Rygzema Zhimbieva Was Among Those Ceramists of Her Age Whose Creative Activity Started

Rygzema Zhimbieva was among those ceramists of her age whose creative activity started in the 1970s. From the very beginning spectators’ attention was attracted to Rygzema’s early works as they had been designed after original ideas, bore the author’s subtle feeling of material, and presented a perfect combination of functional and decorative characteristics in them. The artist skilfully masters the tradition of Buryat art, quite akin to her, as well as the whole amount of artistic means and methods used by Russian and West-European artists. In her work she also experienced a great influence of the Far East ceramics’ especially Japanese. Rygzema’s works are quite different in their conception. Some of them show the variety of the most simple geo-metrical figures and at the same time remind us of the national architecture-such is the “ Sagaalchan” dinner-set, for instance. In this set the master with the best possible effect plays up pure white surface of the pieces, this colour being of special significance in Buryat art. Other works, like the tea set titled “Species of Buryat Plants,” elegant in shapes and painting, remind us of the Far East ceramics. “ Buddism Symbols of Happiness” made by R. Zhimbeeyeva in 1991 is the set created by the experienced artist. It was intended for the Ulhan- Bator Cultural Centre as a ceremonial set for high official receptions. The festive appearance of the set answered its purpose.Shapes and decoration of the pieces show the combination of the two artistic traditions-Oriental and Western.The author found a non-trivial, original style of the decoration almost wholly based on motifs of the Far East and Buryat art tea pots, bowls and phiales are painted with dragon figures, objects, from “The Buddhist Treasures” and so on. The range of colours, red and yellow dominating in it, also originates from Oriental tradition. This is the highermost professional work. It was displayed in 1991 at the special exhibition in Ulhan-ude dedicated to the 250th anniversary of Buddhism in Russia and in 1998 at the annual Fall exhi-bition in St. Petersburg. One finds the East-West theme almost in all works by Rygzema Zhimbeeyeva, the best of them being exquisite in their shapes and proving the author’s perfect taste. Tatyana Arapova Art Historian. PhD Chief Research Associate, Curator of Chinese and Japanese porcelain collection, Oriental Dpt, the State Hermitage museum.

I have had a pleasure to trace the artistic development of Rygzema Zhimbeeyeva since those times when she worked as a pre-graduate at the The first experience of hers that attracted one’s attention was a tea set. It was for Lomonosov porcelain manufacture. The first time that I came across an artist who had graduated from a European high school (the former Stroganov college, now-the Moscow High Artistic and Industrial College), had imbibed all the principles of true European art, and at the same time had enriched her work with the heart-felt outlook, ideology, philosophy and culture of the East. Due to this deep artistic view Rygzema’s works bear subtle air of Oriental wisdom and culture,almost imperceptible from the first glance. The suprisingly simple, natural shapes of her first set produced the impression of soft light resembling that of wet pebbles smoothed by the sea. No less surpising was her diploma work which proved her individual view to be worth distinguishing among other artists of European school. Emotional lyricism and spirituality of Rygzema herself passed on to her works. Managing porcelain plastics of size was a new complicated task which the artist has overcome brilliantly in the work devoted to her native Lake Baikal.. It helped her show another talent of her-sculptor;s gift. Having got over the difficulties of technology, she went on developing her artistic credo of spiritual plastics. Astonishing are her strong will spirit and persistence. All this is usually characteristic of prominent masters, and Zhimbeeyeva should be referred to as such by all means. Finally Rygzema won the artists’ hearts at the Lomonosov porcelain manufacture with her set “Buddism Symbols of Happiness”, grand in idea, large on scale and splendid in realization. Ornamental motif of the set grew from national religious topics of Mongolia. The artist had to solve a difficult prob-lem: she intended to create rather a complicated composition that was to embrace traditional form and vast variety of details, elements of religious worship and a great number of encoded symbols. In such a situation Rygzema made a brilliant display of mastership and virtuosity of the work. Executed on the best professional level, this work has no analogues at present. The colour of the set is wonderfully beautiful, combination of the shape and motif is highly harmonic- everything mentioned proves the work to rank the most outstanding pieces of true art. With no hesitation one can say that having shown such a high level of her works Rygzema Zhimbeeyeva now occupies an established position among those artists who hold leadership in modern applied art . I.А. Olevskaya, leading artist Lomonosov porcelain manufature. June 1991г.

SELECTED ARTS: Faience and porcelain ( Museum expositions) 1. Set for milk “Cow”, 10 units, faience, salt, metal, wicker handle,colour glaze, 1976 (Museum of Oriental Culture, Moscow); 2. Set for beverages “Wild Rose”,9 units, faience,salt metal, under glazed painting. 1976 (Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 3. Set for childs” Autumn, winter, spring,summer”10 units, faience,under glazed painting, wicker handle, wood spoon,colour glaze,1976( Museum of Oriental Culture, Moscow); 4. Dinner set “Buriatin Motive”,10 units,faience, under glazed painting,colour glaze,1977( Sampilov’s Museum of Arts Ulan-Ude); 5. Vase for beverages, faience,salt metal, colour glaze,1977 (private collection, Moscow); 6. Tea set” Stellar”, 21 units, porcelain,platinum,stainless steel,1978, (Museum of Decorative Art and Crats,Moscow); 7. Tea set “Everning Glow”,14units, salt metal, glazed porcelain, stainless steel,1978, (Museum of Irkutsk); 8. Vases-lights “Baikal”; 3 units, porcelain, 1979( Sampilov’s Museum of Arts, Ulan-Ude); 9. Vases-light: “Sky”, “Billow”, “Mountaiins”, 3units, porcelain, salt metal, under glazed painting,1979(Museum of decorative Arts and Crafts, Moscow); 10. Set for dinner devoted to oriental New Year celebration “ Sagalgan”18 units,porcelain, glazed painting, 1980 (Museum of Arts,Irkutsk); 11. Set “Oriental”,7 units,faience, colour glaze,1981(Region Museum of Arts, Chita); 12. Tea set “Memory about Japan” 16 units, porcelain, glazed painting, gold,1982(Region Museum of Arts, Chita); 13. Decorative dish “bunch of blue flowers” faience, colour glazed 1983, (Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 14. Decorative dish “brown bunch” faience, colour glazed,1983, , (Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 15. Decorative dish “ Buriat women in old fashion” faience,colour glazed,1983,(Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 16. Decorative dish “Baikal” faience, colour glazed,1983,(Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 17 Decorative dish “ Nature”faience, colour glazed,1983 (Museum of Arts,Irkutsk); 18 Decorative dish“First spring flowers” faience, colour glazed 1983(Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude); 19. Decorative dish”Landscape” faience, colour glazed,1983(Museum of Arts,Irkutsk); 20. Set for kids”Fantastic timber”,15 units,faience, under glazed painting(Region Museum of Arts,Chita); 21. Childs set “Brood-hen with nestling’s” !5 units,faience, under glazed painting ( Sampilov’s Museum of Arts, Ulan-Ude); 22 Composition-stele “ The life of horses”, chamotte,bas-relief, salt metall, 1981(The Directorate of Exhibitions, Moscow); 23. Set “ Buckthorn”,5 units, faience, colour glaze,1983 (Region Museum of Arts, Chita); 24. Set for tea “ The remembrance of childhood”,19units, porcelain,glazed painting, wicker handle,1984,(Museum of Decorative Arts and Crafts, Moscow); 25 Set for dinner “ Blooming Lotus”,19 units, porcelain,under glazed painting, gold 1984,( Sampilov’s Museum of Arts, Ulan-Ude); 26. Skulptural table-composition “The legend about sacred Baikal”,inccludes skulptures “ Baikal”, “Swift Enisey” and “Beauty- Angara”, pocelain, 1988 (History of Baikal region’s population, Ulan- Ude); 27. Vase decorative “Mountains after rain” porcelain, salt metal, (private collection, Russia) 28. Decorative composition” Three men’s games-three ages”, 6 units,, small sculpture, porcelain, glazed painting,1990( Museum of Ethnography, Ulaan-Baator, Mongolia); 29. Decorative composition “ Celebration victor’s -dancer’s”2 units,smal sculpture, porcelain , glazed painting,1990, ( Museum of Ethnography, Ulaan-Baator, Mongolia); 30. Parade set for dinner” Buddizm symbols of happiness”,23 units, porcelain,glazed painting, gold, small sculptures, 1991 (State Hermitage Museum, Sankt-Peterburg) 31. Small sculptures ‘ oriental calendar-twelve years”, 12 units, porcelain, glazed painting, 1992,( Museum of History, Ust-Orda). EASEL GRAPHICS Pictures; Serial; “ Life of Buriatian women”, Paper,pencil,1985-1986 (Museum of Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow); “Talking”,paper,pencil,1985-1986(Museum of Russian Academy of Arts,Moscow); “High moving”, Paper, pencil 1985-1986(Sampilov’s Museum of Arts,Ulan-Ude) “Braidesmaid”, paper, pencil 1985-1986(Museum of Russian Academy of Arts,Moscow); “ Buddizm ceremonial dance’s TSAM “lithography, 1995,(Property of Akademy culture ,Ulan-Ude) ” Mother with child”, Lithography, 1995,(Property of Akademy culture ,Ulan-Ude) “Shaman”, Lithography, 1995, (Property of Akademy culture ,Ulan-Ude)

Book Graphics Ts.Zhimbiev “ Flowers on the snow” verse poetry,1970 (Buriatian pulishing house, Ulan-Ude) Ts.Zhimbiev “Coevals”, stories, 1973 (Buriatian pulishing house, Ulan- Ude) Ts. Zhimbiev “Steppe roads”,novel, 1974, (Buriatian pulishing house, Ulan-Ude); Ts/Zhimbiev “Trials”, stories,1976,( Buriatian pulishing house, Ulan- Ude); Ts/Zhimbiev “ Little shepherd”,1976, (Buriatian pulishing house, Ulan- Ude); H. Namsaraev “Tserimpil”, novel, 1989 ( “Children’s literature” publishing house, Moscow); F.Iskander “Sandro from Chagem”, novel, 1994 (“Terra” publishing house, Moscow) Kolkova M,Komarova U,Rybakova N “ Rupert and the golden acorn”1998, (OOO”Orakyl” publishing house St-Petersburg) O.Operenova “Difficult sounds”little stories “2000,( “Norint” publishing house,Sankt-Petersburg) “ Little childs and toys” picture’s 2001 Puppets and Sceneries “Smart Zorigto”,, Buriatian folk stories performance,1982 (Puppet Theater,Ulan-Ude); “Masha and Bear” Russian folk stories perfomance,1983 (Puppet Theater,Ulan-Ude); “Squeaky mill “M.Karim, 1983 (Puppet Theater, Ulan-Ude);

Personal Publications Bibliography

I. Foto,V.Bogdanov “ Buriatia designs” May 31,1972,(Komsomol truth. Moscow) II. I.Baldano “Master of ceramics”, 1981, december 30 (Zabaikal’s worker, Chita) III. A.Druzhinin “Inspirition”September 24,1981 (Young people of Buriatia, Ulan-Ude) IV. E.Ulanov “Moments of work or how is working the young people”, october14,1982(Young people of Buriatia, Ulan-Ude) V. I.Baldano “Rekzima Zhimbieva” No.4,1982 (Decorative Arts of USSR, Moscow) VI. B.Dambarinchinova “Creative talent”, december 24,1983 ( Buriat truth, Ulan-Ude) VII. B.Dambarinchinova” Show art work”9 janiary,1987 (Buriat truth, Ulan-Ude); VIII. U.Balkov “Song of heart”, november1, 1986 ((Young people of Buriatia, Ulan-Ude); IX. O.Baraeva, “ The happiness of all life”, december 28,1986 ((Buriat truth, Ulan-Ude); X. B.Dambarinchinova “Rimma Zhimbieva”, No.4,1985 (Baikal, Ulan-Ude); XI. E.Strona “Brightness of talent”,October15, 1991,(Zabaikal worker,Ulan-Ude); XII. N.Huduguev “ The ascent to beauty”,february17,1993, (Buriat truth, Ulan-Ude) XIII. R.Zhimbieva “ Bless of Dalai-Lama”, 1993 , (Buriat truth, Ulan- Ude)

Personal information; Birthplace; Moscow , Russia.14 may,1952. Citizenship; Russian.