The village of Zhostovo, which lies in the district of Mytishchi of Moscow region, has become a symbol of unique folk art. It originated at the beginning of the 19th century influenced mainly by the Ural floral painting of metal articles. About 200 years Zhostovo masters have been developing the skill of decorating the trays only.
Started as lacquer miniature painting of jewelry and household items, the manufacture of trays gradually evolved into an independent craft, engaging the craftsmen of several villages, among which Zhostovo played the leading role and gave the name to the entire craft. Zhostovo masters took into account the experience of other production centers, but primarily tried to develop their own, local style of painting. The new market, which in the 19th century demanded the trays for either their immediate purpose or interior decorations, determined the separation of distinctive tray-making industry.
Before actual painting the metal tray is covered by few layers of thick priming and oil lacquer, usually black. The trays are painted in several consecutive operations, using soft brush and oil paints diluted richly with linseed oil. The main motif of Zhostovo painting is a floral bouquet, unpretentious and laconic in its composition, in which large garden flowers alternate with little field ones; reproducing the real flower shape is combined with decorative colorfulness.
Zhostovo painting started with "zamalyovka" - initial painting, in which the silhouettes of flowers and leaves, arranged into a bouquet composition in the painter's imagination, are sketched in whitened paint. After it dried, shadows are laid in transparent colors. Due to this shadowing technique the bouquet seems to be immersed deeply into the background, outlining the shadowy parts of plants. Next came the most important stage of "prokladka" - the thick painting of the main bouquet body. Either a contrasting or harmonized composition color scheme have their birth through minute details and highlights, giving shape to the bouquet. The stage, named "blikovka" - highlights emphasized volume and lighting, finalizes the shape and making it almost material. The subsequent operation is "chertyozhka" - picking out the details in swift and light outlines of petals and leaves, the veins and seeds in the flower cups. The final painting operation is "privyazka" - tying up of the bouquet to the background with the help of thin grasses and tendrils. The edges of the trays are painted with a light gold ornament. The completed painting is covered with three layers of transparent lacquer and polished to a glass-glitter.
Bouquets or garden and field flowers strewn against the black background adorn these trays, giving people the joy of life and awakening admiration over the beauty and diversity of nature. Everyone shares these feelings, and therefore very few people remain indifferent to the Zhostovo art.
The tradition of tray-making and Zhostovo painting has been passed down through generations of artists and continues today. The craft has acquired the status of unique Russian folk art. Zhostovo craftsmen forcefully develop the historical craft enriching it with new shapes and new content.
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