PNC “Traditions of the Russian Village ” Painted Egg Exhibit

Lender Mel Theobald poses with Andrei Troshkov's painted wooden eggs. Download photo here.

WESTVILLE – Purdue University North Central 2007-08 Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series is presenting the exhibit, “Traditions of the Russian Village,” a collection of Birchwood (berioza) eggs painted in tempera by Russian artist Andrei Troshkov. This exhibit may be viewed in the public display cases on the first floor of the Library-Student-Faculty Building, adjacent to Coffee Central. It is presented free and open to the public. It will be shown through May 31.

Troshkov was born in Krasnodar, Russia in 1969. Like his father, he studied art at the university in Krasnodar, living with his mother who taught art history there. Troshkov's father is an internationally recognized artist whose distinctive geometric figures have been created in painting, graphics, batik and bronze. Mel Theobald, a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago and a conservator, painter and professor of art history, was instrumental in bringing the collection to PNC.

The egg has been a conventional symbol of rebirth throughout the Christian world with a strong presence in Russian Orthodoxy. Historically the egg has portrayed the Assumption and the Ascension of Christ or the Madonna into the heavens, using the shape of the egg to emphasize the transcendent glory of the miracle. Beginning in 1885, the czars of Russia commissioned the master goldsmith Faberge to transform the egg into a magical paradise of both imperial and jeweled majesty. The idea of the egg evolved as a decorative experience beyond the metaphysical.

In post-Soviet Russia, artists often used the egg form as a means to explore unconventional styles and at the same time to find their own voices. These eggs allowed Troshkov to define his spirit and search for meaning in old Russia. Although this phase of his work was brief, he connected the life of Orthodox Christians to the ubiquitous churches (sabor) found throughout the Russian countryside.

Troshkov was 23 years old when he created these painted eggs. As with many young people, he used art as a way to question reality. With no attachment to secular religion, he observed the traditions of villagers with reverence and sensitivity. He illustrated the wooden houses (izbah), the fields and pathways of the villagers. Representing the seasons and the passage of the sun to starlit skies, he considered the wind and the expressions of nature in its variations. The painted eggs brought him closer to defining himself during the social, political and economic upheaval marking the end of the Soviet era.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, markets opened for young artists with corporate support. Offers to illustrate children's books came his way. He also published hundreds of scientific, folk and mythological illustrations. Among them, "Four Seasons" (Moscow, 1994); "Prince Ivan and the Firebird" (Bristol, 1994); "Snails, Show Your Eyes" (Moscow, 1996); "Atlas Adventure" (Canada, 2000) and "The Puppy" (Belgium, 2004).

Most recently he has been commissioned as a graphic designer, producing brochures, banners and displays in Moscow.

To obtain further information about this exhibit or the Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC director of marketing at 800-872-1231, ext. 5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Carol Connelly at 800-872-1231, ext. 5267.     

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