The art of Gzhel: origins and modern development of the fishery. How to draw Gzhel?

In the whole world, the bright and unique, memorable and poetic art of Gzhel is popular. Scenes from everyday life and fairy-tale characters, floral ornaments, made in various shades of blue on a snow-white background, attract the eye and fascinate. There are no two similar Gzhel objects in the world, whether it's a cup, a sugar bowl or a plate, because each of them is painted by the artist manually. In the article, let's try to talk about the history of the development of the fishery, the features of the painting, which Gzhel is famous for, how to draw its patterns and where to start.

Where can I find it?

Just 60 kilometers from Moscow, on the bank of the Gzhelka River, is the ancient village of Gzhel. It received its name from the Old Russian word "stitch", which means "burn". They inhabit these parts of the Old Believers, who managed even in modern life to preserve their traditional way of life and their beliefs.

How it all began

Clay became the starting point, thanks to which the art of Gzhel was born and developed through the ages. It is in these places that Gzhel-Kudinovskoye deposit of refractory clays is located. Local residents extracted it and made necessary household dishes, decorating it to please themselves and others.

Since the XVII century Gzhel peasants sent clay to the Moscow Aptekarsky order for state needs. In the XVIII century clay from these places helped to solve the riddle of porcelain and was used to create the first Russian products from it.

In the nineteenth century, there are fewer masters working alone, they unite in artels, and the most successful open their own, albeit small, factories.

The revolution of 1917 destroyed the artels and workshops, left Gzhel's craftsmen without work. Only in 1933 Gzhel Ceramic Factory was established in the village of Turygino, where blue-white, and not colored, as before, mugs, plates and other things necessary for the Soviet state began to be produced.

In the postwar years, the national craft is actively developing. In the works of that time, one can already see how the art of Gzhel, the origins and modern development of the craft, harmoniously combining, bring to a new level the skill of artists.

In 1972 the Production Association "Gzhel" was created, combining all existing at that time production.

How is it done?

The art of Gzhel begins with the creation of a sketch of the future work. According to him, special model-makers model a model from plasticine, with which a plaster mold is already cast. When it freezes, it is cut along into two equal parts, in each of which a rubber slurry is poured into the slurry - purified clay, diluted with water. After drying out of the mold, the product is removed with residual marks from the connectors that are cleaned by the holders. The peeled object is sent to an oven at a temperature of 900 ^° C.

How is Gzhel painted?

After a hot stove, the time for painting begins, which begins with the transfer of the picture, invented by the artist, to a product placed on a spinning traveler. The masters have only one chance to accurately recreate the intended pattern, because the porous material absorbs the paint instantly. A spatula, brushes, a glass palette and a jar of black cobalt oxide - that's all the tools. Cobalt - a special paint, designed for painting on ceramics. During application, it remains black, changing color to blue only after firing. The paint is the only one, but there are a lot of shades of bright blue on the finished objects! Such a variety is achieved by special methods of Gzhel writing.

Features

The art of Gzhel refers to the so-called underglaze painting, that is, performed on a burned shard before applying glaze on it. After the drawing is done, it is dipped in the glaze, after which it is again burned, but already at a temperature of +1350 ⁰ С. The main methods of painting are a broad smear that allows to create a smooth transition from dark blue to slightly blue. The pattern forms a continuous smear, both broad and narrow, passing into a thin line.

Today we can talk about the Gzhel writing system that has been formed and that a special and unique style has been created - gzhel.

Kinds

All the variety of Gzhel mural is reduced to the creative use of its three main types:

• Vegetable, depicting stylized and generalized herbs, berries, cereals, leaves, garlands and bouquets. Most often, masters draw roses and daisies, lilies and carnations, poppies and dahlias, asters and peonies.
• Ornamental. It includes a variety of "checkers", "antennae", "droplets", "pearls" and "combs" - mesh, used to fill the inner space of large elements, such as a circle or a star.
• The plot. These are heroes and scenes from fairy tales, the artist noticed the situation in everyday urban and rural life, various states of nature and landscapes.

And how to draw it?

If you liked Gzhel, how to draw it, we will tell you. First, do not immediately try to draw a large and complex composition. Best of all, having prepared a white and blue gouache, squirrel brushes and a jar of water, try your hand at drawing simple straight lines, mesh and dots, grass blades and curls, arcs. Then, when all this is mastered, you can begin to study the basic brush strokes used in the painting. Try to make together with your son or daughter a drawing in the technique of "Gzhel". For children this is not just fun, it's an excellent cognitive entertainment! Such a joint lesson will not only help to rally the family and provide an opportunity to communicate, but it will also help your child develop fine motor skills, perseverance, observation and memory.