Grechukhin: Smooth Bent Apple with Polymerized Organics (G65)

In September of this year, Vladimir Grechukhin marked his 65th birthday by producing seven special briars bearing a "G65" stamp, a variation on his usual "G" stamp reserved for those pieces he takes particular pride in. Of those seven briars we have been fortunate enough to receive two: one symmetrical in design, and one asymmetrical.

This "G65" is, of course, the symmetrical briar, and indeed a textbook example of Grechukhin style at its strongest when applied to classic shape, right down to the muscular curve of a vertical-oval shank. Tight-knit yet avoiding any sense of being "bunched up", broad and substantial yet favoring a style of powerful firmness over plumpness, this Apple does a fine job of capturing Vladimir's skill at applying long, smooth, steady lines to well-balanced pipe design. Though I wouldn't call Grechukhin's classic shape-based, symmetrical designs Streamline Moderne, his approach to them does share the same fundamentals of clean, efficient aesthetics, defining forms that suggest a potent combination of mass and potential motive force.

- Eric N. Squires