The most prestigious award in the field of geography is the Award of the Russian Geographical Society, which is a globe made of crystal at the Maltsov Gus-Khrustalny Crystal Factory. On the eve of the presentation of the fourth Award of the Russian Geographical Society, the author of the statuette, artist Alexander Gryzunov, spoke about how a creative idea is realized through various techniques.
The idea to create the three-dimensional emblem of the Russian Geographical Society in the form of a crystal globe flattened at the poles with continents as a commemorative symbol was born immediately, but realizing it turned out to be not so simple. The easily recognizable image of the globe, presented to the winner, should look both high-profile and prestigious, emphasizing the importance of the Award, but at the same time keeping up with the spirit of the times, embodying the lightness and cleanliness of lines, which formed the basis of the author's creative exploration.
The original version, proposed by the artist, consisted of the natural play of colorless crystal with the depicted continents. The idea was good, but it seemed that there was something missing in the material: the statuette came out too pale, and the engraving of geographical objects, which looked good in the sketches, in reality looked dull.
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To increase the brightness, it was decided to use cobalt blue color as the base, however, this option did not produce the desired result to the proper extent: the award turned out to be too massive and visually heavy. Then the idea was born to make the result lighter by making a smooth transition from a dark blue stable base to an airy colorless top.
All work on the statuette is carried out by hand, according to the old techniques tested over the centuries: first, the master blows the item, then the meridians and parallels are engraved with diamond bits, and then continents are applied using silver coating.
The gradient in the resulting globe is achieved using a sophisticated technique: the tinted product is gradually lightened by etching and covered on the outside with a colorless material. The painstaking process requires complete control and accuracy from the master: no supplementary components in the form of paint or varnish can be used – the Gus-Khrustalny Crystal Factory is very scrupulous about its traditions.
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“Our joint project came out as effective as possible thanks to the creation of the initially successful emblem of the Russian Geographical Society in an elegant design. As a result, we have an elegantly modest, stylish product that has not undergone any changes in seven years,” says the artist. Alexander Gryzunov has a number of prestigious professional awards under his belt, as well as a collection of complex crystal mini-copies of technical devices, machines and mechanisms.
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The production of the first batch, from sketches to finished product release, took seven months, from March to October 2014. Since then, adjustments have been made only to the names of the categories. This year, there will be one additional cherished statuette. During the existence of the Award, 22 awards have been presented.
The symbolism of crystal globes, solid and clean, but at the same time fragile, like our planet, is intended to once again emphasize the special status of the RGS Award laureates who make an invaluable contribution to the development of the natural, cultural and historical heritage of Russia.
Let us remind you that the RGS Award ceremony will take place on October 19 in Moscow. The most striking and successful projects in the field of national geography, ecology, conservation and popularization of natural, historical and cultural heritage will receive the prestigious award.