Floristry in Russian folk crafts Automatic translate

Plant motifs are a fundamental part of Russian culture, deeply rooted in folk crafts. Over the centuries, craftsmen throughout Russia have perfected methods of depicting flora in various types of decorative and applied art.

Flowers, herbs, trees, berries and other plant elements have become the basis of the artistic language of many traditional Russian crafts – from painting on wood, metal and ceramics to embroidery, weaving and creating fabric patterns. Each craft has developed its own unique style of depicting the plant world, relying on local traditions, available materials and the cultural and historical context of the region.

Historical significance of plant motifs

The use of floral elements in decorative art in Russia has ancient roots. The first evidence of the use of floral motifs for decoration dates back to the 4th century BC. In ancient images, the world was often divided into three parts - heaven, people and earth, with the earthly part symbolized by various plants and flowers.

After the adoption of Christianity, Byzantine culture had a significant impact on the development of Russian art. In the 7th century, the first icons with a frame of floral ornaments appeared. Nature served as the main source of inspiration for artists, who transferred the graceful curves of petals and stems to their works. Gradually, plant ornaments spread to the facades of churches, often in the form of compositions reminiscent of the tree of life.

Plant motifs had not only a decorative but also a deep symbolic function. In the pagan culture of the Slavs, plants were associated with fertility, vitality and the cycle of the seasons. After the adoption of Christianity, many pagan symbols were rethought, but retained their aesthetic meaning.

Since the 17th century, floral patterns have been actively used in decorating boyar and noble houses. Live flowers also became part of the interior of rich houses - large vases with flowers could often be seen in living rooms and dining rooms. Later, with the advent of stoves, window sills began to be decorated with potted plants, as the conditions for their cultivation became more favorable.

Khokhloma painting

Khokhloma is perhaps the most famous type of Russian folk painting on wood. This craft appeared after the liberation of Rus’ from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Residents of the village of Khokhloma and nearby villages earned their living from this craft. Over time, wooden products with a characteristic pattern became famous outside of Russia, enjoying popularity in Paris, India and Central Asia.

Wooden items with Khokhloma painting are made of wood and hand-painted by craftsmen. The main colors are red, black and gold. The peculiarity of Khokhloma "gold" is that it is only the appearance of real precious metal. In fact, the wood is covered with silvery tin, which after firing in the oven and covering with linseed oil acquires a golden hue. The dark background enhances the contrast of the image.

The basis of the plant ornament in Khokhloma painting is made up of images of rowan berries, viburnum and strawberries, as well as birds and animals. Khokhloma patterns are stylized - they have a certain resemblance to living plants, but never convey their appearance with absolute accuracy. The masters use generalized forms, preserving only the main features of the depicted plants.

The most beloved and ancient Khokhloma ornament is the "grass" or simply "grass". These are elongated, slightly curved blades of grass, painted in threes, fives, or more - in a bush. The "grass" vaguely resembles sedge, which grows in flood meadows and along the banks of reservoirs. One of the types of this ornament is called "sedge".

The grass is usually painted in red and black. Its main wide and long leaves are juicy, as a lot of paint is taken on the brush, which lies densely on the surface of the product. The tips of the leaves are painted thinly, as if they are bending in the wind. Thin and frequent strokes-blades of grass on the sides of the main bush and beads-berries on long stems make this painting lively and graceful.

"Grass" is an independent type of painting, but is also an obligatory part of any plant ornament of Khokhloma. Often among the bushes and branches of black, red, green or yellow grass, the artist places berries, flowers, birds and fish. Such an ornament is called "grass" or the name of a specific berry or flower.

Gzhel painting

Gzhel painting takes its name from the Gzhel area of ​​the Moscow province, where there was a center for the production of ceramics and porcelain since the 17th century. This region is located on the territory of the modern Ramensky municipal district of the Moscow region.

Anyone who has ever seen Gzhel will never forget this fairy-tale world of blue birds and blue flowers. The traditions of Gzhel painting, the main techniques and elements have been preserved since the 18th century, while always leaving room for the artists’ imagination.

The formation of the blue and white color scheme characteristic of Gzhel dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. Researchers point out that from the 1820s onwards, an increasing number of Gzhel products were painted only with blue paint. Today, it is this characteristic pattern – blue painting on a white background – that defines the Gzhel style.

The process of creating Gzhel painting begins with the production of a white porcelain piece, which in professional jargon is called "linen". Then the craftsmen begin painting ("covering"), which is done by hand - painstakingly, but quickly. The artists evenly and carefully apply strokes and lines that form the ornament. Only one paint is used for painting - black cobalt, which is diluted with water, like watercolor.

At this stage, the drawing looks monochromatic. But once the product is placed in a hot oven, the cobalt pattern “comes to life”, filling with deep cornflower blue. After firing, shades and halftones of the blue-light blue range appear. A real Gzhel master unmistakably feels the correct ratio of tones, distinguishing more than 20 shades of blue.

Gzhel porcelain is painted with a specific pattern. There are three types of painting. The first is a plant pattern: flower bouquets and garlands, leaves and branches, grass, berries and other elements. Flowers (roses, poppies, asters, daisies and others) are depicted rather conventionally. One of the favorite and often repeated patterns is the "Gzhel rose" or "agashka".

A characteristic technique of Gzhel painting is the so-called "shadow stroke". To do this, the artist takes paint on one side of the brush, and when applying the stroke, the brush rotates in a circle. As a result, at the beginning of the stroke, the paint is applied thicker, towards the middle the stroke becomes lighter, and at the tip it becomes very light and thin. This is how leaves and voluminous flowers are painted.

Zhostovo painting

The history of the Zhostovo craft dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, when in a number of Moscow region villages and settlements of the former Troitskaya volost (now Mytishchi district of the Moscow region) - Zhostovo, Ostashkov, Khlebnikov, Troitskoye and others - workshops for the production of painted lacquered products from papier-mâché emerged.

The origin of the Zhostovo painted tray is associated with the family name of the Vishnyakov brothers. In 1830, tray production in Zhostovo and surrounding villages increased. The first metal trays decorated with decorative floral painting appeared. Iron trays gradually replaced snuffboxes and other "paper" crafts from the workshops of the Troitskaya volost.

The main motif of Zhostovo painting is a flower bouquet. In the original art of Zhostovo masters, a realistic sense of the living form of flowers and fruits is combined with decorative generalization, akin to Russian folk brush painting on chests, birch bark tues, spinning wheels and other objects.

The Zhostovo compositions were based on old designs of decorative flower arrangements with a set of garden and field flowers: "collected bouquet", "scattered bouquet", garland, wreath. With a wide brush, the artist sketches the bouquet composition on the working surface of the tray. When creating a bouquet, the master monitors the beauty and expressiveness of the silhouette of flowers, buds, leaves and stems, the rhythmic arrangement of colorful spots.

Along with the traditional black background, red, blue, and green colors are used, and the edge of the tray is decorated with a light, openwork plant ornament. The Zhostovo tray is characterized by a special manner of execution, when bright, juicy flowers are painted very realistically, but at the same time the decorativeness of the composition is preserved.

Gorodets painting

Gorodets painting is an artistic painting and wood carving that originated in the mid-19th century in the Nizhny Novgorod province. Initially, the craft consisted of making carved spinning wheels. The product was cut out of one type of wood with recesses, and figures were cut out of another type, which were inserted into the recesses of the spinning wheel. This is how various ornaments and designs were created.

Later, carved pictures began to be tinted with different colors, combining the brightness of the colors with the shade of the wood. Fully painted products were initially used only on holidays, but over time they entered everyday life. Gradually, craftsmen practically abandoned carving - the production technique became simpler and faster. Drawings began to decorate chests, furniture, sleds, interior items and toys.

A certain style was formed in Gorodets painting: the masters depicted animals, flowers, everyday and festive scenes. Among the most popular images are a black horse and a bird.

Floral ornament in Gorodets painting is represented by several types:

"Bouquet" is a composition depicted symmetrically, usually used when painting cutting boards or dishes.

"Garland" is a type of "bouquet" where one or two large flowers are located in the center, and smaller flowers with leaves diverge from them to the sides. Such a composition can fit into a circle, strip, or be located in a sickle shape on the corners of the product. This type is often used when painting cutting boards, bread bins, boxes, dishes, and children’s furniture.

"Rhombus" is a variant of "garland", when one or more flowers are depicted in the center, forming the center, and buds and leaves, gradually decreasing towards the tops of the rhombus, are located along its imaginary edges. This composition can be seen on rectangular cutting boards, chests, benches, cabinet doors and bread bins.

"Flower stripe" - has been preserved in the Gorodets craft since the painted spinning wheels, where it divided the upper and lower tiers. Depending on the product, it can be a repeating ribbon composition of flowers of the same size, separated by pairs of leaves, or with alternating flowers of different sizes.

Northern types of painting

Several original types of wood painting developed in the Russian North, linked by the territory of origin and the motifs used. These types of painting were partially borrowed from each other and emerged at approximately the same time, but each technique has its own distinctive features and characteristics.

Boretskaya painting

Boretskaya painting (also known as Borokskaya) is a northern Russian painting on wood, related to the Severodvinsk type and included in the Borok-Toyemsko-Puchug group. It originated in ancient Novgorod and was named after the boyar family.

The main colors of Boretskaya painting are red, green, yellow and the shade of unpainted wood. The contours of the elements are usually outlined in black. Previously, Boretskaya painting was done in the iconographic manner. Today, flowers and geometric shapes have become characteristic ornaments: rhombuses, triangles, small circles and drops.

Boretskaya painting is part of the Severodvinsk painting group, which explains its similarity to other types of painting in this region, but at the same time it retains its uniqueness and recognizability.

Rakul painting

Rakul painting got its name from the Rakulka River, a tributary of the Northern Dvina. Painted dishes are found with a predominance of green or red shades. Gold has always played a major role in painting, which is often used as the main color.

The main features of Rakul painting are images of birds, branches with large leaves, curls and a black outline. These elements create a recognizable style that distinguishes Rakul painting from other northern types of decorative art.

Plant motifs in Rakul painting are distinguished by their special decorativeness and stylization. The masters skillfully combine natural forms with geometric elements, creating original compositions filled with symbolic meaning.

Old Borok

Stary Borok is one of the most ancient types of painting in the Russian North. The existence of the village where the craft originated was known as early as the 15th century.

The difference between Stary Borok and other types of northern painting is its uniform plot and three-tiered design, when the coating is applied in several layers. Most often, this technique depicts fairy-tale birds of red color with green wings. In large compositions, the central place is occupied by a tree, made in the same tones.

The plant motifs in the painting of Stary Borok have archaic features, dating back to ancient ideas about the structure of the world. The tree as the central element of the composition symbolizes the world tree – the axis of the universe, connecting the underground, earthly and heavenly worlds.

Verkhneuftyug painting

Verkhneuftyug painting appeared in Verkhnyaya Uftyuga. It is characterized by a pattern of conventional flowers and birds on a background of different colors. This type of painting is distinguished by its special decorativeness and expressiveness, combining elements of both the natural and fantastic worlds.

Flowers in Verkhneuftyug painting are depicted conventionally, with a high degree of stylization, but at the same time retain their recognizability and natural grace. Birds are often woven into the plant ornament, creating a harmonious composition filled with movement and life.

Mstera miniature

The picturesque village of Mstera and lacquer miniatures have become an inseparable phrase. This corner of the Vladimir region has long been famous for its artistic craft. The unique Mstera style of painting is an original local art that has absorbed the Old Believer icon-painting traditions of the region and stands out for its unique transition of unusually bright, varied colors.

The subjects of Mstera miniatures include epics, fairy tales, scenes from the measured and smooth life of a Russian village or from the life of the royal chambers. Each depicted phenomenon in folk art is based on the perception of a real event.

A real creative innovation was the transition of the masters to painting chests and boxes. The products traditionally use ancient Russian patterns. Each box from Mstera, framed with an openwork ornament of melted gold, represents recognizable plots of miniatures, bouquets of flowers or still lifes, emphasizing the colorfulness and purity of the drawing.

Floral motifs occupy a special place in Mstera miniatures, which is reflected in special thematic collections dedicated to flowers in lacquer miniatures. Craftsmen carefully work out every detail of the plants, achieving a harmonious combination of realism and decorativeness.

Plant motifs in embroidery

Among the many types of Russian folk art, embroidery has always occupied an important place. They sewed everywhere - no special equipment was required, and fabric, needles and threads were in every home. Embroidery was used to decorate clothing and household items: curtains, tablecloths, towels, valances, aprons, headdresses, scarves, skirts, dresses.

Russia’s climate does not allow for the mass cultivation of cotton, so the main sources for making fabric were flax and hemp. They were used to weave linen. Thin bleached linen was used as a base, and flax and wool threads were used to embroider patterns. In the 19th century, wool threads were used to embroider shirts and head towels.

The main color of Russian embroidery is red with many shades: from dark lingonberry to orange. The shade depended on the material of the threads and fabric, as well as on the dyes used (mineral, vegetable, animal). In addition to red, preference was given to shades of blue, green and yellow. Black is not typical for Russian embroidery - only in the Tambov and Voronezh regions this color was traditionally used.

The variety of motifs in Russian embroidery is great, but the most common images in ornaments are those of a bird, a horse, and a tree. This choice is due to the legends and beliefs of the ancient Slavs about the heavenly tree and the bird-sun sitting on it. The horse symbolized the visible movement of the sun.

Embroidery of plants and trees was done in a strict geometric style, often with two or more particularly highlighted long branches, sometimes with roots on a triangular base.

Initially, embroidery in Rus’ had a sacred meaning and was closely connected with beliefs in the mystical powers of nature and gods. Protective patterns and symbols decorated clothes and household items. With the adoption of Christianity, a new stage in the development of Russian embroidery began. Despite the struggle with pagan roots, folk embroidery managed to combine old Slavic motifs with new church ones.

Straw weaving

Straw has become a unique material for decorative and applied arts. Over the past decades, the development of modern straw weaving crafts has reached the level of professional decorative art.

Straw weaving uses straw from various cereal crops, each of which has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. Straw is an accessible and inexpensive material. Brittle and brittle when dry, when soaked it becomes soft and flexible, acquires the ability to bend, and when dry, retains the shape that the master gave it.

A special place in straw weaving is occupied by the creation of straw flowers. Unlike naturalistic artificial flowers, they retain the warmth of the natural material and attract with the handcrafted nature of their creation. Straw flowers, which are woven in a variety of options and forms, combine the best traditions of folk art and modern artistic thinking.

The technology of creating straw flowers includes several stages: developing a sketch of the future flower, making petals, creating a sepal, assembling the flower. For different flowers (for example, peony, chamomile) there are their own technological features.

When making a straw flower of the "Peony" type, stamens are tied to the upper part of the stalk, made with a "chain" braid from two straws and turned out into a loop. A large number of straight loops are made from straw ribbons, which are tied to the place where the stamens are attached and distributed in 5-6 tiers. The loops are wound one by one, overlapping each other tightly. The attachment points are coated with glue and closed with loops of the next tier. Gradually, a lush corolla of the flower is formed.

Wreaths and ritual use of plants

A wreath is a ring-shaped decoration made of flowers, leaves, branches or materials imitating them, which has deep roots in Russian culture. In folk traditions, it acts as a reward, a ritual object, an element of the attire of those performing rituals, and a talisman. Wreaths are widely used in folk costumes in Ukraine and Poland.

The material for wreaths is fresh greenery and flowers, less often - evergreens, pine needles, dry branches and flowers, straw, paper, linen. At other times of the year, artificial flowers can be used. Wreaths, like other types of greenery, are used to decorate residential and commercial buildings, ritual objects, and pets.

The Kupala wreath was an obligatory attribute of the Kupala games. It was made from fresh greenery and flowers before the start of the celebration by the fire. The ritual use of the Kupala wreath is connected with the magical understanding of its shape, which brings the wreath closer to other round objects with holes (ring, hoop, kalach). The customs of milking or straining milk through it, crawling and dragging objects through the wreath, looking, pouring liquids, drinking, washing through it are based on these properties of the wreath.

The properties of the plants used to make the wreath (periwinkle, basil, rose, geranium, blackberry, fern, oak and birch branches), as well as the symbolism of the act of creating it – weaving, braiding – give it special semantics.

The wedding wreath is one of the main attributes of the Slavic wedding ceremony, along with the wedding tree, loaf and banner. It is a symbol of marriage.

The harvest wreath is a ritual object (wreath or crown) made from ears of corn, symbolizing the end of the harvest and transferring the productive power of the grain to the future harvest. During the harvest, the harvest wreath together with the last sheaf is taken from the field to the house, where it is stored until the next harvest or until the next sowing.

Pavlovo Posad shawls

The famous Pavlovo Posad shawl is a popular accessory that has adorned women all over the world for over 200 years. It is a traditional Russian addition to outfits, both in folk and modern styles. Semi-woolen and woolen shawls keep you warm on cool winter evenings, while silk or cambric shawls create a cooling effect and save you from the summer heat.

Scarves appeared in the wardrobes of fashionistas in the 17th century and became a favorite decoration of wealthy merchants’ clothes. A century later, the Persian word "shawl" entered the Russian lexicon, which began to refer to large patterned scarves. Expensive gifts were usually presented to brides and then passed on as an inheritance.

Famous ornaments arose from everyday peasant life: flowers, carved patterns of window frames and spinning wheels, homespun embroidery, elements of icon painting.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, mass production of printed and patterned scarves began in Rus’. The foundations of future industrial production were laid by peasant farms with hand-weaving looms and dye houses. Later, manual labor was replaced by steam engines and calico printing machines.

Floral motifs form the basis of the design of Pavlovo Posad shawls. For example, the "White Roses" shawl has been produced since 1953. Nowadays, the most common motif is voluminous garlands of half-opened buds and a motley interweaving of various flowers.

Ethnobotanical aspect

The study of human interactions with plants is the subject of ethnobotany, a branch of ethnobiology. The main goal of ethnobotany is to understand how plants are used and perceived in human societies, including plants for food, medicine, divination, cosmetics, dyeing fabrics, construction, as tools, money, clothing, rituals, etc., and what the role of plants is in social life.

The history of ethnobotany goes back further than the term itself, which was only coined in 1895 by American botanist John William Harshberger. As early as 77 AD, the Greek physician Dioscorides published De Materia Medica, an illustrated herbal containing information on 600 Mediterranean plants and how to use them.

In Russian folk crafts we see particular manifestations of ethnobotanical knowledge accumulated by generations of masters. The choice of certain plants for depiction, the methods of their stylization, the symbolic meaning of floral elements - all this reflects a deep understanding of nature and its connection with human culture.

The current state of floristry in folk crafts

Russian folk arts and crafts originated in ancient times and link together cultural traditions accumulated over dozens of generations. Russia consists of many autonomous districts and regions, each of which has its own types of handicrafts, including painting on various materials, pottery, making traditional toys, wood and bone carving, lace weaving, blacksmithing and much more.

In today’s Russia, support for ancient folk crafts is provided by a special state program. Works of ancient Russian art have gone through many trials and have preserved ancient traditions that were passed down from fathers to sons, from master to master.

Russian folk embroidery retains its charm in the 21st century. Fashion designers use its patterns to create new collections, Russian symbols express patriotism in sports, and entrepreneurs use Slavic stylization to position their brands as domestic. Russian-style embroidery decorates clothing, towels, and interiors, and many people return to the origins of Slavic culture.

Products with artistic painting on wood, ceramics, iron are valuable objects of art of folk crafts of Russia. The traditions of their production have survived to this day, and these works still please the eye with their beauty and craftsmanship.