In the entire history of the human race, people did not have a more convenient, practical, and reliable material for arranging their life than wood. Almost any item has been produced, and is still being produced, from a spoon to a car. And although this material is beautiful in itself, mankind has come up with many ways to decorate wooden products. Some of them, for example, carving and painting on wood, have turned into real art and have been cultivated for centuries.
Everything was painted - facades of houses and utility buildings, fences and fences, benches and benches. The internal interior flourished, transforming into fabulous mansions, if there was a large and bright painting on wood. Everyday dishes were painted with love and diligence. And if she was going as a dowry, then the craftswomen tried to outdo each other in the beauty and sophistication of the drawing.
Each region had its own favorite patterns and ornaments, and the technique of applying them was different. Large flowers, a pattern of lush foliage or a colored “checker”, which was applied with wide, free-hand strokes of the brush, without any preliminary drawing, flaunted on the gables of the houses of the northern inhabitants. These strokes then stood out in small light touches - animations. The colors were chosen warm, sometimes, as in the Arkhangelsk region, almost hot - ocher-yellow flowers on a red or orange background.
It was very colorful Ural painting on wood. She had her own unique composition - a bouquet, when one or several flowers gathered together were in an upright position right in the center, attracting attention to herself. Above and below, the “bouquet” was framed by stripes. The “bouquet” technique is very interesting: the main color of the composition is “painted over” with paint applied to the fingers, and then the petals and herbs are prescribed, without forgetting about the animation. This painting is characterized by cool colors and shades: blue, blue, green.
The objects for depiction in the Gorodets and Volkhov paintings were not only flowers and patterns. Gorodets painting on wood is easily recognizable by its “plot”: galloping horses with riders, walking young ladies, playing dogs and cats. Volkhovskaya - notable for landscapes, the play of light and shadow, natural motifs.
Khokhloma painting gained world fame. All utensils decorated in this technique are painted with red and black "gingerbread" and "herbs", on top of which a golden "curl" curls. Then all this splendor is covered with a special varnish that gives additional beauty and durability.
Palekh miniatures are no less famous . The painting of Palekh masters was based on the methods of iconography: thinness and roundedness of lines, some conventionality, the use of gold and tempera colors. A casket, a powder case or a cigarette case painted in Palekh turns into a jewel.
However, the most ancient is Mezen painting. The main pattern used in this painting is small geometric shapes. Disks, crosses, rhombuses, asterisks, crosses were made in two colors: red and black. Stylized images of deer and horses were woven into this ornament. Less common were sketchy images of birds. In general, such painting on wood leaves an impression of primitiveness or childish naivety, but, nevertheless, the decorative function carries a very vivid.
However, the painting of wooden objects served not only as decoration, but also to hide some material defects - knots, skewness, stains. But in some areas (for example, in the Upper Volga region) the naturalness of the material was appreciated and wood painting was almost never used, being replaced by openwork, multifaceted carvings.