Russian ornament: pattern. Ukrainian ornament

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Like any ancient folk art, the ornament has its roots. This craftsmanship conveys the true soul of the people. Draws a historical line that reveals the national mentality. So, what is real ornamental art?

What is an ornament

We come across the word "ornament" quite often and usually think that we understand its meaning very well. But it turns out that everything is not so simple. Of course, an ornament is a drawing made in a special way on any surface. But where did the word itself come from? It turns out that it comes from the Latin ornamentum, which means "decoration." Such painting was widely used in ancient Russia to decorate clothes, weapons, household items, fabrics. The native Russian word “pattern” nevertheless comes closest to this term. Compared to it, an ornament-drawing sounds almost scientific, but it is precisely such a phrase that best reflects the essence of the matter. In principle, painting is the repeated repetition of one drawing in a special sequence.

Another thing is also interesting: in the West, an ornament-drawing was not considered a separate work of art, rather it was attributed only to stylization. Meanwhile, in Russia until the middle of the 19th century, such patterns were wornnot just the nature of jewelry, but also had a special mystical meaning.

For example, it was believed that certain ornamental patterns on clothes could protect against evil spirits and bad events - hunger, enemies, wounds in battle or death … Therefore, such patterns were made with special care and accuracy. Even if the craftswomen did not quite understand the meaning of the paintings they created, they repeated in detail what their predecessors had inherited.

Of course, drawings, ornaments, patterns are an integral part of ancient Russian culture; many generations of Russians were brought up on them. The beginning of this art is rooted in antiquity, so ancient that it is simply impossible to say exactly when this skill was born.

Meaning of ornaments

Drawings, ornaments, patterns, especially those that came to us from antiquity, tell about the worldview, traditions of people of ancient eras. At the same time, everything was done so that the ancient art was not a purely mechanical repetition of instructions. That is why at the beginning of the last century there was a tradition of so-called readings. It consisted in the fact that young craftswomen brought their work to the oldest needlewoman of the village for special gatherings. Here, the girls talked in detail about what their embroidery meant, thus passing a special “exam”.

It is interesting that the geometric ornament-pattern of those times could have a completely unexpected meaning for a modern person. In particular, one of the most common symbols was the swastika! It was she who was considered a signdevelopment, fertility, a symbol of natural cycles.

Today, solid "Hitlerisms" on ancient ornaments can simply shock many. But the energy potential of this sign is very high. So, as they say, you can't take words out of a song!

Ornaments and drawings on dishes. Khokhloma

In ancient times, in the Lower Volga region, a tradition arose to paint wooden utensils with intricate patterns. At first, craftsmen carved bowls, mugs and spoons from alder. Then the dishes were processed in a special way, painted with ornaments and hardened in a furnace. This is how the famous Russian Khokhloma appeared. Its "highlight" lies in the fact that when hardened, the utensils and patterns on it acquired a special golden sheen, which gave wooden products an unusual festive and expensive look.

In our time, Khokhloma, especially made by craftswomen in the Russian outback, is very much appreciated in the world market. Buyers from distant countries praise the masterpieces of Russian applied art.

Ukrainian ornament, drawings and patterns

Traditions of the Ukrainian ornament are also rooted in antiquity. Usually, the walls of houses, dishes and other items were used as the basis. At the same time, the ornament contained pagan symbols that had a special sacred meaning. In this sense, amulets acquired special interest - they are painted with special protective patterns, the exact meaning of which was known only to a few.

Over time, however, patterns have becomesign not only protective crafts, but also other items.

Symbolics of the Ukrainian ornament

The main symbols on such jewelry were images of the sun and water. And it is no coincidence. The sun was considered a symbol of man. Water, as a mother to all living things - women. It is these two components that can give the world a new life. That is why giving such jewelry was considered a wish to find your soul mate or strengthen an existing family with the birth of a child.

If we talk about the Ukrainian ornament, the drawings have always been made very symbolic. The image of birds was also important. These images symbolized the human soul. But doves or falcons in Ukrainian ornaments denote lovers who are ready to create a couple.

Petrikovskaya painting

Petrikovskaya painting is one of the most famous and widespread types of Ukrainian ornamental art. Its name comes from the village of Petrikovka, Dnepropetrovsk region, where the most talented masters of this business were and still are. They still keep old secrets.

"Petrikovka", as this type of art is called, is an example of decorative and ornamental folk painting. Once upon a time, only the walls of houses were painted like this, but over time, paying tribute to the new fashion and the desire of customers, the craftsmen began to decorate a wide variety of household items, in fact, turning them into decor items. Thus, Petrykivka painting can be found on chests, folk musical instruments, towels and blouses. Moreover, they paintedeven planters and sleds!

It must be said that Petrykivka painting, like no other kind of decorative art, reflected the currents of recent times. It began to be widely used in body art. This direction has spread in the form of a special art school with its own masters and traditions.

In addition, we have now managed to restore the technology of painting porcelain, glass, as well as many other objects that at first glance are not suitable for ornaments.

Finally, I would like to note that Russian and Ukrainian ornaments, although they have a number of features, generally reflect the single soul of the Slavic people - regardless of the country of residence of the masters.