Khokhloma- an old Russian folk craft, born in the 17th century in the district of Nizhny Novgorod.

Andr. Klenin. "Alien Khokhloma"

It is believed that Khokhloma painting originated in the 17th century on the left bank of the Volga, in the villages of Big and Small Bezleli, Mokushino, Shabashi, Glibino, Khryashchi. Currently, the village of Kovernino in the Nizhny Novgorod region is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma. The peasants turned, painted wooden utensils and took them for sale to the large trading village of Khokhloma (Nizhny Novgorod province), where there was a bargain. Hence the name "Khokhloma painting", or simply "Khokhloma".

There is also a legendary explanation for the appearance of Khokhloma painting. There was a wonderful icon painter Andrei Loskut. He fled from the capital, dissatisfied with the church innovations of Patriarch Nikon, and began to paint wooden crafts in the wilderness of the Volga forests, and paint icons according to the old model. Patriarch Nikon found out about this and sent soldiers for the recalcitrant icon painter. Andrei refused to obey, burned himself in a hut, and before his death bequeathed to people to preserve his skill. Sparks went out, Andrey crumbled. Since then, the bright colors of Khokhloma have been burning with a scarlet flame, sparkling with golden nuggets.

Story

It is believed that Khokhloma painting originated in the 17th century on the left bank of the Volga, in the villages of Big and Small Bezleli, Mokushino, Shabashi, Glibino, Khryashchi. Currently, the village of Kovernino in the Nizhny Novgorod region is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma.

The peasants turned, painted wooden utensils and took them for sale to the large trading village of Khokhloma (Nizhny Novgorod province), where there was a bargain. Hence the name "Khokhloma painting", or simply "Khokhloma".

There is also a legendary explanation for the appearance of Khokhloma painting. There was a wonderful icon painter Andrei Loskut. He fled from the capital, dissatisfied with the church innovations of Patriarch Nikon, and began to paint wooden crafts in the wilderness of the Volga forests, and paint icons according to the old model. Patriarch Nikon found out about this and sent soldiers for the recalcitrant icon painter. Andrei refused to obey, burned himself in a hut, and before his death bequeathed to people to preserve his skill. Sparks went out, Andrey crumbled. Since then, the bright colors of Khokhloma have been burning with a scarlet flame, sparkling with golden nuggets.

Khokhloma centers

Currently, Khokhloma painting has two centers - the city of Semyonov, where the Khokhloma Painting and Semenov Painting factories are located, and the village of Semino, Koverninsky District, where the Khokhloma Artist enterprise operates, uniting craftsmen from the villages of the Koverninsky District: Semino, Kuligino, Novopokrovskoye and others (the factory is located in Semino, in other villages - branches).

In Semyonov, the School was founded by G.P. Matveev.

Technology

How are products with Khokhloma painting created? First they beat the buckets, that is, they make rough wood blanks. Then the master stands behind the lathe, removes the excess wood with a cutter and gradually gives the workpiece the desired shape. This is how the basis is obtained - “linen” (unpainted products) - carved ladles and spoons, supplies and cups.

Making "linen"

After drying, the "linen" is primed with liquid purified clay - vapa, as the masters call it. After priming, the product is dried for 7-8 hours and must be manually covered with several layers of drying oil (linseed oil). The master dips a special tampon made of sheep or calf skin turned inside out into a bowl with drying oil, and then quickly rubs it into the surface of the product, turning it so that the drying oil is evenly distributed. This operation is very responsible. The quality of wooden utensils, the strength of the painting will depend on it in the future. During the day, the product will be covered with drying oil 3-4 times. The last layer will be dried to a “slight touch” - when the drying oil slightly sticks to the finger, no longer staining it. The next stage is “tinning”, that is, rubbing aluminum powder into the surface of the product. It is also performed manually with a sheepskin swab. After tinning, the objects acquire a beautiful white-mirror shine, and are ready for painting. Oil paints are used in painting. The main colors that determine the character and recognizability of Khokhloma painting are red and black (cinnabar and soot), but others are also allowed to revive the pattern - brown, light-colored greens, yellow tone. Painting brushes are made from squirrel tails so that they can draw a very thin line.

Tinning and artistic painting

There is a distinction between “horse” painting (when the background is first painted over, and a silver pattern remains on top) and “under the background” (the contour of the ornament is first outlined, and then the background is filled with black paint). In addition, there are various types of ornaments:
"gingerbread" - usually inside a cup or dish, a geometric figure - a square or a rhombus - decorated with grass, berries, flowers;
"grass" - a pattern of large and small blades of grass;
"kudrin" - leaves and flowers in the form of golden curls on a red or black background;

Masters and simplified ornaments are used. For example, “speck”, which is applied with a stamp cut from the plates of a raincoat mushroom, or with a piece of cloth folded in a special way. All products are painted by hand, and the painting is not repeated anywhere. No matter how expressive the painting is, as long as the pattern or background remains silvery, this is not yet a real “Khokhloma”.

Khokhloma painting

Painted products are coated 4-5 times with a special varnish (with intermediate drying after each layer) and, finally, they are hardened for 3-4 hours in an oven at a temperature of +150 ... +160 ° C until a golden oil-lacquer film is formed. This is how the famous “golden Khokhloma” is obtained.

Wikipedia

Khokhloma painting is an old folk craft, which is about 300 years old. It got its name from the village of the same name in the Kaverninsky district, located in the north of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

“Khokhloma, Khokhloma, our marvelous miracle!”

Known in our time to the whole world, the historical village of Khokhloma, which received its name from a small river flowing here, has been famous since the 17th century for its largest in the Volga region. retail space, stone storehouses and utensils and utensils lacquered in a special way, the sales center of which was. The goods brought here from the surrounding villages, known for their unique production, were dispersed far beyond the borders of this area. A specific pattern inherent only in this place, applied to products in a special way, began to be called Khokhloma painting, or simply Khokhloma. The name has become part of sayings and proverbs. The primordially Russian craft complements the list of crafts that make the culture of Russia rich, inimitable and unique, becoming one with Palekh, Gzhel, Zhostovo and Gorodets murals, bobbin lace.

Mastery of the Old Believers

Khokhloma painting has its own history of origin, its own myths and legends. This craft is closely associated with the Old Believers. According to some versions, the "leakers" - people who fled from Nikon's reforms and the terror that followed the innovations, settled in wild, deserted forest places in the vicinity of Nizhny Novgorod. According to one of the legends, a mysterious old man came to the Kerzhen forests and founded the first skete there. With them, the fugitives brought not only the old faith, but also their skills and abilities. The skill of designing books and painting icons, techniques inherent only to the Old Believers (for example, “the skill of a thin brush”) intertwined with the traditions of local Trans-Volga masters. Many believe that the secret of making golden dishes was brought to these parts by the “leakers” in the 17th century. However, there is an opinion that Khokhloma painting was also known in an earlier period, and that the merit in its appearance belongs exclusively to local crockery craftsmen.

Khokhloma legends

Who exactly invented the ability to produce "golden dishes" without the use of precious metal has not been established. According to one of the legends, it was the fugitive icon painter Andrey Loskut. In order not to fall into the hands of the soldiers personally sent for him by Nikon, the craftsman burned himself, having previously transferred his skills to the locals. The bright colors that Khokhloma painting is famous for are the memory of the ascetic, the soul of the craftsman peeps through them. According to another legend, the tsar himself wished to have in his service a craftsman from the Volga forests who could make fabulous dishes, and he also sent soldiers. But this myth is kinder - the magician disappeared, but, like Andrei Loskut, he passed on his skills to the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. And what are these villages that entered the history of folk crafts in Russia? The most famous of them are Big and Small Baubles, Khryashchi and Glibino, Mokushino and Sabbats. Each of them produced products common name which - Khokhloma. Painting in each village had its own distinctive features, their "things". Now the village of Kovernino is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma.

"Khokhloma Bush"

This amazing art is very peculiar. The painting gives the light wooden utensils the appearance of heavy gold items. The utensil itself, despite the fact that it is made of wood, is heat-resistant and very hardy in operation.

External beauty, endurance made her very popular. The nearby Trinity-Sergius Monastery bought items in bulk. According to documentary evidence, in addition to the villages of Khokhloma and Skorobogatovo, about 80 settlements located along the banks of the Uzol and Kerzhenets rivers worked for him. It was easier for a wholesale buyer to trade in goods further. This was facilitated by the proximity of the Volga - the largest trade route of that time.

Specific production technology

Khokhloma - painting on wood, which has a very interesting technique manufacturing. Products of the desired configuration were cut out of undried churaks or buckets. They were called “linen”, which was then dried, and only then primed with liquid clay. The masters called her vapa. Of course, each village had its own tricks - someone added chalk to the clay, someone added flour glue. Their techniques existed at each stage of production. The product that passed the primer was covered with several layers of linseed oil with intermediate drying. During the day, the products were covered with drying oil 3-4 times, which was applied only manually with special swabs made from animal skin, most often calf. It was from this stage that the strength of the painting depended in the future. After the last light drying (up to the stage of "small tack"), the tinning process began. The applied swab and rubbed aluminum powder was firmly fixed on the sticky surface.

"Khokhloma painting - painting of scarlet berries"

The next stage is actually “painting under Khokhloma”, which is made only with oil paints. Cinnabar and soot (red and black) are the hallmarks of this painting.

Allowed, of course, in small quantities, solely to enliven the pattern, and colors such as brown, yellow, orange, light green. A prerequisite is painting with squirrel brushes, providing maximum fineness of lines. Painted products are necessarily covered with a special varnish in 4-5 layers and only then are fired for 4-5 hours at a temperature of 150-180 degrees. It is this final firing, which gives the lacquer a honey hue and the underlying aluminum powder the color and luster of gold, that is the highlight of the process. It should be noted that the wood for painting was taken from local varieties - linden, birch, ash.

Characteristic ornaments

There are two types of writing inherent only in this painting - riding and background. Each of them has its own ornaments. These types differ primarily in the fact that when writing on horseback, black, red and other drawings are obtained at the end applied to a gold background. And with the "background" on the contrary - the gold ornament is applied to a black or red background. Drawings characteristic of horseback writing are “grass painting”, “under the leaf”, “under the grass” and “under the gingerbread”. It also happens “under the berry”. And with a background letter, two types of ornament are used - “under the background” and “curly”

Each ornament has its own specifics, history and tricks of application, which together make the painting known as Khokhloma recognizable and characteristic. Painting for children is inherent in any craft. Clay products have separate directions, known as "children's toys", for example, Dymkovo or Kargopol. There was no such separate direction in Khokhloma painting. But, of course, craftsmen in every village painted toys for their children. And children's dishes, and, obviously, there were larger forms, like a high chair or a cradle, and if you believe the verses, both beds and tables were painted “under Khokhloma”. Of course, modern production uses all the achievements of science and technology, which helps to reach new heights in this industry.

Original art of Russia

As already noted, the art of the Trans-Volga masters is included in the most popular trio of folk crafts in the “painting” direction - Gzhel, Khokhloma, Palekh. But, Gzhel - production and painting ceramic products. "Gzhel Bush" - a district that unites 27 villages located 60 km from Moscow, whose inhabitants have long been engaged in this craft. Palekh lacquer miniature also got its name from a settlement located in the heart of Russia. The fate of these crafts is similar - this is how Russian talents manifested themselves. But if painting on ceramics is Gzhel, then painting on wood is Khokhloma and Palekh.

Khokhloma is an old Russian folk craft that was born in the 17th century in the district of Nizhny Novgorod. It is one of the most famous types of Russian folk painting. Khokhloma is a decorative painting of wooden utensils and furniture, made in black and red (and also, occasionally, green) on a golden background. When painting a tree, not gold, but silver tin powder is applied to the tree. After that, the product is covered with a special composition and processed three or four times in an oven, which achieves a unique honey-gold color, giving a massive effect to light wooden utensils. Traditional Khokhloma ornaments are red juicy berries of mountain ash and strawberries, flowers and branches. Often there are birds, fish and other animals. Initially, the word Khokhloma meant the name of one of the trading villages, to which craftsmen from the surrounding area brought their products. Khokhloma products organically live in modern life and are favorite Russian souvenirs. They enjoy great success at domestic and foreign exhibitions, where they are deservedly awarded with high awards.Chapter 1. Khokhloma as a native Russian artThe art of Khokhloma was formed as a precious fusion of the artistic traditions of folk crafts and ornamental painting of Ancient Russia. Its origins date back to the period of the 17th - 18th centuries, when settlers rushed to the forests of the Trans-Volga region, hiding from political and religious persecutions and taking part in the local craft of wooden turning utensils. Among them were experienced painters. From ancient crafts, Khokhloma inherited the classical forms of wooden turning products and clear rhythms of ornament. The pictorial mastery of Ancient Russia enriched her with drawings of plant motifs and techniques for their free execution with a brush. It also contributed to the formation of the original technique of "gold coloring" of products, which distinguished Khokhloma from other crafts. The basic principles of the Khokhloma technique of "gilding" wood are preserved to this day. The semi-finished product of wooden products is primed, and a thin layer of metallic aluminum powder is applied to it, on the shiny silvery surface of which a painting is made. When the paints are dried, the products are varnished and subjected to "hardening" in the oven, during which the varnish film darkens, acquiring a yellowish-brown hue, and the silvery surface of the product, translucent under its layer, becomes similar to gold. Different types of Khokhloma ornament - riding "grass" writing, painting "under the background", "Kudrina" - go back in their origins to the art of Ancient Russia. The "grass" ornament is characterized by a combination of a pattern made in red and black with a golden surface of the background. His motifs are executed with light elongated strokes, the rhythmic arrangement of which makes them look like leaves and grass stalks. A variety of riding "grass" painting is painting "under the leaf" with green, yellow or brown rounded leaves and red circles of berries. Painting "under the background" is characterized by a combination of golden silhouettes of the ornament with a painted background surface. When it is executed, the contour outlines of the drawing are first applied, and then the background surrounding them is painted over. Finishing the painting, the master “enlivens” the silhouette forms of leaves, flowers and fruits with strokes, enriches them with color cutting and makes light herbal “additions” around the stems on the background surface. It is also characterized by golden silhouettes surrounded by a colored background. Performing "Kudrina", the craftsmen apply a peculiar pattern on the surface of the products, in which the pattern of leaves, flowers and fruits is made up of rounded "curly" curls. The Khokhloma master never exactly repeats the pattern. His work is based on the constant improvisation of new variants of the ornament. In the work of the Khokhloma Artist team, adherence to traditions is combined with bold innovation. Each of the masters is characterized by an individual perception of the ornament and the originality of the handwriting. The assortment of the factory includes a variety of products that have received practical use in modern everyday life: sets for a festive table, a tourist’s breakfast, painted spoons, boxes for needlework accessories and women’s jewelry, powder boxes, glasses for brushes and pencils, vases, wall decorative plates and panels, painted furniture. The main artist of the factory is the laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR named after I. E. Repin, Honored Artist of the RSFSR Olga Pavlovna Lushina. Our gallery includes the most interesting of her works in the field of "grass" ornament, painting "under the background" and "Kudrin".

Khokhloma painting

(Khokhloma)

Khokhloma painting originated in the 17th century in the depths of the once impenetrable forests of the Trans-Volga region, along the banks of the Uzola River, which flows into the Volga near the ancient Gorodets, in the villages of Khokhloma (hence the name of the painting), Big and Small Bezdel, Mokushino, Shabashi, Glibino and Khryashchi. There was a large fair in Khokhloma, where craftsmen from the surrounding villages and villages have long brought their products for sale and from where they dispersed not only throughout Russia, but also beyond its borders.

The technique of painting wood in gold without the use of gold was known to Russian icon painters as early as the 12th century. She penetrated into the Trans-Volga region with icon painters - "schismatics" who sought refuge in the forests of the Trans-Volga region, and their associates - craftsmen who owned turning and knew the drawings of the most ancient ornament. Thus, the art of Khokhloma was formed as a precious fusion of traditions developed in folk crafts and brought by masters of ancient painting.

From folk crafts, Khokhloma inherited the classical forms of wooden turning utensils and compositions of geometric ornament, clear in rhythm, based on a subtle understanding of the plasticity of things. Icon painters brought to Khokhloma the skill of the “thin brush” - calligraphic skills of free writing and drawing of the richest floral ornament, characteristic of decorative painting of the 17th-18th centuries. In the ornament of this time, one can see those types of plant patterns that later received a new life in the art of painting Khokhloma wooden utensils.

On the basis of the Russian floral ornament of the 17th-18th centuries, the varieties of painting characteristic of Khokhloma were formed, which have survived to this day.

Probably, in the same period, the masters of Khokhloma used for the first time in the Volga region when painting wooden utensils, techniques that made it possible to obtain a golden sheen without gold.

Currently, the village of Kovernino in the Nizhny Novgorod region is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma, where from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th they traded painted wooden utensils made in villages and villages. Khokhloma painting is characterized by gold, black, red, green, sometimes brown and orange colors.

The secret of the “gold” of Khokhloma is the use of an aluminum (silver or tin) coating. It is this metallized layer, combined with a varnish coating and heated to a high temperature, that subsequently gives a golden effect.

The production of Khokhloma utensils was held back for a long time by the high cost of imported tin. Only a very wealthy customer could provide the craftsmen with tin. In the Trans-Volga region, monasteries turned out to be such customers. So, the villages of Khokhloma, Skorobogatovo and about 80 villages along the rivers Uzola and Kerzhents worked for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

From the documents of the monastery it is clear that the peasants of these villages were called to work in the workshops of the Lavra, where they could get acquainted with the production of festive bowls and ladles. It is no coincidence that it was Khokhloma and Skorobogatov villages and villages that became the birthplace of the original painting of dishes, so similar to precious ones.

The abundance of forests, the proximity of the Volga - the main trade artery of the Trans-Volga region - also contributed to the development of fishing: loaded with "wood chips" goods. The ships were heading to Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod, Makariev, famous for their fairs, and from there - to the Saratov and Astrakhan provinces. Through the Caspian steppes, Khokhloma dishes were delivered to Central Asia, Persia, and India.

The British, Germans, French willingly bought up the Trans-Volga products in Arkhangelsk, where they were delivered along the Kholmogory tract. The peasants turned, painted wooden utensils and took them for sale to the large trading village of Khokhloma (Nizhny Novgorod province), where there was a bargain. Hence the name "Khokhloma painting", Or simply "Khokhloma".

Manufacturing technology "Khokhloma"

Technological process creation of Khokhloma products and currently retains the basic principles found back in the 17th-18th centuries. Basically, this process is as follows.

1. First from dried wood grind on on lathe white wooden promise ( "linen").

2. After drying the "linen" primed liquid purified clay - "vape" as the masters call it. After priming, the product is dried for 7-8 hours and must be manually covered with several layers of drying oil (linseed oil). The master dipped a special tampon made of sheep or calf skin turned inside out into a bowl with drying oil, and then quickly rubbed it into the surface of the product, turning it so that the drying oil was evenly distributed.

This operation is very responsible. The quality of wooden utensils, the strength of the painting will depend on it in the future. During the day, the product will be covered with drying oil 3-4 times. The last layer will be dried to a “slight touch” - when the drying oil slightly sticks to the finger, no longer staining it.

3. Next step - tinning, that is, rubbing silver or tin into the surface of the product (currently aluminum powder is used). It was also performed manually with a sheepskin swab. After tinning, the objects acquire a beautiful white-mirror shine, and are ready for painting.

4. After murals the product was again rubbed with drying oil, varnished twice and placed for several hours in a hardening furnace, where the temperature reached 150 °C. In order for the paints not to lose color, they must be heat-resistant. Thanks to the durable lacquer coating, Khokhloma is not afraid of either heat, or cold, or water, so various dishes, including hot ones, can be served in Khokhloma dishes.

Painting under Khokhloma

The main colors that determine the character and recognizability of Khokhloma painting are red and black (cinnabar and soot), but others are also allowed to revive the pattern - brown, light-colored greens, yellow tone. Painting brushes were made from squirrel tails so that they could draw a very thin line.

Painting is used in Khokhloma "horse"(when the pattern is applied with red or black paint on the golden surface of the background) and "background"(on the contrary, the golden background is painted over in red or black, and the patterns themselves remain golden. It is carried out in two stages: first, the contours of the pattern are drawn, then the background is covered, leaving the pattern itself golden, to match the background color. This method is also called "writing under the background" ).

In addition, there are various types of ornaments:

• "gingerbread"- usually inside a cup or dish is a geometric figure - a square or a rhombus - decorated with grass, berries, flowers;
• "grass"- a pattern of large and small blades of grass;
• "curly"- leaves and flowers in the form of golden curls on a red or black background;

Masters and simplified ornaments are used. For example, "speck"(pattern "berries"), which is applied with a stamp cut from the plates of a puffball mushroom, or with a piece of fabric folded in a special way. All products are painted by hand, and the painting is not repeated anywhere.

No matter how expressive the painting is, as long as the pattern or background remains silvery, this is not yet a real “Khokhloma”.

Khokhloma products

Khokhloma products attract not only the beauty of the ornament. They are valued for their durable lacquer coating, thanks to which they are used in everyday life. In a Khokhloma dish, you can serve okroshka to the table, pour hot tea into a cup - and nothing will be done with a wooden product: varnish will not crack, paint will not fade. It is no coincidence that at all times the existence of the Volga craft craftsmen, who own the "tricks" of making this "magic dishes".

The range of Khokhloma products has been formed for a long time. It is based on carved spoon products and turning utensils: cups, bowls, coasters, bowls, salt shakers, spoons. In recent decades, new forms of household items have been created: sets of dishes for compote, fish soup, salad, berries, pancakes and honey, kitchen sets - coasters with shelves, as well as large decorative items for home decoration - decorative dishes, panels. In the decoration of Khokhloma products, folk craftsmen use several options. All of them are different temperature conditions, the duration of drying and hardening, the subtleties of performing techniques. On the example of one of the types of finishes, the operations through which each item goes through are visible.

The process of making Khokhloma

make Khokhloma local wood products hardwood- linden, aspen, birch. From dried wood - small-sized "stools", sawn into thick blocks of "ridges", blanks and "churaks" are hewn out. In the turning shop, a massive workpiece turns into a conceived product, the “churak” seems to melt under the master’s cutter, everything superfluous flies off with a light white ribbon of shavings. The turned product is dried again and only then it gets to the finishers, who prepare it for painting. Sometimes one product passes through the hands of a master finisher up to three dozen times.

Semifinished dried at a temperature of 22-28 ° C for 3-20 days, depending on the size of the product. When the moisture content of the wood reaches 6-8 percent, drying is completed. If the humidity is higher, the product may turn out to be of poor quality: with bubbles - breaks in the varnish surface.

Dried products putty. They do it either in the old fashioned way with a vape, or with special putties. Wap- fine-grained elutriated clay, diluted to the density of very muddy water. 25-50 percent of chalk is added to the solution. It is easier to apply putty from liquid flour paste. A piece of woolen cloth is dipped into the prepared solution and the product is coated with it. After drying, the operation is repeated again. Final drying lasts 6-8 hours.

primed product with linseed oil, which is applied with a linen cloth. After that, he is allowed to rest for 40-50 minutes and only then wiped with a flap, removing excess oil. After priming, the product is placed in an oven for 4-6 hours, where the temperature is maintained at 40-50 °C. For drying products using Khokhloma technology, a cabinet is needed in which the temperature can be adjusted within the range of 30-120 ° C. The dried blanks are cooled to room temperature and lightly polished.

The next responsible process is linseed product coating. To do this, take natural drying oil, cooked from linseed or hemp oil. It is evenly smeared on the hands and the product is lightly rubbed with them as if they were washing it. After drying for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 22-25 ° C, when the drying oil no longer sticks to the hands, but the film is not completely dry, the product is dried a second time, applying a thicker layer. If the wood absorbs a lot of drying oil, such as aspen, then the whole process is repeated again, if not enough, it is enough to oil the product twice. As soon as the surface of the product acquires an even sheen, it can be tinned, that is, coated with aluminum powder.

For application noon used with model devices - dolls, which are a tampon, to the working part of which a piece of natural fur (preferably sheepskin) with a short-cut pile is sewn. After half-drying, the product acquires an even metallic sheen. In this form, it goes to the painting.

Khokhloma painting

For paints used for murals Khokhloma products are subject to increased requirements, since many of them can burn out from high temperatures during drying and hardening. Masters take heat-resistant mineral paints - ocher, minium, as well as cinnabar and carmine, soot, chrome greens. Dilute them with purified turpentine.

Mostly women work in the dye shops. The artists sit at low tables, on low stools. With such a landing, the knee is a support for the object being painted. Khokhloma craftswomen are characterized by working on weight: a small turning thing, leaning on the knee, is held with the left hand, and with the right hand, an ornament is applied to its rounded surface.

This way of holding the painted object makes it easy to turn it in any direction with any inclination. Brushes, paints, a palette and things in work are conveniently placed on the table. To apply a simple ornament, stamps are used, which are cut out of hat felt, a raincoat mushroom and other materials that hold paint well and allow you to print a pattern on a product. When performing the motifs "berry", "flower" often use round pokes from rolled nylon fabric.

Khokhloma masters master a special technique of holding a brush, in which not only fingers, but the whole hand are involved in the process of writing, thanks to which it is possible to draw long plastic strokes and series of strokes on spherical or cylindrical surfaces in one continuous, inseparable movement.

The brush, placed on the phalanges of the index and middle fingers, is pressed against them with the pad of the thumb, which allows you to slightly rotate it while writing. When painting, they sometimes lightly lean on the little finger, touching it to the product. A thin brush with a hairy tip is placed almost vertically to the surface of the object. It is usually led to itself, slightly rotating in the direction where the smear is bent.

Khokhloma painting two types of writing are characteristic and classes of ornament closely related to them - "horse" and "background".

"Horse" painting applied with plastic strokes on a metallized surface, forming a free openwork pattern. A classic example of horse writing is "grass", or "grass painting" with red and black bushes, stems, creating a kind of graphic pattern on a gold background.

Another kind of riding letter - "under the sheet". Larger plant forms are widely used in it - rounded leaves, berries, located symmetrically at the stem.

For "background" painting characteristic is the use of a background - black or color, while the drawing itself remains golden. Before the background is filled, the contours of motifs are preliminarily applied to the surface to be painted. The forms of large motifs are modeled by hatching. Often, a small herbal pattern is written on a painted background - a "postscript". A more complex type of background writing is the curl, so named for the profusion of round curls that create fabulous shapes of plants, flowers, and birds.

Khokhloma decoration

After painting, the product goes to the final finishing, during which it is rubbed with drying oil, varnished twice and put into a hardening oven for several hours, where the temperature reaches 150 ° C.

Modern Khokhloma

Currently, Khokhloma painting has become widespread. Two of its major centers are widely known - the Seminsky factory of art products "Khokhloma Artist" and the Semenovsky Order "Badge of Honor" Production Association"Khokhloma painting", located in the Gorky region.

The Semin masters, who continue the traditions of the indigenous Khokhloma, subtly feel the beauty of meadow herbs and wild berries. They paint predominantly traditional, ancient-shaped dishes. Semyonov masters, city dwellers, often use rich forms of garden flowers in painting, preferring the technique of painting "under the background". They love precise contour drawing and make extensive use of a variety of shading to model motifs. But along with the main centers of Khokhloma painting, many new industries have emerged that produce products "under gold".

The products are of great variety. The simple forms of wooden utensils - bowls, cups and barrels, supplies and kandeks - date back to traditional Russian utensils. Beautiful in proportion, strong and stable, they create an atmosphere of comfort and conviviality in the house. Rural craftsmen are not inclined to search for innovative, spectacular solutions, preferring a set of familiar items, the optimal sizes and proportions of which have become classic. Such tableware, selected by a century-old tradition of turning craft and already possessing high artistic merit, is painted by craftswomen with floral patterns.

The painters are excellent at all types of Khokhloma painting, they know and love the golden patterns of the kudrina, ancient grass writing with sprawling black and scarlet stems applied with calligraphically precise strokes. However, in their work, the masters prefer painting with a black-lacquer background and more often paint images of garden and meadow flowers, fruits and leaves that are familiar and so close to the villager. The artists combine in one work the beauty of the spring flowering of nature and its autumn generosity, in poetic images embodying the farmer's dream of a rich harvest, thanks to which the objects they paint become a kind of symbol of the wish for well-being. The black background, so beloved by craftswomen, helps them achieve greater sonority in the color scheme of the painting, and the floral pattern stands out more clearly on it.

In their work, they widely use a special modeling technique - they apply a colored contour of a soft shade to the depicted plants, which envelops the motifs with radiance, giving them fabulousness. Such a mysteriously shimmering ornament covers not only gift items, but unique works that craftsmen prepare for major folk festivals. artistic craft, - vases, brothers, ladles, but also mass production of the collective farm industry.

The surface of the ladle-duck with mounted ladles, painted by the leading master of the collective farm industry Antonina Vasilievna Razborova, is covered outside and inside with a pattern of branches of a forest wild grouse tree with small ruddy apples and golden stars of inflorescences. Similar five-petalled flowers, different in size, are written next to strawberries and apples, raspberries, hops and gooseberries, and bunches of mountain ash. But they are so organically included in the ornament that there is no doubt about the legitimacy of such combinations.