Art Kaleidoscope

Amazing mechanical bird – Hermitage Peacock Clock

Hermitage Peacock Clock

Creating a mechanical bird is a very ancient art – in ancient times the figures of “singing” birds decorated clepsydra – water clocks. In the XVIII century creators of automata tried to construct a system to make the birds look and act as realistically as possible – the life-size birds could sing and move like living creatures. The Hermitage Peacock Clock automation features three life-sized mechanical birds made by English masters James Cox and Friedrich Urey in the 1770s.
The Peacock Clock is constantly exhibited in the Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. The Clock was made of bronze, silver, crystals, gilding. The uniqueness of this clock is that they it is still in working condition (hours work, and the Peacock Starts every Wednesday at 19:00), and is the only worldwide largest machine of the XVIII century, has come down to our time without changes.
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Work by Moscow based artist Ekaterina Samgina – Reborn monkey Chita Bindi

Reborn monkey Chita Bindi
Talented and creative doll artist Ekaterina Samgina lives in Moscow. According to the artist, she is fond of children, and her passion gave birth to creating reborn dolls. The dolls made by Ekaterina look so realistic, that some of her clients compare her work to the exquisite work of a jeweler.
Although the master mainly manufactures dolls of new born babies, my attention attracted this adorable Chita Bindi. Firstly, because the doll is incredibly realistic, and secondly the New 2016 – year of the Monkey. Making her dolls, Ekaterina Samgina uses the highest quality materials, carefully working out every detail. Her works can be seen at international exhibitions of dolls.
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Christmas joy in spray painting on windows. Snow Windows by Tom Baker, English artist

Snow Windows by Tom Baker
English artist Tom Baker creates detailed snowy scenes on window panes using just snow spray and a dry paintbrush. Inspired by winter and Christmas spirit 36-year-old Tom Baker from Berkshire has set up a business called Snow Windows. He has got a lot of requests from locals asking him to decorate the windows of shops and houses with winter scenes.
His unusual technique started with the idea when he sprayed an entire window and grabbed a brush to draw a wintry scene in the white spray. Tom creates different layers with the spray and then removes parts to form silhouettes. Most of his images include vintage scenery – village landscapes with cottages, old cars, horses and carts and street lights glowing in the snowy night.
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Mardi Gras. Pierrot and Harlequin eternal conflict. 1888-1890 Painting by Paul Cezanne

Pierrot and Harlequin eternal conflict

Painted in 1888-1890 by French artist Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) “Pierrot et Arlequin”, or “Mardi Gras”. The painting belongs to the State Museum of Fine Arts Pushkin in Moscow, located in the gallery of art of Europe and America, XIX-XX centuries. The constant conflict between two temperaments – Piero (Italian version – Pedrolino) and Harlequin, traditional characters of Italian commedia dell’arte. As for models, for Cezanne posed his son Paul and his friend Louis Guillaume. Cezanne paints arrogance and cynicism of a quirky and cheerful Harlequin and insincerity of shy and secretive Piero. It seems that dreamy Pierrot is thinking about something else, but if you look closely, you can see how he secretly wants to push Harlequin.
White melancholic figure of Piero seems made of plaster. Red and black tights of self-confident Harlequin symbolize the flame on coals. Different Location of colored left and right curtains emphasizes forward movement of Harlequin and a static position of Pierrot.
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Portrait, c. 1889. National Library of Norway. Mysterious Edvard Munch(1863-1944)

Mysterious Edvard Munch
Handsome men often have peculiar traits of femininity, and some weakness. Indeed, Edvard Munch was handsome. He could not boast of good health. And yet didn’t give the impression of a weak man. He was surprisingly energetic, beautiful head. Seeing him, passersby turned around even when his name was not yet known. Anyone who saw Mysterious Edvard Munch, would never forget him. His blond, wavy hair, a high forehead, and bulging gray-blue eyes. The nose and mouth had good shape, even the thin lower lip did not spoil his fineness. Strong chin seemed even stronger, as Munch always carried his head high.
He was thin, a little above average height, slender but not flexible. He never played sports. As soon as he had money he visited a good tailor. Yet he never gave the impression of a well-dressed man.
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A Shirt. Oil on canvas, 2013. Red painting by Mikhail Kaban-Petrov

Red painting by Mikhail Kaban-Petrov acts as a symbolic message to the world, alarming and anxious.
Russian artist Mikhail Kaban-Petrov was born in 1969, in a small Siberian town of Reshety of Novosibirsk region. Mikhail graduated from Art school in Novoaltaisk, and then – Moscow Academy of Fine Arts. He is a Member of the Professional Artists Union of Russia. Mikhail Kaban-Petrov is a participant of numerous domestic and international exhibitions. His works are in the collections around the world.
According to the artist, he feels complete happiness in the fullest sense, only when he is in his studio. “I am more concerned about “I – tomorrow”, than “I am today”, or I am yesterday” – states the artist.
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Wet Snow. Acrylic on canvas. Painting by Russian artist Elena Schumacher. 2015

Russian artist Elena Schumacher
Born in 1969 in the city of Novomoskovsk, Tula region, Elena graduated from Smolensk Pedagogical Institute, the graphic arts department in 1993. She began to paint professionally only 15 years later, and according to art critics, it was the victory of art over the grayness of everyday life.
Noteworthy, in just five years of her artistic career, Elena managed to hold 13 solo exhibitions and several group exhibitions. Among them were exhibitions in such Russian cities as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Tula, and Novomoskovsk. Also, in France and Belarus. Her works are in private collections in Russia and abroad, as well as in the collection of the Tula Regional Art Museum.
In 2011, the artist was a finalist of the international competition of contemporary fine art ART-PREVIEW, and received a special prize from the German magazine “Ostwind”.
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