Khokhloma (37 photos)

Khokhloma is a decorative painting of wooden utensils and furniture made in golden and red (as well as yellow and green) colors on a black background.

Khokhloma painting is an original Russian folk craft that has existed for more than three hundred years, a unique phenomenon not only on the scale of Russia, but also in world art.
It is believed that Khokhloma painting originated in the 17th century on the left bank of the Volga, in the villages of Bolshie and Malye Bezdeli, Mokushino, Shabashi, Glibino, and Khryashi. Currently, the village of Kovernino in the Nizhny Novgorod region is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma.

Khokhloma products attract not only the beauty of the ornament. They are valued for their durable varnish coating, thanks to which they are used in everyday life. When painting, it is not gold, but silver tin powder that is applied to the tree. After this, the product is coated with a special composition and processed three or four times in the oven, which achieves a unique honey-golden color, giving the light wooden utensils a massive effect.

Traditional elements of Khokhloma are grass patterns, red juicy rowan and strawberries, flowers and branches. Birds, fish and animals are often found.

Currently, Khokhloma painting has two centers - the city of Semenov, where the Khokhloma Painting and Semenovskaya 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 region: Semino, Kuligino, Novopokrovskoye etc. (the factory is located in Semino, there are branches in other villages).

Technology
First, blanks are made from wood. Then the master stands at the lathe, removes excess wood with a cutter and gradually gives the blank the desired shape. This is how the base is formed. Then the base is coated with a primer. After priming, the product is dried for 7-8 hours and must be manually coated with several layers of drying oil. The master dips a special swab into a bowl of drying oil, and then quickly rubs it into the surface of the product, turning it so that the drying oil is distributed evenly. This operation is very responsible. The quality of wooden utensils and the durability of the painting will depend on it in the future. During the day, the product is coated with drying oil 3-4 times. The last layer is dried until the drying oil slightly sticks to the finger, no longer staining it.

The next step is rubbing aluminum powder into the surface of the product. It can also be done manually with a tampon. After tinning, the objects acquire a beautiful white-mirror shine and are ready for painting. Tempera paints are used in painting. The main colors that determine the character and recognition of Khokhloma painting are red and black, but other colors are also allowed to enliven the pattern - brown, green, yellow. Painting brushes are made from squirrel tails so that they can draw a very thin line.