Muza Art

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Khokhloma – folk craft miracle

Khokhloma – folk craft miracle

Khokhloma – folk craft miracle


Khokhloma is the pride of the Russian people! Khokhloma painting is an ancient original Russian craft, it is a decorative painting of wooden utensils, furniture. The name Khokhloma was taken from the large trading village where the wooden ware was first sold. Originally it appeared in the province of Kostroma, on the Volga, and later the centre moved farther south to Nizhny Novgorod. Residents of villages were engaged in painting wooden utensils from time immemorial. The roots of the Khokhloma art are in iconography. Icons were covered with a layer of silver, pulverized in powder, then impregnated with linseed oil and put in the oven. After this the icon had a golden color. Subsequently, cheaper tin appeared, and this way spread to utensils.

Today, most of the glass-holders, spoons, plates and other utensils are machined on a lathe from birch or lime. The painting, the real creative work, is still done by hand.
The first step is to surface the articles with a watery clay mixture containing powdered aluminium. Then they are given several coats of linseed oil and oven-dried at 140°-155° Fahrenheit. Red and black oil paints are used. Then the object is dried at a higher temperature than before. During this heat treatment the silver is turned into gold.
Khokhloma ware can safely be used for hot tea or soup.
Today, Khokhloma is a unique phenomenon not only in Russia, but also in the world art. After the world exhibition in 1889 in Paris, the export of Khokhloma products sharply increased. The dishes appeared on the markets of Western Europe, Asia, Persia, India. In the twentieth century they appeared in the cities of America, Australia and even Africa.
The artistic style of the Khokhloma painting is unique – the ornaments are instantly recognizable among many others.

Khokhloma – folk craft miracle

Amazing Khokhloma

Amazing Khokhloma

Attractive Khokhloma

Attractive Khokhloma

Awesome Khokhloma

Awesome Khokhloma

Beautiful Khokhloma

Beautiful Khokhloma

Casket Khokhloma style

Casket Khokhloma style

Charming Khokhloma

Charming Khokhloma

Clock Khokhloma style

Clock Khokhloma style

Colorful Khokhloma

Colorful Khokhloma

Cute Khokhloma

Cute Khokhloma

Gorgeous Khokhloma

Gorgeous Khokhloma

Graceful Khokhloma

Graceful Khokhloma

Great Khokhloma

Great Khokhloma

Interesting Khokhloma

Interesting Khokhloma

Interesting ornament

Interesting ornament

Keyboard Khokhloma style

Keyboard Khokhloma style

Khokhloma art

Khokhloma art

Khokhloma ornament

Khokhloma ornament

Lovely Khokhloma

Lovely Khokhloma

Magnificent Khokhloma

Magnificent Khokhloma

Majestic Khokhloma

Majestic Khokhloma

Map of Russia Khokhloma style

Map of Russia Khokhloma style

Matryoshka Khokhloma style

Matryoshka Khokhloma style

Picture by Igor Belkovskiy

Picture by Igor Belkovskiy

Picturesque Khokhloma

Picturesque Khokhloma

Pretty Khokhloma

Pretty Khokhloma

Stunning Khokhloma

Stunning Khokhloma

Swan Khokhloma style

Swan Khokhloma style

Wonderful Khokhloma

Wonderful Khokhloma