MUSEUM OF PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP

SET WITH KHOKHLOMSKAYA PAINTING

SET WITH KHOKHLOMSKAYA PAINTING

Zolotaya Khokhloma is one of the oldest original Russian folk crafts , which for centuries has been shaping the way of life and lifestyle of entire generations and is an integral part of Russian culture. The peculiarity of the Khokhloma craft is the manufacture of gilded wooden dishes without the use of precious metal and a kind of herbal and herbal painting. The fiery firebird decorated with bright flowers became the symbol of the Khokhloma painting. The city of Semyonov, located 80 kilometers from Nizhny Novgorod, is rightfully considered the capital of the golden Khokhloma.

The history of the golden khokhloma

Khokhloma fishing has more than three centuries. It originated in the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region and went from icon painting. This was the time of the extensive settlement of the Nizhny Novgorod lands by various people, among whom were the "Old Believers" - opponents of the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon. They knew the secret of gilding icons using silver metal and linseed oil - drying oil. Wooden icons were covered with a layer of powdered silver, after which they were oil-dried and then put into the oven. After hardening, the icon acquired a new golden color. Subsequently, with the advent of cheaper tin, this method was switched to dishes. So, starting from the 17th century, painted wooden dishes from the Volga region masters were famous throughout Russia. "Ceremonial" dishes were made according to special orders in small batches from different types of wood, different shapes and artistic finishes and were intended for donation to eminent guests and foreign ambassadors.

On the territory of the enterprise there is a monument to the legendary Semyon-lozhkar. Nizhny Novgorod dishes were sold at the great marketplace - the Makaryevskaya fair, later the Nizhny Novgorod fair, in Moscow and other parts of Russia. Since the 60s of the XIX century, Khokhloma dishes and furniture have been constantly exhibited at domestic and foreign exhibitions. After the world exhibition in 1889 in Paris, the export of Khokhloma products increased sharply. Skilfully carved and painted dishes appeared in the markets of Western Europe, Central Asia, Persia, and India.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian Khokhloma products penetrated the remote cities of America, Australia and even Africa. The assortment was very diverse. They made various utensils: spoons, dishes, plates, barrels, supplies and salt shakers, mugs, glasses, caskets, walking sticks, snuff boxes and even Russian-style furniture - tables with baluster legs, cupboards. Buyers have always appreciated the lightness and strength of Khokhloma products, the beauty of painting.

In the 19th century, her motives were quite simple: the cups were decorated with belts of geometric figures, but by the end of the century the painting became more complicated. On large items to order, they created ornaments of curls with golden flowers and leaves of rounded shapes, products for sale in the city were painted with patterns in the spirit of chintz shawls, old heels or ornaments of handwritten books. The most common and beloved was the herbal writing. Already in the 30s of the XX century, based on the best traditions of painting, a new Khokhloma ornament was created. Modern painting has been enriched with NEW motives, it has become thinner and more complex in color and compositional solution, and the technique of execution has also become more complicated.

Over the centuries-old history of the Khokhloma craft, the craft has undergone many ups and downs, which was reflected in the fate of its craftsmen. The high cost of forests, the competition of metal and earthenware dishes, dependence on buyers - all this did not contribute to the growth of the well-being of the spoons and artists themselves. The situation changed when in 1916, with the support of the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo, the School of Artistic Woodworking was opened in Semyonov. It was headed by the talented artist G.P. Matveev. On the basis of this school, a cooperative artel "Craftsman-artist" was organized, which later grew into a large production association "Khokhloma painting". Grateful descendants remember Matveyev's merits, a monument was erected to him on the territory of the enterprise and preserved the traditions of mentoring laid by Matveyev. "Khokhloma painting" is patronized by the Semyonov Art Lyceum No. 30, where future masters of painting and woodworking are trained.

At present, the largest enterprise of folk arts and crafts in Russia "Khokhloma painting" continues the centuries-old tradition of producing items with Khokhloma painting. The assortment includes more than 1000 items of products for utilitarian and decorative and souvenir purposes. These are multi-piece sets for fish soup, dessert, including: service sets, carved ladles, brotins (ladles for wine), candlesticks, vases, supplies, barrels, shtoffs, panels, music boxes. All manufactured products have certificates of conformity and hygiene certificates, which means that you can drink and eat from Khokhloma dishes without fear of health. Products with heraldry, emblems, portraits are made to order.

Production technology

Wood of various species is used in the production, mainly linden. The wood is first kept in the open air for at least a year. Then it is sawn into ridges, blanks are made, from which cups, supplies, barrels, vases, matryoshka are cut out, spoons and ladles are cut out. In the craft industry, unpainted dishes are called "white" or "linen". First of all, it must be dried so that the product does not crack. Therefore, in the pre-processing rooms, the temperature is constantly maintained at about 30 degrees, and in the drying chambers, where white turned products are dried on wide shelves - "grate" - up to 100 degrees. Then, the unpainted cups are covered with a special reddish-brown oily soil, which makes them all look like earthenware. After priming, the products are dried in an electric oven at a temperature of 120-130 degrees for 2-3 hours. Further - they grind, putty, varnish. The last preparatory operation is tinning. It is performed in the same way as all previous operations, manually. Until the top layer of drying oil is completely dry and the soil has not lost its viscosity, the products are rubbed with aluminum powder. Tinned cups become dull shiny, resembling silver ones, and in this form are sent to the painting shops.

Painted items are varnished two or three times with intermediate hardening at a temperature of 120-130 degrees. To get the desired effect from hardening, it is necessary to accurately calculate its time, which depends on the type of wood and on the dimensions of the product. Thus, silver turns into "gold", and painted wooden bowls and vases look like precious gilded dishes, distinguished by their special beauty and originality.

Features of the

In modern Khokhloma painting, the style and color of the traditional ornament, "riding" and "background", are preserved, but the color range is expanded. In addition to black, red and gold - the traditional tricolor, which came from icon painting, green and yellow, orange and brown colors are used. Artists have the opportunity to experiment. This is how new trends appear in Khokhloma art. This is a miniature Khokhloma painting, a Khokhloma panel with paintings, icons. Relatively recently, in 2004, the Khokhloma painting enterprise began to produce conceptually new products - panels with paintings. These are works of authorship that combine two types of art: painting and decorative and applied art - Khokhloma painting. In 1992, a workshop for the production of Semyonovskaya nesting dolls was opened.

The enterprise produces not only decorative items and dishes, but also furniture with Khokhloma painting. Children's tables, chairs and benches, interior tables, serving and magazine tables. Children's furniture meets the requirements of GOST and is indispensable for the arrangement of groups of kindergartens and children's living rooms. Carpentry furniture is also made: various types of soft and hard chairs for home, office or cafe, as well as dining groups, tables and beds.