Khokhloma - what is it? Khokhloma: pictures, patterns, photo

Khokhloma - what is it? First of all, this is an ancient Russian folk craft. Khokhloma painting, golden Khokhloma, a vast layer of Russian culture. The symbol of painting in the style of "Khokhloma" is a fiery Firebird, a fairy-tale character. The capital of the fishery is the town of Semenov, located to the north of Nizhny Novgorod. Unlike Gzhel art production, which unites 27 villages and villages in one "bush", Khokhloma was concentrated in one place. Therefore, its development lasted long enough. The artistic component of the fishery also made a difference, since talented masters do not meet often, and there was no training as such.

History of the Golden Khokhloma

The artistic craft of Khokhloma goes back to the end of the 17th century, during the heyday of icon painting. The period of settlement of the Novgorod lands by Old Believers who did not accept the church reform of Patriarch Nikon coincided with the appearance of new ways of gilding icons. It was in the Nizhny Novgorod lands, villages and villages that they learned to paint icons with gold, but without the use of precious metal. The wooden salaries of icons were sprinkled with silver, mashed into the dust, then covered with a layer of linseed oil and put in the oven. Silver coating miraculously turned into sparkling gold. The technologies of that time were not provided with additional means that facilitated the process, everything was done manually. Some masters somehow adjusted themselves, invented simple tools for themselves, but on the whole Khokhloma painting was completely provided only with manual labor. The main tasks of the production were lathe work, which required a certain qualification. Blanks were milled by some masters, primed and burned by others, and painted by others. But in any case, the results of the joint labor were good and the production flourished.

The origin of high art

So on the Volga there was a gold painting of Khokhloma. From the icons quickly went to the production of dishes from wood, covered with gold drawings. Silver was not enough, and it was replaced with tin. Drawings did not become worse, on the contrary, the painting acquired a noble matte shade, and after polishing the paint began to sparkle like the sun. Semenovsky artists began to unite in artels, painting "under Khokhloma" has gained wide popularity far beyond the boundaries of Nizhny Novgorod province. One by one, the merchants came, ordered the craftsmen painted wooden utensils in huge lots, and the fishery began to develop at a rapid pace.

At first, they were cut out of a linden tree and painted with hohlom's patterns with spoons and scoops. Grateful descendants even erected a monument to the Seed-spoon as a tribute to the masters and artists of that time. Craftsmen worked tirelessly, brought Nizhny Novgorod dishes and successfully sold at the great Makaryevsky market, the most famous Russian fair. Reached the dishes and to Moscow. In the Russian capital at that time, foreign merchants, Germans, French, and English were always present. They immediately drew attention to unusual Khokhloma goods.

Khokhloma - what is this from the point of view of the world community?

In the middle of the 19th century the Khokhloma painting on dishes, furniture and clothes became known abroad. The World Exhibition in Paris, held in 1889, opened the way for Golden Khokhloma all over the world. Khokhloma painting went on export in a wide stream. The markets of Western Europe, Southeast Asia, India, China, and later the North American continent traded products of Russian folk crafts.

The high demand for the products of the Volga masters became an incentive for the further development of the Golden Khokhloma. The assortment of production has grown many times, besides spoons, dishes and plates, barrels, spice bars, saltcellars, various supplies, glasses and mugs were produced. Especially valued in the West are the so-called bratins - huge vessels in the form of a boat with a dozen ladles. The name spoke for itself, this dish was intended for a fraternal feast. The festive theme always accompanied khokhloma products. And an inexhaustible source of plots and topics for them - this is the whole of Russia. Khokhloma is inextricably linked with the source itself, and with its history.

Tableware and not only

In addition to dishes, large series produced household goods: caskets, snuffboxes, small furniture products, chairs, cupboards, tables and benches. Gold Khokhloma could be ordered, it was worth an order of magnitude more, but the price did not bother anyone. By the end of the 19th century, Khokhloma began to appreciate, as its production became more and more complicated. There were floral ornaments that continued the traditional traditions, but at the same time carried in themselves that special natural style of artistic writing, which differs Khokhloma. Pictures made in those days by enthusiastic artists, sketches and sketches confirm the development of new trends in the art of Khokhloma painting.

The Khokhloma products were noticeably enlarged, they were painted already in the manner of "curls", with golden leaves and flowers, in the style of drawing a female headscarf, when the ornament consists of several fragments that merge into one whole image. One of the most revered Khokhloma drawings was a "herbal letter", and in the first half of the 20th century, the artists created a "Khokhloma ornament". So there was a classics of style. The coloring of the picture became even more complicated, the strokes became thinner, and the plot acquired signs of certainty. Artistic style called "Khokhloma", pictures and sketches of which this confirm, continued its development. At the same time, in the middle band of Russia, art forms appeared that resembled the Khokhloma painting, Fedoskino miniatures and Zhostovo trays. A little later, factories for the production of Gzhel ceramic ware, which soon became as popular as the Khokhloma wooden utensils, began to work. Artistic Russian folk crafts developed successfully, Gzhel, Khokhloma, Zhostovo, Fedoskino - this is not a complete list of crafts that can be compared to high art.

Equipment

The art of Khokhloma is a rather complex process, coupled with a multitude of technical subtleties. It is not enough to paint the product correctly - its shape and parameters must also be perfect. If the master decided to cut out a brother from the tree in the form of a swan and paint it in the style of golden Khokhloma, then first of all the received form should repeat all the grace of a noble bird, and her neck must necessarily be with the "swan" bend, which we observe in nature.

Khokhloma - what is this from a technical point of view? Guided by the rule of authenticity of the product, its conformity to certain canons of a highly artistic level, the specialists of ZAO "Khokhloma painting" deduced the quality formula of their products, which formed the basis for the production of Khokhloma products. Thus, all the technological processes in the enterprise are not subject to market requirements, which stimulate on-line production, but to the laws of the artistic conjuncture, oriented to a buyer who has a taste. Such a policy of leadership has already borne fruit, orders began to come not from souvenir shops, but from well-known art salons and galleries.

The process of making artistic products in the style of Khokhloma is a complex technological chain. Wood is used only in hard rocks, with preference given to the lime as the most plastic and responsive material. The material undergoes a natural drying step in the open air for one year, then the logs and comles dissolve onto blanks that are dried for another three months. After that, the wood is already suitable for machining on lathes. Select pieces are used to make matryoshkas, large vases are cut from solid logs. For spoons and buckets the wood of a saponic part suits, it is easily enough cut and does not crack.

Cut and cut preforms are called "linen", before painting this "laundry" is dried once more, already at a temperature of about 100 degrees. After that, the products are primed and re-loaded into the oven, heated to 120 degrees. Then the workpieces are ground, chips and potholes on the surface are shpaklyuyut and covered with a thin layer of drying oil. Shortly before drying, the workpiece is covered with aluminum powder and ground so that the entire surface is evenly coated. Further silvery-matte cups, spoons and saucers, vases and bowls arrive to the artists for final finishing - the Khokhloma art painting.

After the painting, the products are covered three times with lacquer, with intermediate heating up to 130 degrees. At the same time, the aluminum coating acquires a golden hue, the product is ready for packing and shipment.

Types of painting

In the 18th century the Khokhloma painting reached its culmination, the demand for art products increased, and the Nizhny Novgorod masters at that time were already at the top of their creative work. It was then that two main types of painting of the Golden Khokhloma - "riding" and "background" were formed.

Khokhloma, whose patterns were painted in the manner of the "top" painting, is a drawing on the golden field, performed by black and red colors. The artist in thin strokes draws an openwork pattern, while following one of the following styles:

• "Gingerbread" - a stylized image of the sun, enclosed in a geometric figure, square, diamond or faceted circle. The method is simple at first glance, however, from the solar circle, framed by curving rays, the view was not torn off, the great luminary with the surrounding frames so organically combined.
• "Travnik" - grass ornament, drawing sedge coastal or meadow grass.
• "Leaf, under the berry" - a painting with a lot of leaves and berries, flowers and stems, whimsically intertwined with each other.

Unlike "riding," Khokhloma, whose patterns were applied gold on the basis of red or black, was considered "background". The most interesting kind of painting on the background is "kudrin", which is a stylized image of leaves and flowers. Repeated curly curls, turning into bizarre patterns, flowers, foliage and all sorts of berries, garden and forest. This style of painting is noteworthy also for the extensive use of contour strokes in the drawing, which advantageously shade the individual details.

Catalogs

From the middle of the 20th century the Khokhloma painting began to be systematized, catalogs with the most interesting specimens were printed, and the best ones were awarded with a certificate. The works of art masters in the style of "Khokhloma", photos and sketches of which were printed in the press, became participants in various competitions and exhibitions. Authors of art products received prizes and prizes for their creativity. At such exhibitions, everyone could buy a product made in an artistic manner called "Khokhloma." A photograph of the memory with the master-maker was made immediately. A long time later, a beautiful lacquered thing pleased my master.

Khokhloma eyes of the child

Children's pre-school institutions, gardens and even a day nursery in Soviet times received furniture made in the style of Khokhloma painting. And although this artistic style has always been considered "adult", the children genuinely rejoiced at each table, painted by the artist. Of course, this was not manual work, the products were painted in a furniture factory, using a screen printing method. But the impression of high art of the Khokhloma painting was present, and it pleased the children. Together with the kids their parents were happy. Thus, the children's Khokhloma was no worse than the "adult".

Theme for school essays

Training programs are diverse. Khokhloma - what is it, from the teacher's point of view? In the schools of Moscow and Moscow region, as well as in other Russian cities, the theme of Russian folk arts is included in the educational programs, where the art of Khokhloma painting is on the first place. Its centuries-old history and worldwide fame enable students to express their personal opinion, put it on paper and get an estimate. This can be a whole work on a topic or a short story. Khokhloma as art continues to develop successfully, it is quite worthy of attention of high school students. However, junior classes can also participate in the debate.

Khokhloma in the song genre

Fine art is often combined with other categories of creativity. The art of Khokhloma painting is no exception. The song "Khokhloma" has long gained popularity. It is performed by singers and singers, choir and individual soloists. The melody is beautiful, the poems are also heartfelt, written from the heart. At competitions, the song "Khokhloma" has repeatedly occupied pride of place.