Russian Finds at the Thrift Store

At a small thrift shop over the weekend I discovered a small Russian Khokhloma lacquer  (Хохломская роспись) spoon for sale. It was a great find. I am curious to know more about it's exact origins. As you can see in the photo, there is a small paper description wrapped around the handle. I cannot transcribe it exactly because the paper wraps around itself, obscuring some of the lettering.

The spoon rests on an American traditional quilt made by my grandmother in the 1970s. It is interesting to see the two styles contrasted against one another.

C Рождеством Христовым! Happy [Russian] Christmas!

Today on January 7th is the day the Orthodox calendar celebrates Christmas. I read a small, informative post on the SRAS facebook page about the differences between how the West celebrates the holiday, and how it is celebrated in the East. There is the Middle West or Proper West, that is to say Europe, and the far West, the New World, that is to say, North America and Canada.

The Romans (from which modern Catholic and Protestant traditions are deslcended) actually celebrated Christmas on January 6th up until the year 354, when the Bishop of Rome changed it. Some say this change was made according to scholarship made available at the time, others say that the day was moved to appease northern pagans who celebrated the birth of a sun god on the 25th of December. Christmas in Russia is recognized as an official holiday and a day off. However, it generally doesn't involve gift-giving (which is a major part of celebrations of the New Year in Russia). Most Russians who celebrate Orthodox Christmas do so by having a family dinner and/or attending the liturgy. Thus, the holiday in Russia is almost purely religious/family in orientation, without the heavy commercialization it has in the West.

In Europe, Christmas is certainly less commercialized than in the United States, yet the religious element does seem to be played down to a minimum and is celebrated more generally as a holiday for everyone, which includes time off. I am curious as to when the commercialization of Christmas began. It is well know that the traditions of the Christmas tree, and the relocation of the holiday to the 25th of December are rooted in pre-Christian pagan European beliefs.

Perhaps the most famous story of the popular notion of Christmas in the anglophone world today is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 1971, the famous Canadian animator Richard Williams and his team brought the work to life in a wonderful and painstakingly animated short of the eponymous tale. Its craftsmanship resembles Russian and Eastern European style, but the original intent was to capture the look of 19th Century book illustrations of the Victorian Era. Animation is a theme I wish to further explore on this blog, as it is a curious art form, falling between popular art, craft and the high art of cinema.

USSR. Country of 189 peoples. Land der 189 völker

USSR. Country of 189 peoples. Land der 189 völker, a photo by Boston Public Library on Flickr.

Wonderful poster showing various ethnic groups as defined by their crafts. It would be great to see all 189 peoples, each represented with their own unique, indigenous crafts! 

С Новым годом!

Happy New Year! May 2013 bring prosperous and wonderful developments for everyone. ) The above postcard is from the wonderful tumblr blog Soviet Postcards, highly recommended if you haven't already seen it.

And here is a wonderful photo of Saint Petersburg during New Year's celebrations via RBTH.

The Matryoshka, or "Russian Doll"

On May 24 [2010], a rare Matryoshka doll display will open in Moscow’s AFIMALL City shopping center. Each of the six- to 13-meter-tall installations, which were displayed during the 2010 Russian National Exhibition in Paris, is shaped like a Matryoshka, the famous nesting doll that has come to symbolize Russian culture. [...]

Each Matryoshka design uses regional traditions such as those from Khokhloma, Gorodets and Mezen for painting on wood.

To see additional photos from the exhibition, please visit the website of RIA Novosti here.

Welcome! Where East meets West

Добро пожаловать! Welcome to my new blog, Craft & Folk Art in Russia & Abroad!

This blog will be my digital journal for further studies into Russian Folk Arts & Crafts, from historical, cultural and aesthetic perspectives, with analysis and comparative study of different styles and mediums of craft, as well as what cultural identity lies within these objects.

I decided to start this blog because while there are a few very good English-speaking blogs about Russian Art, I have yet to discover one that focuses on crafts and folk arts, which is a large and  important part of Russian culture. I hope this blog will be of use to anyone who considers themselves a Russophile, or has an interest in folk arts and crafts in general. It is intended for academic research but open to anyone.

It is always more challenging to study a "folk art" which is an organic, internally conceived element of a culture that has its roots even in pre-history, and is considered to lie outside of the realms of "Fine Art" or Art proper. This blog examines those intermediate spaces between the Arts & Crafts, where they overlap, where political history and cultural development fuse between the two, made visible by the works themselves.

In the future, I would love to have this blog be bilingual, in both English & Russian. I am currently studying Russian language and hope to make great progress in the next few months.

Thank you for your interest in my blog. I would love to hear from you, if you would like to contribute or have any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me, see my About page for details.

Большое спасибо!
A.P.