I attended a wonderful lecture the other day that explored the history and the fascination behind the famed Russian Fabergé eggs. These eggs were elaborate gold, silver, and gemstone creations made by Gustav Fabergé’s company in St. Petersburg. The Imperial Egg collection was commissioned by Alexander the III for his wife Maria Feodorovna, as he gave her a decorated egg each Easter. The interesting thing about the Fabergé pieces is that Fabergé never made any piece himself, rather, he hired the best craftsmen and oversaw the operation. Fabergé used different artists and it resulted in a unique collection. Each piece was crafted meticulously and no one piece was the same. Additionally, with the Imperial eggs, I think it is really interesting that each one had a little something inside. The inside usually held an ornamented object like a statue or a picture with an embellished frame. The lecture discussed the value of the eggs today, both in artistic and monetary value. I think the speaker described it really well when she said the eggs represented the story of a vanished world. They have a romantic value like the search for lost treasures or a doomed love story, that just makes people obsessed. The last egg sold was valued at around 33 million dollars. This seems crazy at first, but is it? These eggs are one of the last remnants to the Russian world that ended after World War II. So I wonder what would be remembered from our American society if it were to disappear. Would our artwork be sufficient to sustain the legacy of American ideology? Art is not just about the aesthetics, it is about leaving behind a legacy, telling our history, and trying to improve and make a more beautiful world. I know I will ask myself these questions the next time a create art because I want to leave a positive impact on the world and I want be conscious about the message I send to both the present and the future.
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Emma LindleyHi! I am an art student at Maggie Walker and I am so excited to share with you my thoughts, my art ideas, and my finished works. I hope you enjoy! Archives
June 2021
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