Abramtsevo-Kudrino woodcarving is an art craft that originated in the vicinity of the Abramtsevo estate in the Moscow Region at the end of the 19th century. She owed her appearance to a circle of village artists organized by Elena Dmitrievna Polenova at the estate of Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. He was a well-known philanthropist in Russia who helped preserve and develop the crafts of his land. On the basis of this circle, in 1882, a joiner's carving workshop was opened, giving the start of the labor activity of many craftsmen from the nearest villages - Kudrino, Khotkovo, Akhtyrka and Mutovka.
In the article, we consider the history, technology of the Abramtsevo-Kudrino carving, who organized the production and future fishing. We will introduce the reader to the peculiarities of the style of work, where the flat-relief and geometric carvings are successfully combined. A rhythmic floral ornament can be seen on household items of that time. These are ladles and salt shakers, decorative caskets and vases, large plates and bochata.
In addition to beautiful carvings, objects made by the hands of masters differ in tinting, which are designed to emphasize the natural beauty of wood. Patterns cover the entire surface of the craft completely, combining large parts with each other with curls, twigs, and other plant elements.
Training workshop
The wife of Savva Mamontova organized a literacy school for village children from neighboring villages and villages in the estate. In addition to the lessons of the school curriculum, it was decided to teach children the skills of woodcarvers so that after graduation they could earn their bread by their labor. So there was a workshop where they taught carpentry and carving. Many guys happily went there to study. The training was completely free for three years.
The students were taught the basics of drawing and painting, in every possible way contributed to the creative approach of the children to work. Classes were held on the territory of the estate museum, which collected handicrafts. Pupils had the opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibits of a huge collection. After graduation, they were presented with a gift for a workbench and tools for woodcarving, so that they could independently begin work at home.
Polenova Guide
In 1885, the workshop was headed by the artist E. D. Polenova, who had a huge impact on the development of the Abramtsevo-Kudrino carving. It was according to her sketches that the masters made carved furniture - shelves and cabinets, chairs and chests of drawers, tables and armchairs, which were sold in Moscow stores at the end of the 19th century, first at the Handicraft Museum at Nikitsky Gate, and then on Petrovka.
Although now many researchers criticize her style of carving, calling it formal and heavy, but this is what gives the products brightness and originality. However, everyone agrees that Elena Dmitrievna undoubtedly made a huge contribution to the development of the fishery. Masters embodied more than 100 of her projects in their works, which drew attention to things with artistic carvings and popularized this craft in due time.
The products made at that time in Abramtsevo were dominated by flat carving with trihedral recesses. In places of thickening, the masters carved geometric strip patterns, panels on furniture were filled with floral ornaments. All items were stained with dark stain. Furniture looked very original and caused unusual demand among buyers. Moreover, during this period, society had an interest in everything national and national.
The origins of fishing
One of the talented and enterprising students of the workshop in Abramtsevo was the future founder of the production, which became the basis of the Kudrino carving industry. This was a resident of the village of Kudrino, which was located 4 km from the school, the son of a simple peasant Vasily Petrovich Vornskov. As an eleven-year-old boy, he went to study literacy at the Mamontova school. Just at that time, a carpentry workshop opened, where Vasily decided to sign up. The boy studied hard, besides, he had organizational abilities that helped him to create a production after graduation, which made him famous for many years.
The boy and his friends stayed in the museum for a long time, examining samples of the work of other masters, studying drawings and sketches of artists. Vasily tried not only to clearly perform the work according to these sketches, but also to independently devise drawings and patterns. Teachers in every possible way encouraged the creative impulses of the boy.
After graduation in 1890, V.P. Vornskov opened a small workshop in his native Kudrino, but he still carried out orders from the Abramtsevo workshop. Over time, Vasily Petrovich formed his own style, based on a low and soft relief with rounded edges. Basically, the objects depicted a lace ornament of branches and leaflets; for the carving, the master used more than 20 different chisels. Such a style was named after the master of the Vornsky carving. The second name comes from the name of the village where the master worked. This is Kudrinskaya carving, or in the common people “kudrinka”, which immediately gained great popularity throughout the country, the works were exhibited in Paris and received gold or silver awards.
Cooperation with Sergiev artisans
At the very beginning of the development of artistic craft, Vasily Petrovich came for professional help to the masters of a well-established workshop in Trinity-Sergiev Posad. It was led first by V.I. Borutsky, and then by V.I. Sokolov. They immediately realized that a real master had come to them, and offered him a job that other workers in the workshop did. These are different pieces of furniture, shelves with carvings. In the manufacture, they used burning and coloring, in addition to carving.
Despite the fact that the workshop had a well-established sales market, the experienced Vornskov refused to cut out the drawings and patterns offered to him. Even in the conditions of the general crisis of the beginning of the century, he did not want to do what he did not like. IN AND. Sokolov completely trusted the master and decided to look at the works performed by Vasily Petrovich according to personal sketches.
After viewing the finished work, the workshop manager realized that he had a unique master with developed imagination and artistic taste, with excellent skills in original carving.
Thread features
Kudrinsky wood carving (see photo in the article) is considered flat-relief and consists of a thick pattern, mainly vegetable. These are leaves, branches, flowers with rounded edges resembling curls, which gives a certain curl to ornaments.
The basis of any pattern is made up of petals pointed from one edge and rounded from the opposite. They are connected in a continuous and rhythmic pattern. Between this stream, inserts of flowers, animals or birds, fish or berries can be considered. There are even people on horseback.
A feature of Kudrino carving can be called rounded outlines with soft contours, the naturalness of natural patterns and the combination of shadow and light, which are created using tinting stains and different types of varnish - glossy and matte. Usually, not too hard wood is chosen for the products, linden or birch is used.
Poetic composition
Wooden carpentry or turning products are decorated with rows of floral ornaments, but this is not just a series of leaves and branches. Many works contain images combined into a single composition. For example, the twigs on the sides of the casket may resemble oak overgrowth, on the top of which birds are located.
Background processing in kudrinsky carvings is performed deliberately smoothly, as if leaving a clumsy trace of a knife. This is achieved by chiselling the entire surface of the subject, which gives the work friability and some velvety. An additional depth is added by the methods of polishing products. So, the convex ornament is covered with glossy varnish, and the recesses are, on the contrary, matte.
Thread tinting
Even at the first stages of its history, the Kudrino carving had a rich color scheme. Using stains and dyes of different shades, the work was given all the shades of brown, from golden to deep dark. Even V.P. Vornskov used dark staining under an oak tree, and also achieved gray and olive tints. However, no matter how the coloring was carried out, the structure of wood was clearly visible on the products.
The masters did not pursue the goal of repeating the texture of another material, any decoration is intended only to emphasize the beauty of the tree and highlight the lines of the ornament, to make them more voluminous. Sometimes products with Kudrino woodcarvings were only sanded and processed with white wax.
Threading Steps
Relief patterns do not appear immediately on a carpentry or turning product.
- First of all, a drawing is selected that corresponds to the diameter of the tools available to the master. There is a Kudrino carving technique with a jamb knife, flat or semicircular chisels, as well as klukarzami.
- Then a sketch is made on a piece of paper in full size with a pencil.
- The pattern is translated onto wood using carbon paper. In this case, do not use a simple pencil, so as not to accidentally spoil the lines of the pattern. The drawing is translated by a sharpened stick of hardwood. Some use the bone option. Now masters often take a ballpoint pen for such work, which has run out of ink.
Only after such preparatory work does the actual woodcarving begin.
Steps for cutting a relief pattern
The cutting process also consists of several parts:
- pricking, which is done with a vertically placed chisel. First, round curls are made, and then the smoother sides of the leaves with a knife-cutter;
- processing the background image in the “pillow” way, that is, the background is on the same level as the vertices of the main pattern. To do this, use the chisels-klukarzy. Sometimes they grind a large nail or cone, use punches or embossers;
- modeling of constituent elements;
- grinding and tinting;
- finish with diluted varnish.
Fishing today
Unfortunately, art craft is now dying away and does not have much popularity. The factory, which used to be in Khotkovo, was closed. Graduates of Abramtsevo College named after V.M. Vasnetsov work in private workshops that are engaged in handicraft production of crafts for sale as souvenirs. These are small utilitarian household items - plates, caskets, salt shakers, wall panels or smoking sets.