Description:
Sergey Dmitriev of Kholui has painted this beautiful view of the St. Basil's Cathedral. This gem of ancient Russian architecture situated on the Red Square is a symbol of Russia. It was built by order of Ivan the Terrible in 1561 to commemorate to the victory over Kazan and Astrakhan Khanate. The second name of this magnificent building is the Pokrovsky Cathedral. To the left of the St. Basil's Cathedral we can see the monument to Kozma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, the heroes of the national struggle for liberation against the Swedish and Polish invaders in 1610-1612. In the background Dmitriev has depicted the Spasskaya Tower and the fragments the Kremlin's cathedrals.
Sergey Dmitriev is one of the best Kholui artists. His art and his style are a product of self evolution which he has worked very hard on. He has made himself into a great artist by using his God-given talents to their fullest. It isn't surprising that his work gets better with every painting he completes.
The scene is well painted in the distinctive Dmitriev's style, and richly detailed with gold paint. Almost invisible silver paint is used to highlight the sky. Dmitriev's style magnificent gold ornamentation frames the scene and wraps around the sides of the box.
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 scene and the box rests on four legs. The work is signed with the artist's name, the title (“The St. Basil's Cathedral”), and Kholui at the bottom of the scene. This inscription is repeated on the lid's interior, with the addition of the year when the box was finished (2007), and the confirmation that it is the artist's original work.
