusual theme. Called "Circles around circles", and it is rich in the depiction of different kinds of circles. It is difficult to count all of them. Circles may be found in the bright orange balloon inside which the cat is flying, in the red sun and in the pale moon, in the round tops of trees and in the round stripy water melons, in the multicolored balloons that a funny man is holding in his hands and in the ripe apples and berries. It is rather philosophic scene because in our everyday life we very often come across different circles: wheels, balls, and even the Earth is round. Circles are everywhere!
Daniil Molodkin is the author of this interesting piece. Although he is already an accomplished artist in his own right, he is also the son of Mstera master Vladimir Molodkin. Lacquer art runs in the family, as Daniil's mother and brother also paint. Daniil's skill is apparent in this colorful and detailed piece. Every inch of the scene is teeming with activity, and Molodkin has left nothing plain--small details are in every element from the beautifully decorated balloon to the dark cave filled with twisted roots of trees and spiders, from the skillfully painted architecture to the picturesque landscape, from the expressive faces of the gnomes to the almost invisible insects. The artist uses a wide array of blues, greens, and earthtones to convey the natural setting in the scene. He also uses yellows, oranges, reds, and tones that help create the stylized atmosphere that make Daniil's compositions uniquely his own. Gold is also used in the composition to detail the clothing of the gnomes, some of the plants, the balloon, and the stars.
The box is made out of paper-mache. Black lacquer covers the exterior and red lacquer covers the interior of the box. A gold foliage pattern frames the composition, and this same pattern (only accented with aluminum paints) decorates the sides of the box. The lid is hinged from the top of the composition, and the box rests on four legs. At the bottom of the composition the artist writes Mstera, the title, and signs his name.