Gorodezk’s painting and woodcarving

Gorodets painting is a unique phenomenon of the Russian national culture. This folk art combines the unique artistic features of folk painting rooted in history.
This topical painting is more than 150 years old. In their compositions peasant artists depicted a peculiar, distictive, imagenary world.

Gorodets painting is one of the famous artistic crafts of Russia, the brightest phenomenon of so called “naive” painting. It may be proved by the statement of one of French art critics who said that such objects must be kept in Louvre.

The most popular topics of the painting are public merry-makings, tea parties, a famous Gorodets horse with a horseman mounted on it, local holidays. The painting is very rich in colours of Russian summer, with its magnitude of grass of various colours, is illuminated with the bright sunshine that seems to flood the luxuriant garlands of flowers and whimsical birds.

In the course of the craft history local masters have been creating a peculiar artistic system, have found distinctive images and developed a rich arsenal of methods of painting tiny details of the topics and elements of patterns.

The history of Trade House Gorodetskaya Rospis OJSC began in 1937 when on the basis of a collective work-shop “Stakhanovets” artel was set up. In 1960 the artel was reorganized in Gorodetskaya Rospis factory. It was the time when the revival of Gorodets topical painting began. To improve the working conditions Trade House «Gorodetskaya Rospis» OJSC was set up in 2005 which has the rights to advertising and distribution of the products manufactured by Gorodetskaya Rospis CJSC factory.

The painters of the factory – highly qualified specialists – now work at the small business. Many of them are members of the Union of Artists of Russia. Their works are exhibited at many Russian and foreign exhibitions, are purchased by museums, private galleries and collectors.

Now Trade House “Gorodetskaya Rospis” OJSC produces a wide choice of products with traditional patterned and topical painting and wood-carving. These include bread-baskets, kitchen boards, kitchen sets and kits with a number of objects, sets for tea and spices, boxes, salt-cellars, chests, wall panels. The choice of children furniture is also varied and includes tables, chairs, benches, beds, wardrobes, hall-stands.

Gorodetskaya Rospis enterprise meets orders for products for anniversaries, souvenirs, carved objects, icons, interior decorations, furniture for kindergartens and schools, etc.
Besides, the factory manufactures products in the tradition of Gorodets wood-carving. This tradition originated in the old art of home carving, the samples of which are in the collections of the largest Russian museums. It is based on the plant decorative pattern with inserted inscriptions and dates as well as images of lions and fairy-tale personages. The artists also use painted carving and incrustation of fumed oak.
In the modern world the traditions of Gorodets wood-carving are used in the production of heraldry objects and unique works of authorship.
The beautiful carving is used for decorating boxes, small panels, icon frameworks, small sculptures and honey-cakes boards (for baking honey-cakes).
Due to the use of carved boards Gorodets honey-cakes were not only a delicacy but a work of art. On the type-forms animals and birds were carved, as well as coat-of-arms with two-headed eagles and firm inscriptions and wishes. A typical characteristic of Gorodets honey-cakes was their small dimensions and weight. At special orders honey-cakes were baked to be presented to touring actors, the governor and even to Tsar Nikolay II.
Honey-cakes are still baked in Gorodets in accordance with the old technology, with the use of type-forms.

Within a short period of time an icon painting shop was organized at Gorodetskaya Rospis CJSC and the technology of icon-painting of the 14th – 15th centuries was revived.

The icon painting by the local artists was blessed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II and Mitropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas Nikolay.
The icons are made in strict conformity with the technology of the ancient icon painting, with the use of natural colours, dried wood and in accordance with the canon of icon images of the Holy Scriptures.

Another activity of the company “Gorodetskaya Rospis” is production of toys.
A toy is a living branch of the unfading tree of the folk culture. From generation to generation Gorodets masters pass the traditions of the craft and art, the ideals of labour and beauty. The folk toy is precious because it has embodied the folk poetic memory and represented the vivifying force of the folk art.

Gorodets masters have long made wooden toys with the help of an axe, which were very expressive and dynamic in terms of their plasticity.
The modern Gorodets masters appreciated the traditional toys very much. E. Staroverova, V. Derevyanko, N. Privalovskaya have created new patterns of toys: “Gorodets Residents”, “Fauna”, “Poultry Yard” and many others.

“Gorodetskaya Rospis” company has a museum where guests and tourists may get acquainted to the craft history and see the unique objects produced by masters.
Tourists may take part in a master-class of Gorodets painting. In the company’s store one can buy products of this handicraft.

Gorodets district is also famous for the unique clay toy – Zhbannikovo penny whistle.

The exact time of the craft origination is not known. On the territory of medieval Gorodets archeologists have found clay whistles dated to the 13th century. In the beginning of the 20th century similar whistles were made in the villages of Zhbannikovo, Proskurino, Roimino.

Museum funds and private collections were replenished by clay toys made by the first masters of the craft. One of the most famous masters of Zhbannikovo toys – P. Timofeeva. She has a museum of Zhbannikovo whistles – birds, horses, deer, sheep, cocks, horsemen… Her children also have become masters of the craft. The secrets of Zhbannikovo whistles craft are known to other craftsmen of Gorodets district as well.