Khokhloma painting on wood. Khokhloma: how it's done. The most Russian painting from Semenov, Nizhny Novgorod region

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 alloy of traditions that 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.

At present, the homeland of Khokhloma is the village of Kovernino in the Nizhny Novgorod region, 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.

Production of Khokhloma dishes for a long time restrained 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, 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"

The technological process of creating Khokhloma products still retains the basic principles found back in the 17th-18th centuries. Basically, this process is as follows.

1. First from dried wood grind on a lathe on a 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 differ in 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 products made from wood of local hardwoods - 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 a 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 is dipped into the prepared solution wool fabric and coat the product 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 method of holding a brush, in which not only fingers, but the whole hand participate 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 a pad 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. There are two widely known major centers- Seminsk factory of art products "Khokhloma artist" and Semenovskoe 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 - go 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 dishes, selected by the century-old tradition of turning craft and already possessing high artistic merit, are 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, unique works that masters prepare for large reviews of folk arts and crafts - vases, brothers, ladles, but also mass production of collective farm craft.

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.

Story

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

An old legend tells: he once lived in the Nizhny Novgorod forests, on the shore quiet river, human. Who he is and where he came from, we do not know. That man carved wooden bowls and spoons and painted them so that it seemed they were made of pure gold. The king found out about this and got angry: “Why don’t I have such a master in my palace?! To me it! Immediately!" He tapped his staff, stamped his foot and sent soldiers to bring the craftsman to the palace. The soldiers went to fulfill the royal order, but no matter how much they searched, they could not find the miracle of the master. He left no one knows where, but first he taught the local peasants how to make gold dishes. In each hut, cups and spoons sparkled with gold.

Technology "golden Khokhloma"

First they beat the buckets, that is, they make rough wood blanks. Then he removes the excess wood with a cutter and gradually gives the workpiece the desired shape. This is how the base is obtained - “linen” (unpainted products) - carved ladles and spoons, supplies and cups.

The dishes are sharpened from raw wood, therefore, they are first dried. Then the products are primed, coated with clay (vapa). After priming, the product is dried for 7-8 hours and must be manually covered with several layers of drying oil (linseed oil). During the day, the product is covered with drying oil 3-4 times. The next stage is “tinning”, that is, rubbing aluminum powder into the surface of the product. 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 allowed to revive the pattern - brown, light green, yellow, white. Painted products are covered with a special varnish 4-5 times and finally 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.

Types of painting

The Khokhloma craft reached its peak in the 18th century. At this time, two types of letters are formed: riding and background.

horse painting was carried out with plastic strokes on the tinned surface of the dishes, creating a magnificent openwork pattern. At "riding" In writing, the master applies a drawing with black or red paint to the background of the product. Three types of ornament can be distinguished here: "herbal" painting, painting "under the sheet" or "under the berry", painting "gingerbread".

For "background" the painting was characterized by the use of a black or red background, while the drawing itself remained golden. AT "background" In writing, two types of ornament are distinguished: - painting "under the background" and painting "curly".

Gallery

Known to every Russian, the bright “golden” painting on wooden utensils invariably attracts attention. It is difficult to imagine traditional Russian culture without such bright elements of national decor. Products decorated with intricate patterns are also popular abroad. it business card of our national Russian craft.

The history of Khokhloma painting, as well as its distribution and significance in modern life countries are described in our article.

Types of paintings

It is not for nothing that folk crafts are called so, because they were invented by ordinary people. Almost every corner of Russia is famous for its special features and unique style in the work of craftsmen.

The history of the emergence and development of Khokhloma painting is very interesting. However, there are other types as well. We present the most striking, recognizable art crafts practiced in Russia:

• Gzhel. Perhaps the most recognizable element of decor in the world. Blue, airy, subtle patterns on a white background came to us from the 14th century. This type of folk art has been an integral part of Russian culture for hundreds of years.
• Zhostovskaya. This is perhaps the most beautiful painting on metal household items. It is hard to imagine a Russian merchant's house without a colorful tray or a samovar. On a black background, whole works of art appear before our eyes - bright flowers and fabulous firebirds. It seems that they are ready to fly off the painted twigs.
• Khokhloma painting. Also a very recognizable Russian craft. Bright golden leaves, rowan clusters, ripe red berries of strawberries, mountain ash, gooseberries on wooden utensils are liked by people not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.

• Gorodets painting from the town of Gorodets is recognizable thanks to its positive figures depicting ordinary Russian people. Toys and colorful little men in smart sundresses and shirts always cheer up. This is a special genre of Russian applied arts.
• The Fedoskino lacquer miniature is a cheerful reflection of Russian life. The painting on caskets and snuffboxes brings us back to the world of revelry, bazaars and holidays. Troikas of horses race beautifully dressed men and women straight to the center of the festivities.

Khokhloma painting

Its two essential elements are wood and "gold". Today, such dishes are, first of all, decorative elements. Surprisingly beautiful furniture, caskets, panels and paintings also harmoniously fit into the modern interiors of our apartments.

The history of Khokhloma painting has more than one hundred years. However, even now this type of folk art does not lose its relevance. How did such amazing art appear in Russia?

A brief excursion into history

Previously, peasants used only wooden utensils. Spoons, bowls, jugs and ladles were standard kitchen utensils in any family. How did simple rustic dishes suddenly become a work of art? The history of the emergence of Khokhloma painting has its roots in the distant 17th century. The village of the same name Khokhloma, which existed in the Volga region, became her homeland.

The Volga region is a land rich in forests and picturesque landscapes. It was this unique color that became the subject of inspiration. The former Nizhny Novgorod province has always been famous for its craftsmen.

The history of Khokhloma painting is inextricably linked with other crafts of the Volga region. This region was famous for its woodcarving and the manufacture of various wooden items. He is also famous for icon painters. There is an assumption that the gold color of the dishes was borrowed from these masters from the technology of gilding frames for icons. Then the craftsmen used silver powder, which was used to cover individual details on their creations. When interacting with fire, silver turned into "gold", that is, it changed its color. It was this technology that artists began to use when painting wooden dishes.

The technique of applying Khokhloma painting is quite complicated. Silver powder was subsequently replaced with a more affordable material - tin. The painting was done before and is now done by hand with resistant paints that withstand heat treatment. First, the contours of the future pattern are applied. Then the background is filled with paint, on which the stems of flowers are drawn with a thin brush, bright strokes and dots are put. After applying the pattern with red, black, brown and green paints, the product is varnished and sent to the oven. The work is varnished 5-6 times, each layer is thoroughly dried.

Stages of development

As noted above, there were many craftsmen in the Volga region. Their secrets were passed on from generation to generation, contributing to the emergence of new professionals in their field. The history of Khokhloma painting, originating in the 17th century, began to actively develop. This was facilitated by a large number of craftsmen and the constant interaction of crafts. The favorable location of the region gathered a huge number of people from different cities at the fairs. "Golden" dishes with red berries sold out very quickly, its popularity grew in all regions of the country.

The history of the development of Khokhloma painting was not without a legend. She tells that in the 17th century, the glorious master Andrey Loskut fled from the capital to Khokhloma. He painted icons, but after the introduction of the canons of Patriarch Nikon, he decided to leave the capital city, since he did not like the new order. In the wilderness of the Volga region, he took up painting dishes. Nikon found out about this and sent soldiers to arrest Andrey. The master locked himself in the hut and burned himself, and before his death bequeathed to protect his art.

At first, in Khokhloma and nearby villages, they made dishes not as colorful and bright as we see now. The fact is that silver powder, which became “golden” during processing, was very expensive. As a rule, it was applied only as an edging for products, the so-called belts. Volumetric dishes were given with the help of whitewash. In the 19th century, they learned how to make a golden background from tin powder. This material was quite cheap. Therefore, it began to be used for application to the entire product. All sorts of patterns were drawn on it. Whitewash has been discontinued. At this time, there was a division of labor. In some villages, wood was harvested, in others objects were cut out of it, and in others (mainly in Khokhloma), they were painted, giving the final look to the products.

With the massive development of industry, handmade utensils were replaced by factory goods, which cost much less. Khokhloma painting was revived in the 20s of the last century. At this time, schools were established where they taught woodworking and drawing. Masters of Khokhloma painting have repeatedly taken part in international exhibitions. Thanks to their art, people all over the world have the opinion that talented people live in Russia.

Modernity

Gold on a black background, decorated with scarlet berries and uncomplicated branches, is so fond of the Russian people that today it is as popular as in the past. Some masters draw bright patterns on a red or golden background. The theme of the plots is always devoted to nature. It can be not only plants, but also birds with bright plumage. Clusters are often used in plots ripe berries or ears of corn that speak of wealth native land. Now they make not only such beautiful dishes. At exhibitions, we can even see cars painted with Khokhloma patterns.

Work examples

The history of Khokhloma painting can be briefly considered in household items on display in museums. They give a clear idea of ​​how this folk craft began, how it developed and changed. The rich assortment of dishes always amazes the imagination. Our eyes are painted cups and mugs, plates of different diameters and deep bowls, salt shakers, kegs and jugs.

Currently, Khokhloma painting has become an element of high fashion. This is not only men's and women's clothing, but also all kinds of decorative elements. Bright Khokhloma patterns can be seen on phone cases, women's jewelry and various interior items.

Khokhloma motifs in textiles also occupy not the last place. Masters use modern technologies for applying their favorite pattern to almost any item. Those who wish can purchase curtains, bedspreads and bed linen in the "Khokhloma" style.

Khokhloma painting is actively used in furniture production. Many remember children's tables and chairs, decorated with a familiar pattern. Today, cabinets, tables, chests of drawers and shelving have become elements of the "Russian" interior.

For kids

The history of the emergence of Khokhloma painting for children is very interesting. The simplicity and ornateness of the elements can be very educational for the younger generation. The study of the basics of folk craftsmanship is successfully carried out in circles for children. It is extremely interesting for kids to display bright leaves and berries on a black background.

The painting uses a number of elements that develop not only drawing skills, but also the imagination of little artists. Ornaments change. The result is beautiful pictures. Children not only draw patterns, but also directly paint objects, which is much more interesting for the development of creativity.

The history of Khokhloma painting for children contains explanations of how people used to imagine nature, how it was depicted. Kids are taught to draw grass, droplets, bushes, berries, curls, antennae, circles. From these details they make patterns, painting paper spoons, plates, dishes.

Conclusion

Over the three hundred years of its existence, Khokhloma painting not only has not lost its relevance, but has become much more diverse. The intricate ornaments and designs are unique. This is our history, our hallmark. Beautiful bright dishes with Khokhloma painting are always appropriate in a modern kitchen. It creates a feeling of comfort, fills the atmosphere with warmth and positive.

Khokhloma painting

The painting of wooden utensils appeared in Russia a long time ago - in the 16th century. They released her in large quantities, hundreds, thousands of pieces, since the tree wore out quickly, and utensils are necessary in everyday life. It was sold "at Macarius", in Moscow and in Veliky Ustyug.
Art historians attribute the origin of the Khokhloma craft to the second half of the 17th century. Initially, they were engaged in fishing in the villages of Semino, Novopokrovskoye, Khryashchi, Kuligino, by the end of the 19th century. the list expanded to 150 surrounding villages.
For the first time, the mention of the village of Khokhloma is found in documents of the 16th century. Even under Ivan the Terrible, Khokhloma was known as a forest area called “Khokhlomskaya Ukhozheya” (Ukhozheya is a place cleared from the forest for arable land).
Since ancient times, wooden utensils have been widely used by Russian people: ladles and brackets in the shape of a floating bird, round bratins, dinner bowls, spoons of various shapes and sizes were found in archaeological excavations as early as the 10th-13th centuries. There are samples that date back several millennia.
In ancient times, in the dense Trans-Volga forests near the trading village of Khokhloma, the first settlers hiding from persecution were "leakers", that is, fugitives who took refuge here from persecution for the "old faith", from tsarist arbitrariness, landlord oppression. Among them were icon painters and masters of handwritten miniatures. It was not easy to feed on peasant labor on scarce land, and fugitive people adapted themselves to painting wooden utensils, which were sharpened here by local craftsmen from time immemorial. Previously unknown painting fabulously transformed modest kitchen utensils. But especially beautiful and inimitable were the various sets, bowls and brothers that came out from under the brush of one famous master. It seemed that his painting absorbed the sun's rays - golden, which are at noon, and red - cinnabar at dawn.
It was said among the people that the artist painted his dishes not with a simple one, but with a magic brush woven from the sun's rays. Bright, festive dishes fell in love not only with the inhabitants of the district, the fame of it spread throughout Russia. Seeing Khokhloma dishes, the king immediately guessed who was painting them, and sent guards to the Volga forests. The warned painter managed to escape, but he taught the locals the tricks of the unusual craft and left them paints and a magic brush. Such is the old legend about the origin of the bright and original art of Khokhloma painting, which is often called golden, fiery, or fiery. And this is no coincidence; the art of Khokhloma could not have been born without fire, without hardening products in a Russian oven.

Already in the 18th century, the craft was widely spread among the peasant population and became known far beyond the borders of the country.

Elegantly painted wooden utensils were not inferior in beauty to the royal ones. But it is inconvenient to use unpainted wooden utensils, because wood absorbs liquid, quickly becomes dirty, and cracks from hot food. We noticed that the oiled walls of the vessels are easier to clean, the dishes last longer.
It was then, probably, that the idea arose to cover the dishes with drying oil - boiled linseed oil. Drying oil covered the surface of the object with an impenetrable film. This composition, used by icon painters to protect paintings from moisture, has been known to Russian masters for a long time. Painted utensils using gold were also not durable, and besides, the poor peasant could not afford to buy them.
So the peasants began to think about how to make the dishes so that they were no worse than the boyars, and the peasants could use them. Folk craftsmen solved this problem thanks to the icon painters from the Old Believer environment, who mastered the ancient technique of “gilding” products. It is no coincidence that the basis of the painting was a golden background.
It is known that in ancient times, among the Slavs, and then in Russia, silver, and later gold, was used as a symbol of light. So it was in the works of folk art, in book miniatures, icon painting. Art historians suggest that it is from the technique of writing icons that the marvelous “golden Khokhloma” originates. But then, for the sake of cheapening, the craftsmen began to use silver powder instead of gold.
More than one generation of masters took part in the creation of "Khokhloma gold". Each of them contributed to the improvement of this unique art.

There are almost no genre scenes in the paintings of Khokhloma; the artists directed all their art to the depiction of plant forms, or the so-called grass ornament, associated with the painting traditions of Ancient Russia. Flexible, wavy stems with leaves, berries and flowers run around the walls of the vessel, decorate its inner surface, giving the object a uniquely elegant appearance. On some things, the stems of flowers stretch upwards, on others they curl or run in a circle.
The Khokhloma craft reached its peak in the 18th century. At this time, two types of letters are formed: riding and background.

horse painting was carried out with plastic strokes on the tinned surface of the dishes, creating a magnificent openwork pattern. A classic example of "riding" writing is "grass"

Salt cellar with "horse painting"

For "background" the painting was characterized by the use of a black or red background, while the drawing itself remained golden.

Bowl with "background" painting

But such a color scheme did not appear in Khokhloma painting right away. It has undergone tremendous changes, over the years it has become more concise and solemn. The bleaching agents, which created the impression of a three-dimensional form, disappeared, and the range of colors was limited. If earlier masters used white, blue, blue, pink, green and brown paints, then gradually red, black and gold become the main colors of the ornament.
This limitation was caused not only by the fact that these paints did not burn out in the oven during hardening, but also by the fact that artists preferred the combination of these colors, primarily because of their special decorative qualities.

"Horse painting"

When “riding” writing, the master applies a drawing with black or red paint on a gold or silver background of the product.
Three types of ornament can be distinguished here: "herbal" painting, painting "under the sheet" or "under the berry", painting "gingerbread" or "saffron milk".

"Grass painting" reminiscent of familiar and familiar herbs to everyone since childhood: sedge, white-bearded, meadow grass. This is perhaps the most ancient view painting. It is written in curls, various strokes, small berries or spikelets on a silvery background. "Grass" drawing has always been popular among Khokhloma masters of painting. FROM big love they wrote out this drawing with a brush, then collecting it in dense bushes, then scattering them over the surface of the product.

A set of dishes with "horseback" herbal painting

The methods of painting floral ornaments are so diverse that amazing motifs come out from under the brush of the master. They twist into peculiar elements, the combination of which creates many combinations. From individual blades of grass, artists paint their favorite motif of a rooster or hen, which sits on a tree and pecks berries from it.

The letter, in which, in addition to weed, the masters include leaves, berries and flowers, is called "under the sheet" or "under the berry". These paintings differ from the "grass" in larger strokes, forming the shape of oval leaves, round berries, left by the poke of the brush. Folk craftsmen take their motifs by stylizing plant forms. Therefore, it is not surprising that on the products of Khokhloma masters we see flowers, daisies, bells, grape leaves, strawberries, currants, gooseberries, cranberries.

Painting on the "background" under the "leaf" and "berry"

The basis of the painting under the sheet make up pointed or rounded leaves, connected by three or five, and berries, located in groups around a flexible stem. In the painting of large planes, larger motifs are used - cherries, strawberries, gooseberries, grapes. This painting has great decorative possibilities. In comparison with the "grass" it is multi-colored. For example, if in the "grass" painting they use mainly black and red, then in the painting "under the sheet" or "under the berry" masters write leaves in green, as well as in combination with brown and yellow.
These murals are enriched with a herbal pattern, which is written in such compositions with green, red, brown colors. Another peculiar kind of painting belongs to the riding letter - "gingerbread" or "saffron milk". This is a geometric figure, most often inscribed in a square or rhombus, and in the middle of the rectangle - a "big camelina" - the sun.

Gingerbread painting are more simple and conditional than herbal ones, when you look at them, it seems that the Sun, with rays curled in a circle, is in constant motion.

Dish with "horseback" painting with ornament "gingerbread"

AT "background" In writing, two types of ornament are distinguished: - painting "under the background" and painting "kudrin". painting "under the background", as already noted, begins with drawing a stem line with leaves and flowers, and sometimes with images of birds or fish.

Painting on the "background"

Then the background is painted with paint, most often black. Details of large motifs are drawn on a golden background. On top of the painted background, “herbal additions” are made with the tip of the brush - rhythmic strokes along the main stem, berries and small flowers “stick” with a poke of the brush. “Gold” shines through in this type of writing only in the silhouettes of leaves, in large forms of flowers, in the silhouettes of fabulous birds, which Khokhloma masters love to draw.

supplies. Painting "under the background". 1930s GIM.

Painting "under the background" a much more time-consuming process and not every master will cope with such work. Items with such a painting were usually intended for a gift, and, as a rule, they were made to order and were valued higher. A variety of "background" painting is "curly". It is distinguished by a stylized image of leaves, flowers, curls. The space not occupied by them is painted over with paint, and the golden branches look spectacular against a bright red or black background. Curly hair got its name from golden curly curls, the lines of which form bizarre patterned shapes of leaves, flowers and fruits.

Painting on the "background" - "curly"

painting "curly" looks like a carpet. Its peculiarity is that leading role plays not a brush stroke, but a contour line. A flat spot of gold and a subtle touch of detail. The background in this type of painting is also painted in red or black.

Technology of manufacturing and painting Khokhloma products

The life of a wooden cup, the oldest item in terms of shape, began with a turner. In the presence of a large number of small rivers in the Trans-Volga region, which were easy to dam, the peasants found it more profitable for themselves to build water lathes, like mills. Having chosen a suitable place in the forest, near the water, they set up a small hut, with five or six crowns, and the river was dammed up. The room was illuminated by small portage windows, and to heat the room in winter they put a stove that was heated in a black way, without a pipe.

Outside, near the dam, a huge water-filling wheel was fitted to the wall of the house. Water overflowing through the dam filled the buckets, and the wheel began to rotate, setting in motion metal shafts - machine tools. To save effort and money, such lathes often built two or even four families.
The turnery inside is quite small - 4x4 meters. In addition to the furnace and two lathes, there are shelves for finished products on the walls. The mouth of the stove is turned towards the door so that the smoke comes out faster.
Before starting work, the turner takes a piece of log measuring 70-80 centimeters and, sharpening one end, drives the log into the chuck of the machine shaft. Then he turns the lever, releasing the wheel, and it begins to rotate, setting the machine in motion. Changing the tool all the time, the master begins to process the rotating log. Here in his hand is a "pipe" - a rounded knife on a long handle (it is necessary for emphasis). With this knife, he removes the bark and all the unevenness of the wood from the ridge. Then with a “smoker” with a straight knife, it cleans the entire cylindrical surface of the ridge.
What follows is a very responsible operation. The wood blank must be marked for the number of cups that should be obtained. The turner does this by eye, but by the fact that the parts of the ridge marked in size are accurate to the centimeter, one can see a lot of experience and skill worked out to virtuosity. Lightly, as if playfully, he touches the rotating wooden cylinder. Falls, curling into a curl, thin shavings, and the smell of fresh wood spreads throughout the room.
Having processed the outer surface (rounding the walls and marking the bottom of the cup), the craftsman selects its inner part with hook-knives, smoothes the outer walls, and before our eyes, in a matter of minutes, a finished cup appears from a piece of wood. A cup of such an impeccable shape, with such smooth walls, that you want to stroke it, hold it in your hand, admire the pristine beauty of natural wood. Having finished processing one ridge, the turner inserts another, and work continues.
In a day, an experienced craftsman could carve up to a hundred cups. And in Khokhloma, in the heyday of turning dishes, up to a million pieces of products were brought annually.

The ladle-maker and spoon-maker had the same time-honored skill. When carving a ladle, the master in a piece of wood saw in advance the future image of the product, and under his skillful cutter, natural curves and knots became either a bird with a swan's neck, or a horse's head proudly arched, or suddenly twisted in a loop, resembling an unknown creature, ready to either swim away, or take off.
Taking a piece of wood of a certain size - a baklusha, the spoonman cut it into as many pieces as, in his opinion, spoons could turn out. A few more blows - and in front of us is an almost finished spoon. Then comes the final finishing. With a hook-knife (the same as that of a turner, but short), the inner part of the blade is selected, the surface is planed, smoothed, and the product is ready.

The whole family worked on the dressing of spoons, and a firm division of labor was outlined here: the most important operations (until the stump acquired a clear spoon shape) were the responsibility of men. The surface of the spoons was finished by women or children, and finally men corrected them again.
Finished spoons came to Semyonov, where they were bought up and given away for coloring. Every week, up to half a million pieces were brought into the city.

The coloring of Khokhloma products is that magical process when the usual white tree acquires the brilliance and beauty of gilding.

Since the processing of products took place with the use of drying oil and hardening in a furnace, the room was filled with the intoxicating smell of burnt oil. Therefore, if the craftsmen had the opportunity, they painted in separate rooms - dye houses. Those who did not have a separate room worked in a residential hut.
The dye house was a log cabin with large furnaces, it was heated in a black way. The room was illuminated by a small window. The ovens had a low mouth, as special shelves for drying products were placed above it up to the ceiling. The same shelves went along the wall - finished products were placed on them.
In the villages where spoons were dyed, there were few individual dyes: there were only twenty-five dyes in ten villages, and they were distributed very unevenly.
Manufacturing process Khokhloma painting of products began with drying. White dishes were sharpened from raw wood, so they were kept at room temperature for twelve to fifteen days. Then they made a drive - the products were primed, coated with clay).
The fact is that wood is a very porous material, and in order to close all the pores, to create a waterproof layer, it had to be smeared. Ordinary clay turned out to be a good material for this, which is still mined in large quantities on the banks of the Volga, near Gorodets. Previously, dyers bought it on the basis of such a calculation: a pood of clay - a pood of flour.
Khokhlomichi call this clay vap, which is why the very process of impregnating products with clay began to be called vaping. The clay was dissolved in warm water, the pieces were kneaded and stirred, obtaining a solution of a certain density, then a folded piece sheepskin dipped into the solution and lubricated the walls of the product with thick ope. After that, the product was left for a while - the solution had to be absorbed into the wood. Then greased again. The product, welded in this way, with a clay crust formed on it, was placed on the boards, where it was supposed to dry.
The dried product was impregnated with unboiled linseed oil using pieces of wool. It was again held for a short time so that the layer of clay mixed with oil, and then polished, wiping the entire surface of the product with bast and finally with linen rags (waste during its processing). The purpose of sanding is to drive the oiled mass into the pores of the wood and remove grains of sand and all excess mass. After polishing, the product was placed to dry on boards in a heated oven and kept there for four to five hours.
The third operation is puttying, that is, puttying the product with a mixture of clay and drying oil. This mixture should close up all the bumps, knots, cracks and other defects in the wood. The master puts the finished putty in the right place and rubs it with his finger, removing the excess mass with a scraper. The puttied product is again placed to dry.
The next stage is processing with drying oil to create an oil film on the product.
Drying oil preparation is a special and difficult process, which only the old masters knew, keeping the secret of its composition from each other. The products were smeared with drying oil three times, each time in between they were dried again and again and only after that they were placed in an oven at a temperature of 80-90 degrees. Only now, in the fifth operation, the oiled product was tinned - coated with tin powder so that it first became silver, and then, under drying oil, gold.
AT late XIX century, aluminum powder was invented, which began to be used instead of drying oil. Tinning in a cold way (from the usual hot method, a tree could catch fire) is a brilliant find of Khokhlomichi. This method was kept secret for a long time, and only in our time has it become widely known. It consists in the ability, with various complex manipulations with various constituent substances, to turn tin bars into a fine powder, which is rubbed with a special swab - a chrysalis - into a proliferated product so that it becomes light and shiny, like silver. The tinned product is ready for painting with paints.
If the previous operations were associated with purely technical techniques, then at this stage the ability to write freely with a brush is required.
In the past, Khokhloma masters worked as families, and with early years the child joined artistic excellence. Therefore, Khokhloma is so fluent in the technique of painting. His hand now presses the brush and draws a wide juicy strip, then leads it easily and freely, and a thin, barely visible line appears on the subject.
Painted tinned products were placed in a furnace for hardening. The drying oil turned yellow from the oven heat, and under its film the silver began to glow with gold.
This work was very hard. As already noted, only wealthy peasants had dye-houses, and those who were poorer did dyeing in the same room where they lived.
Here is what Sofya Ivanovna Rodicheva, a dyer from Semyonov, who at one time worked for fifteen years for a buyer, merchant Bulganin, said: “It was sooty, smoky and dirty in the hut, carbon monoxide from paint. Sometimes they got so bad that they lay for three days, losing their sight. In general, in old age, all dyers' eyesight became very poor.
Russian furnaces in the houses of dyers, as well as in dye-works, were with a low mouth. The top of the stove was fenced with boards, bars - grates - were laid across them. On special boards on the grate and set to dry the spoons.
It was easier to work in the dyers, although it was also not easy. Painted dishes were placed in the oven immediately, as soon as the oven was heated up and the heat was removed from it, and in order to place the dishes in the depths of the furnace, it was necessary to climb inside. To do this, they put on trousers, a jacket, boots, tried to do everything faster, but when they got out, the clothes were already smoking. Up to fifty thousand spoons were put into the oven at a time, and from five to eight thousand into the oven.

Modern technological process of Khokhloma painting

1- A turned or cut ground workpiece is primed (by dipping). Clay (vapa) or primer (No. 138) is used as a primer.

2- Wipe the primed workpiece with a soft sponge and dry at room temperature for 6-8 hours.

3- The workpiece is covered 2-3 times with drying oil or a mixture of drying oil and varnish in equal parts.

4- Intermediate drying at room temperature for 5 hours.

5- Rubbing aluminum powder with soft leather or suede until a mirror surface is obtained.

6- Artistic painting with oil paints diluted with natural drying oil.

7- Drying 24 hours on racks at a temperature of 20-25°C or 1.5-2 hours in an electric oven at a temperature of 100°C.

8- Varnishing 3-5 times with PF-283 varnish, with intermediate drying and polishing.

9- Drying 2-3 hours at room temperature and 15-20 minutes in an electric oven at a temperature of 200°C or 3-4 hours in an electric oven at a temperature of 130-140°C until a golden hue appears.

At present, products with Khokhloma painting are produced by several dozen enterprises, but there are two genuine Khokhloma centers: this is the Khokhloma Artist in the village of Semino and the Khokhloma Painting in the city of Semenov. Seminskaya painting is more traditional, closer to its origins - peasant dishes. Semyonov's motifs are more fancy and refined, designed for more demanding customers.

Khokhloma - what is it? First of all, it is the ancient Khokhloma painting, golden Khokhloma, an extensive layer of Russian culture. The symbol of the painting in the Khokhloma style is a fiery character. The capital of the industry is the city of Semyonov, located north of Nizhny Novgorod. Unlike Gzhel art production, which combines 27 villages and villages into one "bush", Khokhloma was concentrated in one place. Therefore, its development continued for a long time. The artistic component of the craft was also important, since talented craftsmen are not often found, and there was no training as such.

History of the Golden Khokhloma

Khokhloma artistic craft goes back to the end of the 17th century, during the flourishing of icon art. The period of settlement of the Novgorod lands by the Old Believers, who did not accept the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, coincided with the emergence 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 frames of the icons were sprinkled with silver, ground to dust, then covered with a layer of linseed oil and placed in the oven. The silver coating miraculously turned into sparkling gold. The technologies of that time were not provided with additional tools that facilitate the process, everything was done manually. Some masters somehow adapted, invented simple tools to help themselves, but in general, Khokhloma painting was completely provided only by manual labor. The main tasks of production were turning, which required a certain qualification. The blanks were turned by some masters, primed and burned by others, and painted by others. But in any case, the results of joint work were good and production flourished.

The birth of high art

So the golden painting of Khokhloma appeared on the Volga. From icons, they quickly switched to the production of wooden dishes covered with golden drawings. Silver was not enough, and it was replaced with tin. The drawings did not get worse, on the contrary, the painting acquired a noble matte shade, and after polishing the paints began to sparkle like the sun. Semenov artists began to unite in artels, painting "under Khokhloma" became widely known far beyond the borders. Merchants came one after another, ordered painted wooden utensils from the craftsmen in huge batches, and the craft began to develop at a rapid pace.

At first, spoons and scoops were cut out of linden and painted with Khokhloma patterns. Grateful descendants even erected a monument to Semyon-lozhkar as a tribute to the masters and artists of that time. Craftsmen worked tirelessly, brought Nizhny Novgorod dishes and successfully sold them at the great Makaryevsky marketplace, the most famous Russian fair. Dishes also reached Moscow. In the capital of Russia at that time, foreign representatives of the merchant class, Germans, French, and British were constantly present. They immediately drew attention to the unusual Khokhloma goods.

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

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

The high demand for products of Trans-Volga masters became an incentive for further development Golden Khokhloma. The range of production has grown many times, in addition to spoons, dishes and plates, kegs, jars for spices, salt shakers, various supplies, glasses and mugs were produced. The so-called brothers were especially valued in the West - 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 has always accompanied Khokhloma products. And an inexhaustible source of stories and themes for them is the whole of Russia. Khokhloma is inextricably linked with the source itself and with its history.

Crockery and more

In addition to dishes, household items were produced in large series: caskets, snuff boxes, small furniture items, towers, cabinets, tables and benches. Golden Khokhloma could be ordered, it cost an order of magnitude more expensive, but the price did not bother anyone. By the end of the 19th century, Khokhloma began to rise in price, as its production became noticeably more complicated. Appeared who continued the original traditions, but at the same time carried in themselves that special natural style of artistic writing, which distinguishes Khokhloma. Pictures made in those distant times by enthusiastic artists, sketches and sketches confirm the development of new trends in the art of Khokhloma painting.

Khokhloma products noticeably enlarged, they were already painted in the manner of "curly", with golden leaves and flowers, in the style of a women's scarf, when the ornament consists of several fragments merging into one whole image. One of the most revered Khokhloma drawings was the "grass letter", and in the first half they created the "Khokhloma ornament". This is how the classic style appeared. At the same time, the coloring of the drawing became even more complicated, the strokes became thinner, and the plot acquired signs of certainty. The artistic style called "Khokhloma", the pictures and sketches of which confirm this, continued its development. Then in middle lane Fedoskino miniatures similar to Khokhloma painting began to appear in Russia, and a little later, factories for the production of Gzhel ceramic dishes began to work, which soon became as popular as Khokhloma wooden. Artistic Russian folk crafts developed successfully, Gzhel, Khokhloma, Zhostovo, Fedoskino - this is not a complete list of crafts that can be compared with high art.

Technique

The art of Khokhloma is a rather complex process, associated with many technical subtleties. It is not enough to paint the product correctly - its shape and parameters must also be perfect. If the craftsman decided to carve a brother in the form of a swan from wood and paint it in the style of golden Khokhloma, then first of all the resulting form should repeat all the grace of a noble bird, and its neck must certainly be with a "swan" bend, which we observe in nature.

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

The process of manufacturing art products in the style of Khokhloma is a complex technological chain. Wood is used only hardwood, with preference given to linden, as the most plastic and responsive material. The material goes through a stage of natural drying in the open air for one year, then the logs and buttocks bloom into blanks, which are dried for another three months. After that, the wood is already suitable for machining on lathes. Selected pieces are used to make nesting dolls, large vases are carved from solid logs. The wood of the sapwood is suitable for spoons and ladles, it is quite easy to cut and does not crack.

Turned and cut blanks are called "linen", before painting this "linen" is dried again, already at a temperature of about 100 degrees. After that, the products are primed and re-loaded into an oven heated to 120 degrees. Then the workpieces are polished, chips and potholes on the surface are puttied and covered with a thin layer of drying oil. Shortly before complete drying, the workpiece is covered with aluminum powder and rubbed so that the entire surface is evenly coated. Further, silver-matte cups, spoons and saucers, vases and bowls go to the artists for final finishing - Khokhloma artistic painting.

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

Types of painting

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

Khokhloma, the patterns of which were drawn in the manner of "horse" painting, is a drawing on a golden field, made in black and red paints. The artist draws an openwork pattern with thin strokes, while following any one of the following styles:

• "Gingerbread" - a stylized image of the sun, enclosed in a geometric figure, square, rhombus or faceted circle. At first glance, the method is simple, but it was impossible to take your eyes off the solar circle, framed by curlicue rays, the great luminary was so organically combined with the frames surrounding it.
• "Travnik" - a grass ornament, drawing of a sedge of a coastal or meadow grass.
• "Leaf, under the berry" - a painting with many leaves and berries, flowers and stems, intricately intertwined with each other.

Unlike the "horse", Khokhloma, the patterns of which were applied in gold to the basis of red or black, was considered "background". The most interesting type of painting on the background is "kudrina", which consists in a stylized image of leaves and flowers. Repeating curly curls, turning into intricate patterns, flowers, foliage and all kinds of berries, garden and forest. This style of painting is also notable for the wide use of contour strokes in the drawing, which favorably set off individual details.

Catalogs

From the middle of the 20th century, Khokhloma painting began to be systematized, catalogs were printed with the most interesting specimens, and the best ones were awarded a certificate. The works of master artists in the Khokhloma style, whose photos and sketches were published in the press, became participants in various competitions and exhibitions. The authors of art products received prizes and awards for their work. At such exhibitions, anyone could purchase a product made in an artistic manner called "Khokhloma". A photo for memory with the master-manufacturer was taken right there. For a long time afterwards, a beautiful lacquered thing delighted its owner.

Khokhloma through the eyes of a child

Baby preschool institutions, gardens and even nurseries in Soviet times received furniture made in the style of Khokhloma painting. And even though this art style has always been considered "adult", the children sincerely rejoiced at every table painted by the artist. Of course, this was not handmade, products were painted at a furniture factory, using screen printing. But the impression of the high art of Khokhloma painting was present, and this pleased the children. Their parents rejoiced along with the children. Thus, children's Khokhloma was no worse than "adult".

Theme for school essays

The training programs are varied. Khokhloma - what is it, from the teacher's point of view? In schools in Moscow and the Moscow region, as well as in other Russian cities, the topic of Russian folk art crafts is included in the educational programs, where the art of Khokhloma painting is in the first place. Its centuries-old history and worldwide fame enable students to express their personal opinion, put it on paper and get an assessment. It can be a whole essay on a topic or short story. Khokhloma as an art continues to develop successfully, it is quite worthy of the 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, a choir and individual soloists. The melody is beautiful, the lyrics are also heartfelt, written from the heart. At competitions, the song "Khokhloma" has taken pride of place more than once.