“Evening Bell” is a rectangular tray with a vertical composition. It was created during the most important period in the work of Agrippina Vasilyevna Afanasyeva. In the 1980s, she became a recognized master and teacher of the quick silver-layer painting. The exhibit features all the elements of the traditional Nizhny Tagil tray painting art. The artist depicted a vertical branch with five large roses of various colors. She also included her signature nettle-like leaves with serrated edges.
The use of white is particularly significant. Traditionally, it is used to create the shapes, change the tonal qualities of paints, expand the range of primary colors, and achieve a three-dimensional floral composition. The artist used a carefully chosen shade of white. Working with floral compositions, she skillfully combined warm and cold shades of the color palette to create coloristic accents.
The lilac background elicits associations with the early twilight. A thin, wavy line runs along the perimeter of the base. The black rim of the tray adds a certain depth to the image. There is also a fairly wide brushwork pattern on the rim itself.
The role of Agrippina Afanasyeva in the development of the Nizhny Tagil tray painting art can hardly be overestimated. All the famous and successful artists studied either under her guidance or under the guidance of her students. They were the ones who introduced fresh ideas into the traditional composition of the Nizhny Tagil rose bouquet.
Nelli Nikolayevna Koshkina, a master of Ural lacquer painting on metal and a member of the Union of Russian Artists, recalled,
