Anatoly Ivanovich Konenko (russian: Анато́лий Ива́нович Коне́нко; born 23 February 1954) is a microminiature painter and sculptor from the Russian city of

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

. In 1996 he was entered into the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for creating the world's smallest book.

Life

Konenko was born in the town of

Orsk Orsk (russian: Орск) is the second largest city in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the steppe about southeast of the southern tip of the Ural Mountains. The city straddles the Ural River. Population: It lies adjacent to the Kazakhstan– ...

in the

Orenburg region Orenburg Oblast (russian: Оренбургская область, ''Orenburgskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name ''Chkalov Oblast'' () ...

of Russia. His family later relocated to

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental coun ...

. Konenko received a degree in technical architecture from The

College of Civil Engineering. In 1982 he graduated from Omsk State Pedagogical University with a degree in graphic design. He has worked as a designer of eye-surgery instruments.

Microminiatures

Konenko began to create miniature works in 1981. Konenko's works often reference Russian fables and fairy tales; some of his most famous creations include "The Savvy Flea", "The Grasshopper Violinist" and "A Caravan of Camels in the Eye of the Needle". Since 2007, his son has worked with him. Konenko works in a variety of media, using human hair, poppy seeds, and rice as surfaces. Some of his works include living animals. In 2011, he created a miniature aquarium to house a living tiny fish, complete with a net. It contained just two teaspoons of water, two fish, and some algae. He can shoe a flea.

Miniature books

Konenko has published more than 200

miniature book A miniature book is a very small book. Standards for what may be termed a miniature rather than just a small book have changed through time. Today, most collectors consider a book to be miniature only if it is 3 inches or smaller in height, wid ...

s. His edition of Chekhov's Chameleon, issued in 1996 in Omsk, is printed on paper and includes 30 pages, 3 color illustrations, and a portrait of Chekhov, and measures 0,9 x 0,9 mm. It was published in an edition of 100 and is bound in gold, silver, and leather. Anatoly Konenko has been listed in Guinness Book of Records for creating the book. In 2010 Konenko issued a collection of

volumes of Pushkin, Koltsov, Evtushenko. file:Microalfavit.jpg, Supermicrobook. Size 0,8 x 0,8 mm.

External links

Official website

Prague Museum of Miniatures
which houses some of Konenko's works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konenko, Anatoly 21st-century Russian sculptors 20th-century Russian sculptors 20th-century Russian male artists Russian male sculptors 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters 21st-century Russian painters Living people People from Orsk 1954 births Bookbinders Microminiature sculptors 21st-century Russian male artists