Boris Chetkov’s Glass As a young artist Chetkov experimented with Modernist themes, techniques and materials, defining his own style and visual lexicon. Having demonstrated a natural knack for working with glass, he was appointed in 1967 as the Chief Glass Artist of the First Communist Volunteer Corps 1BBW (1КДО) Glass Factory in Malaya Vishera, a position which he held until 1979. Chetkov was a highly creative and passionate glass artist who developed the factory's output and frequently experimented with different finishes and techniques, including Venetian techniques. He stated, "Working with glass is enchanting, it carries you away, liberates your fantasy; the artist becomes a magician when he creates an object from a shapeless hot paste… Glass gave fire to my soul, and it left a deep burn in it." His art glass was exhibited around the world from the 1970s onwards, but always under the umbrella of ‘Artist of the Soviet Union’ rather than under his own name.
Examining one of his glass creations
Yellow Hand
Working with color in glass profoundly influenced his painting, resulting in a rich color palette and a glassy application style, which make his paintings 'glow' as if lit from the inside rather than from an external light source.
Still Life with Flowers, 1973, Oil on Canvas, 23” x 31” (58cm x 78cm)
In 1978, Chetkov’s notoriety as a glass artist and as the successful director of the factory earned him a prestigious commission from the Ministry of Culture – to design a large space themed stained-glass window for the Baikonar Cosmodrome. While he had reached a new height in his career based solely on the merits of his talent, at the same time he was found to be highly unacceptable by the governing Communist Party administrators and was subject to increasing scrutiny and pressure and derogatory commentary. The following year, under that cloud, Chetkov left the Malaya Vishera glass factory and his glass making career, never to return.
Cosmos, 1978, Tempera on Board, 12.5” x 16” (32cm x 40cm) Maquette for stained-glass commission at Baikonar Cosmodrome
Blue Craquelure Vase
Blue Hat
Yellow Dinosaur
Constructivist Still Life
Green Dinosaur
Portrait
Long Stem Flower Vase
Yellow Hand