Guslitskaya painting: history, meaning of elements, colors and description with photo

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

Guslitsy is a historical region located in the south-east of the Moscow region, which includes more than sixty settlements. The name of a small parish, connecting the past with the present, is due to the river of the same name. Several centuries ago, the original region was the center of the Old Believers, where the persecuted Old Believers lived, who rushed here after the church schism.

The region, whose history is full of ancient legends, occupies a special place in the national culture of our country.

The appearance of the book trade in the Guslitskaya volost

Adherents of native Orthodoxy, who wanted to preserve their culture, manually rewrote Old Believer books and continued to do so until the beginning of the 19th century. The Old Believers who inhabited the volost, engaged in various crafts, were very educated people. They even organized spontaneous schools where they taught peasants to read and write.

The Old Believers were engaged in Guslitsky painting, the history of which, most likely, dates back to the 17th century. However,to this day, researchers cannot figure out its origin. Some art historians are of the opinion that the roots of its traditional patterns should still be sought in the Byzantine ornament.

It is in Guslitsy that a unique book trade appears. Talented craftsmen lived and worked here, decorating manuscripts, which were very expensive. Despite the high price, the books were instantly distributed throughout the country, and their popularity was facilitated by both the elegant design of folios dressed in leather bindings and the high literacy of scribes.

Guslitsky manuscripts, in which the texts of hymns were copied, were most often intended for worship. Looking at these books, one can judge the attitude of the Old Believers towards the Lord. For them, he was a source of happiness, and therefore all the works are very cheerful.

The decline and the revival of arts and crafts

Original art, which became a unique phenomenon for the region, existed until the end of the 19th century. It was at this time that the market was flooded with book products issued by printing houses. Printed editions, which are much cheaper than handwritten ones, come out in large numbers. Census takers are deprived of orders, and with them their livelihood. Gradually, the folk craft that has existed for two hundred years is fading away, and the printed book is finally replacing the handwritten one.

Enthusiast scribes who worked in the 60s of the last century created on Whatman paper and drew with ink. However, many elements of the Guslitsky painting are very inferiortraditional patterns, because the craftsmen did not have the experience and necessary supplies.

And only ten years ago did the first attempts to revive decorative folk art appear.

A real miracle from the depths of time

The Guslitsky painting, the photo of which is presented in our article, was used to decorate Old Believer handwritten books, and this craft was not used anywhere else. The texts were decorated with a special type of ornament that did not contain imitations of any of the known ornaments, and the fantastically beautiful world of floral patterns is close to the folk art of the middle zone of our country.

Book copyists are artistically gifted people who have achieved high results in design. Skilled craftsmen, who knew the skills of Old Slavonic writing, decorated the manuscripts with colored headpieces and miniatures. The unusual beauty of the unique patterns instilled peace in the soul of the person who read them and at the same time gave the books a special sublimity.

Even within a single manuscript created in the Guslitsky district, various combinations of complex patterns are striking in their diversity.

The skill of artists who created unique works

Guslitskaya painting is a real exclusive. The incomparable style of writing arouses great interest not only among art historians, but also among the townsfolk.

The special worldview of the Old Believers is reflected in the bright painting, made only by hand. Elegantly designed books, painted by talented artists, are distinguished by lush ornaments, in whichRussian patterns and elements of European baroque. Decorated with colorful miniatures, they are incredibly popular.

The initial letter is the main element of the goslings

The pages of Old Believer books are decorated with capital letters. In Guslitsky painting, they are an indispensable part of book decor. Letters are depicted in the form of people, animals, colored floral ornaments.

The first letters of handwritten stories are an unusual element that plays more than just a decorative role. According to those who de alt with manuscripts, this is a kind of boundary point at which a completely different world arises. Ordinary life is interrupted and a new story is born.

The initial letter is the main element of the Guslitsky painting, in which the secrets of human passions (images of people and animals) and nature (vegetative ornament, including images of berries and flowers) intersect.

The text designed by the artists seems to be alive and is perceived by each person in his own way. In addition, any initial letter is a great space for creativity. They were so heavily ornamented that it is difficult for posterity to immediately identify the letter.

A riot of bright colors in the painting

The main feature of Guslitsky painting is bright colors that are combined with shining gilding. Thanks to their use, readers create a feeling of joy and celebration. It should be noted that such a riot of life-affirming colors is not found in any of the manuscript schools of the Old Believers.

The following color combinations are found:red and blue, blue and green, yellow and red. Other combinations are possible, but these varieties are considered the most popular. Talented artists balanced contrasting colors, skillfully selecting certain shades. From the middle of the 19th century, golden color appeared in the ornament of books, and headpieces became more solemn. Water-based paints were used for the painting, thanks to which the color transition turned out smoothly, and black ink was used for the stroke.

Plant motifs

The vegetal ornament "goose", which completed the tradition of decorating the Old Believer handwritten book, is unique and more reminiscent of a wooden carving. Each creator, having his own style, performed different forms of curls and flowers. Someone made them large, and someone, on the contrary, made them very small and elegant.

It is curious that the artists painted the folk-based ornament only on the title page and on the margins of the books, and at the very end of the text there were drawings - the so-called endings.

Very thin shading

In addition, the artists focused on the color shading, which was used when coloring the main elements of the Guslitsky painting. Modeling the volume, it was performed with sharp feathers. It is precisely the fine shading that is the main thing in the technique of creativity, honed over the centuries. Contemporaries cannot even understand how it was applied. Some researchers believe that it was a sharpened pen, while others are sure that it could not have done without a brush.

Screensavers that displace the text of manuscripts

An individual style has developed in Guslitsybook designs, and traditional screensavers, as well as marginal decorations, consisting of patterns of large shapes, take up more and more space on the page, displacing the text itself. And the characteristic ornament of the Guslitsky painting developed in the volost became obligatory for decorating the manuscripts of all Old Believers, wherever they lived.

Screensavers (small ornamental compositions highlighting the beginning of a section) often occupied the entire page of a handwritten book. They represent a complete composition, in which there are vertical columns entwined with a stem. Their compositional solution is characterized by the "stringing" of all components, as well as upward movement.

Besides, they have horizontal bases for three levels of drawing. It is believed that these tiers are a kind of correspondence to the three worlds (terrestrial, underground and heavenly). And in the upper there is always an irresistible desire to rise, to the divine.

The inside of the three-dimensional letters, as well as the headpieces, are decorated with both colored and bright golden curls of fancy patterns.

Elements of Guslitsky painting and their meaning

As historians suggest, a certain meaning was hidden in the combinations of elements of complex patterns for a very long time. However, the scribes have lost this language, and the ornament in ancient art is just an ornament. And many authors gave bizarre drawings their own interpretation.

For example, on the left side of the pages of handwritten books, you can often see bizarre-looking trees, on top of which you mustbirds are sitting. It is believed that this is an image of the tree of the world - a kind of model of the universe, where each creature has its own place.

The favorite ornamental elements of the Guslitsky painting are wonderful birds, which, according to the artists, symbolized goodness. Carrying good news to people, they are always distinguished by fantastic coloring.

Great opportunity to express yourself

Some people wrote the text, while others drew intricate patterns. The artists had "draw" - tracing paper with holes through which the ornament was applied. This was done in order to speed up the work and not to draw pictures of Guslitsky painting every time.

Stencils that have now appeared are a great opportunity to make any postcard or book unique. Even those who do not know how to draw at all will be able to choose from numerous options. Bright and complex patterns of ornaments attract contemporaries who have a desire to reproduce what they saw and give free rein to their rich imagination.

Labor-intensive work of artists

Those who want to master the basics of the unique Guslitsky painting should work very hard, because the stroke should be thinner than an eyelash.

This is a labor intensive job as the hatching is done with a very thin brush. And before you start painting, you will have to practice a lot. Some students develop their business after training, which is good news. However, the main thing is to keep the style so that the “pseudo goose” does not appear. The thing isthe fact that ancient painting can be compared with science, because everything in it is precisely verified, and artistic techniques have been worked out for centuries. And now she does not tolerate any liberties from modern masters.

Folk craft that should not disappear

Guslitskaya painting is a living thread leading to the distant past. And all attempts to revive it allow you to touch history, because this is a unique heritage of ancient Russian culture.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, folk craft will not be put on stream. So far, there are too few artists working in this complex technique. But even in the old days, only loners created real works of art, which are now admired. Let's hope that young professionals will pass on their skills to others, which means that the look of old art will not disappear and will live forever.