About
Vladimir Mikhailov
An artist who carves Orthodox images and symbols, he has been working with the blessing of the Church since 1983.
An ancient technique. A reborn legacy
In his work, Vladimir Mikhailov turns to the origins – the ancient artistic technique of fine plastics, which originated in Pskov and Novgorod in the XII–XIII centuries. Almost lost, she found a new life in the hands of a master. Despite their outward restraint, the works of the Novgorod school have a special expressiveness and depth – it is precisely this spiritual expression and ascetic beauty that Vladimir Mikhailov carefully preserves in each of his works.
Author's handwriting and modern sound
Vladimir Mikhailov managed not only to revive ancient art, but also to fill it with a lively, personal perception. His works are a continuation of the tradition, where purity of lines and minimalism of forms are combined with deep symbolism. The author's recognizable handwriting, combining canonicity and modernity, makes his works unique. It is an art that speaks to a person in the language of eternal values, while remaining relevant today.
The unity of spirit and matter
Vladimir Mikhailov sees his work not as a craft, but as a service. He is convinced that true beauty is born from the wholeness of spirit and matter, from the ability to put warmth of hands and thoughts into each product. Thanks to this principle, the master has reached the highest level of precision in the artistic form of spiritual images. His works, imbued with light and warmth, have gained recognition not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders, they are kept in museums and private collections around the world and become family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation.
Childhood
Before school, the future artist was raised by grandmother Paraskeva. It was she who, with a leisurely step, took little Vladimir to the only functioning temple in the city – the church of Paraskeva Friday. It was a long way, but we always walked, because, as Vladimir recalls now.: "The Lord gave me a pair of legs." These early impressions of the church service, icons, and pious silence forever determined his future path.
At school, Vladimir was attracted not so much to the exact sciences as to the "romantic" ones – history, geography, geology, and applied ones: labor and drawing. After completing a two-year course at the Borovichi Industrial College with a degree in mechanics, he went to the Kometa military plant, where he mastered working with materials. The knowledge gained at the college and at the factory helped the artist a lot at the beginning of his career, when he had to use an improvised tool in stone processing.
Artist
His military service took place in the North, on the Kola Peninsula, where the artist found his "small homeland." For the last year of his service, he was a regimental decoration artist at the officers' house. After returning to his native factory, Vladimir also moved to the position of a graphic designer. And for the soul, he began to engage in painting and sculpture.
Acquaintance with other original artists in the framework of seminars played a decisive role in his development. Vladimir's curator was Moscow master N. M. Rotanov, who, as the artist recalls, with "touching courtesy" and attention to the creative possibilities of his students, taught him composition and artistic technique, and fostered a taste for art.
Lost traditions
"To do the work thoroughly, masterfully, fully, of course, you need to study and delve into the spiritual side of what you are doing. Depth is needed. A full understanding."
The region in which he lives is rich in slate, mica, and quartzite. Their restrained but deep color scheme attracted the artist's attention. Then came a memory from his childhood and youth about the stone-cutting art of Ancient Novgorod, which he learned through museums. The features of fine plastics, volume, scale, depth, and most importantly, the spiritual charge that these objects carried for the Novgorodians fascinated the artist.
At one of the seminars, Vladimir Mikhailov found a stone and, being fascinated by the fine plastics of Ancient Novgorod, embodied his ideas in a cross. Thus, the almost lost ancient stone-cutting technique was revived in the works of a modern author. Having at his disposal the same tools as the ancient craftsmen, Vladimir began to master the complex technique of stone processing. It was only 20 years later that he added more modern tools to his arsenal.
"From these stones there will be bread"
The creation of the first cross in 1983 coincided with the birth of the first–born son Denis. Now Vladimir remembers that the first stone seemed to fit into his hand. Vladimir Mikhailov spent 25 years working at the factory and, having worked out his retirement experience, he fully engaged in applied art.
At first, this activity was a passion, but over time it began to bear fruit. In 1983, when the first cross was made, it was difficult to earn money in production, and the artistic hobby became a serious help for the family. Gradually, what Vladimir created spread among his friends, and the range of orders expanded. So the words from the Gospel that had sunk into my heart: "From these stones there will be bread" – came to life.
Working with stone does not tolerate adventures and takes a lot of time. From the wild stone to the last carnation on the box containing the creation, everything was done by the artist's hands.
"There is nothing foreign in nature, there is no human wisdom," says the master, and this credo can be traced in every one of his works.
More detailed
Religion
"Symbols are very important to me – through Christian symbols I have learned the depth of understanding of life, and I have no doubt about it. Putting your labor into these symbols is the best thing. This is how I feel in the chain of time, this is how I build my segment in the global foundation."
As the artist delved deeper into the technique, he also immersed himself in the spiritual essence of the objects he created. "I was originally born and developed as an artist in the Orthodox direction, without sincere faith, the stone would simply not have given in to me. I couldn't afford to work in a different way, for me the main thing in my work is the awareness of eternity."
According to Vladimir, there must be consistency and wholeness in the work, unity of matter and spirit. This is the very "resonance" about which he says: "Our task is to get into resonance with the human soul."
"I consider my work as a prayer in which an assistant is not needed. I have many colleagues and associates. But there is no student, I believe that I am still studying myself." He received the blessing for this path from the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, and later was blessed by the current Patriarch Kirill.
Family
Vladimir Mikhailov is raising a son and two daughters. He connects the formation of any personality with the emergence of a family and the upbringing of children: in responsibility and obligations that a person begins to feel. According to him, the family is the foundation on which creativity and faith are built.
Confession
Today, Vladimir Mikhailov's works are known far beyond the borders of Russia. His works are kept in the Novgorod and St. Petersburg dioceses, in private collections around the world.
Among the fans of his talent are Queen Sofia of Spain, who acquired several works at the St. Petersburg salon, and American actor Mickey Rourke. Russian cultural and artistic figures, Olympic champions.
In 2010 and 2012, Vladimir Mikhailov was awarded the honorary badge of the Carl Faberge Memorial Foundation for his outstanding contribution to the development of Russian jewelry and the promotion of Carl Faberge's creative legacy. And in May 2019, an event occurred that the master himself called "unattainable": he was elected an Honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts. At the meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts, the mantle and medal were personally put on by the President of the Academy, Zurab Tsereteli.
"The news that I was elected an Honorary Member of the Academy came as a big surprise to me! If I once dreamed of joining the Union of Artists and even set myself such a goal, then the Academy of Arts has always been in an unattainable space," admitted Vladimir Mikhailov.
His works have repeatedly received high awards at Russian and international exhibitions: the diploma "Exclusive 2006" in the nomination "The best symbol of spirituality", prizes of the XII and XIII All-Russian Jewelers Competition "Recognition of St. Petersburg" in the nomination "Objects of religious worship", the First Prize of the XIII All-Russian jewelers Competition "The best jewelry in Russia".
More detailed
A Family Shrine
"Something will last its life, peel off, wear out, and maybe it will remain only a memory in a handful, but what is in the metal will carry a charge for many, many years. And it will pass from generation to generation. And an heirloom, or ancestral shrine, is wonderful: of course, wearing the cross that your great–grandfather wore obliges you to be worthy."
Since 2004, Vladimir Mikhailov has been creating a collection of precious metals. Currently, the collection contains more than 700 pieces of jewelry, including images of Russia's most revered miraculous icons and saints, as well as unique intricate works made in gold. Among them is Russia's smallest calendar of Orthodox holidays, the size of a five–ruble coin, which took four months to create, as well as a voluminous Easter folding icon the size of a pigeon egg.
"Modesty and minimalism are derived from tradition, it's in the subconscious. My task as an artist is to reflect in the most harmonious and complete way the traditional connection between native Christianity and Orthodoxy: yesterday and today."
The originality of Vladimir Mikhailov's creative approach, with an appeal to national origins, makes his handwriting recognizable and unique. His originality is based on subtle intuitive discoveries, a special sense of rhythm, composition and deep love for Russia. "Beauty is perfection, and perfection is the Lord!" says the artist, and this formula has become the main principle of his life and work.
More detailed