Khokhloma painting history of fishing. Khokhloma painting
Khokhloma is a painting of wooden utensils and furniture that has become a folk craft. It arose at the beginning of the 18th century in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The craft got its name from the village of Khokhloma, where craftsmen and craftswomen sold painted dishes, cups and spoons at the fair.
Khokhloma dishes are varnished, which gives them a matte shine. Due to the abundance of yellow and orange colors in the painting, Khokhloma dishes began to be called wooden gold. It was made by hand in several stages. First, the dishes were carved from wood, then the craftsmen soaked it in drying oil and applied a thin layer of aluminum chips to the surface of the product. After this, the dishes acquired a shiny White color and was ready for painting. The painting was done with oil paints. The main colors were black and red, later other shades were used. Painted items were varnished and hardened in an oven. This is how “wooden gold” was made.
Khokhloma can be distinguished from traditional handicrafts due to the color palette that is used in its creation. Green, yellow and red berries, flowers and leaves are scattered on a black background. There are rarely shades in the painting of blue color. Khokhloma painting looks especially festive and elegant with the presence of animals, fish, and, of course, birds on it. The painting patterns were never repeated; they were applied by hand by the artist.
For a long time, the production of Khokhloma was hampered by the high cost of tin. Only a wealthy customer could afford such a painting. In the 18th century, such customers in the Volga region turned out to be monasteries. Craftsmen from the Nizhny Novgorod region were called as workers to church parishes to get acquainted with the production of unusual, beautiful tableware.
Modern production of Khokhloma is concentrated in Russia in two centers: the city of Semenov, where there are two factories for the production of Khokhloma products, and the village of Semino, Koverninsky district. Their products are valued all over the world. Now the Khokhloma painting pattern has become so popular and relevant that it can be found on clothes, wrapping paper, and in room decoration.
Wooden Gold Report
Wooden gold - this term has long been used to describe wooden dishes with Khokhloma painting.
Khokhloma or Khokhloma painting first appeared in the 17th century in the Russian village of the same name Khokhloma in the current Nizhny Novgorod region. It rightfully deserves the role of an original Russian craft.
A special feature of the painting is the color scheme, only a few colors are used, namely red, green, gold, in addition they use orange and a little blue, the last 2 colors are much less common. Wooden dishes, souvenirs and furniture are painted with bright rich colors. The blanks are first coated with black paint. Despite the dark background, the painting looks very rich and majestic.
Traditional elements of painting include: red rowan berries and strawberries, they are elegantly and tenderly enveloped in golden branches, leaves and flowers, and animal motifs can often be found.
Since ancient times, each blank for painting was made by hand by a master; this method is traditional. Now there are few craftsmen left who go through the entire process of creating a masterpiece by hand. Production was mainly carried out on a conveyor belt, but the main stages of making masterpieces were retained, such as priming a wooden blank, painting, coating with a special varnish and long-term drying in an oven. As in ancient times, dishes with this painting are highly valued; they have long been presented as gifts to the closest and dearest guests.
Although Khokhloma is called wooden gold, it has nothing to do with it directly, as a precious metal; gold is not used in painting. A yellowish tint is given by a special varnish based on drying oil that is used to coat wooden utensils. Khokhloma was nicknamed wooden gold for the reason that when painting, the gold color of paint is used much more often than others.
Wooden gold is valued for its indescribable beauty, but it is also valued for its durable lacquer coating, thanks to which utensils are used for a long time in everyday life, and it does not lose its attractive appearance.
Khokhloma painting popular not only at home, but also abroad. Foreigners in mandatory They take away spoons, plates and glasses with this famous painting; sometimes you can see Khokhloma as decoration for clothes, home, and even various cases for smartphones. Painting has become an integral part of Russian culture.
Nizhny Novgorod province, from 1929 to 1936 - Semenovsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region of the RSFSR and Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) region and from 1936 to 1990 of the Gorky region, now part of the Khokhloma village council of the Koverninsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region). It is a decorative painting of wooden utensils and furniture, made in red, green and golden tones on a black background.painting
The painting looks bright despite the dark background. To create a picture, colors such as red, yellow, orange, A little green And blue. Also in the painting is always present gold color. Traditional elements of Khokhloma are red juicy rowan and strawberries, flowers and branches. Birds, fish and animals are also common.
Story
It is believed that Khokhloma painting arose in the 17th century on the left bank of the Volga, in the villages of Bolshie and Malye Bezdeli, Mokushino, Shabashi, Glibino, Khryashi [ ] The village of Khokhloma (since 2010, part of the Koverninsky district of the Nizhny Novgorod region) was a large distribution center where finished products were brought [ ], that’s where the name of the painting came from [ ] .
Since the nearest railway station from Kovernino was Semenov station, this type of painting acquired significant development there at the beginning of the 20th century [ ] . Nevertheless, Kovernino is considered the birthplace of Khokhloma [ ], which is reflected in the approved coat of arms of the region.
At the moment, there are many versions of the origin of Khokhloma painting, here are the two most common:
According to the most common version, the unique method of painting wooden utensils “like gold” in the forest Trans-Volga region and the very birth of the craft were attributed to the Old Believers. Even in ancient times, among the residents of local villages, securely hidden in the wilderness of forests, there were many Old Believers, that is, people fleeing persecution for the “old faith.”
Among the Old Believers who moved to Nizhny Novgorod, there were many icon painters and masters of book miniatures. They brought with them ancient icons and handwritten books, exquisite painting skills, free-hand calligraphy and examples of the richest floral designs.
In turn, local craftsmen were excellent at turning, passing on from generation to generation the skills of making tableware forms and the art of three-dimensional carving. At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, the forest Trans-Volga region became a real artistic treasure. The art of Khokhloma was inherited from the Trans-Volga masters " classic shapes"turning utensils, plastic carved shapes of ladles, spoons, and from icon painters - pictorial culture, the skill of the "fine brush" and, no less important, the secret of making "golden" utensils without the use of gold.
But there are documents indicating otherwise. The method of simulating gilding on wood, akin to the Khokhloma method, was used by Nizhny Novgorod artisans in painting wooden utensils back in 1640-1650, before the advent of the Old Believers. In the large Nizhny Novgorod craft villages of Lyskovo and Murashkino, in the Trans-Volga “village Semenovskoye” (the future city of Semenov - one of the centers of Khokhloma painting), wooden utensils were made - brothers, ladles, dishes for festive table- painted “for tin work,” that is, using tin powder. The method of painting wooden utensils “for tin work,” which probably preceded the Khokhloma method, arose from the experience of icon painters and local Volga region traditions of tableware craft.
The production of Khokhloma dishes was hampered for a long time by the high cost of imported tin. Only a very wealthy customer could provide tin to the craftsmen. In the Volga region, such customers turned out to be monasteries. Thus, the villages of Khokhloma, Skorobogatovo and about 80 villages along the rivers Uzola and Kerzhenets worked for the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. From the documents of the monastery it is clear that the peasants of these villages were called to work in the workshops of the Lavra, where they could get acquainted with the production of festive bowls and ladles. It is no coincidence that it was the villages of Khokhloma and Skorobogatovo that became the birthplace of the original painting of dishes, so similar to precious ones.
The abundance of forests and the proximity of the Volga - the main trade artery of the Trans-Volga region - also contributed to the development of the fishery: laden " chipped" goods, the ships were sent to Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod, Makaryev, famous for their fairs, and from there to the Saratov and Astrakhan provinces. Through the Caspian steppes, Khokhloma dishes were delivered to Central Asia, Persia, and India. The British, Germans, and French willingly bought Trans-Volga products in Arkhangelsk, where they were delivered through Siberia. The peasants turned, painted wooden utensils and took them for sale to the large trading village of Khokhloma, Nizhny Novgorod province, where there was a trade. This is where the name “Khokhloma painting”, or simply “Khokhloma” comes from.
There is also a legendary explanation for the appearance of Khokhloma painting. There was a wonderful icon painter Andrei Loskut. He fled from the capital, dissatisfied with the church innovations of Patriarch Nikon, and began in the wilderness of the Volga forests to paint wooden crafts and paint icons according to the old model. Patriarch Nikon found out about this and sent soldiers after the rebellious icon painter. Andrei refused to obey, burned himself in a hut, and before his death he bequeathed to people to preserve his skill. Andrei came out in sparks and crumbled. Since then, the bright colors of Khokhloma have been burning with a scarlet flame, sparkling with gold nuggets.
Modernity
Technology
To make products with Khokhloma painting, they first beat the thumbs, that is, make rough wooden blanks. Then the workpiece is given the desired shape on a lathe or milling machine. The resulting products - carved ladles and spoons, suppliers and cups - the basis for painting, are called “linen”.
After drying, the “linen” is primed with liquid purified clay - wax. After priming, the product is dried for 7-8 hours and must be manually coated with several layers of drying oil (linseed oil). The master dips a special swab made from sheep or calf leather, turned inside out, into a bowl of drying oil, and then quickly rubs it into the surface of the product, turning it so that the drying oil is distributed evenly. This operation is very responsible. The quality of wooden utensils and the durability of the painting will depend on it in the future. During the day, the product is coated with drying oil 3-4 times. The last layer is dried until “slightly tacky” - when the drying oil slightly sticks to the finger, no longer staining it. The next stage is “tinning”, that is, rubbing aluminum powder into the surface of the product. It is also performed manually using a sheepskin tampon. After tinning, the objects acquire a beautiful white-mirror shine and are ready for painting.
And then the background is filled with black paint, the design of the leaf or flower remains golden). In addition, there are various types of ornaments:
- "gingerbread" - usually inside a cup or dish geometric figure- square or rhombus - decorated with grass, berries, flowers;
- “grass” - a pattern of large and small blades of grass;
- “Kudrina” - leaves and flowers in the form of golden curls on a red or black background.
Masters also use simplified ornaments. For example, “speckled”, which is applied with a stamp cut from the plates of a puffball mushroom, or with a specially folded piece of fabric. All products are hand-painted, and the painting is not repeated anywhere. No matter how expressive the painting may be, as long as the pattern or background remains silver, it is not yet real “Khokhloma”.
The painted products are coated with a special varnish 4-5 times (with intermediate drying after each layer) and finally hardened for 3-4 hours in an oven at a temperature of +150... +160 °C until a golden-colored oil-varnish film is formed. This is how the famous “golden Khokhloma” is obtained.
I continue to cover my trip to the event, held in the city of Semenov. Next up is the second part of three, entirely dedicated to factory, where Khokhloma dishes and nesting dolls are produced.
Let me remind you that we got to the plant for free. It was an excursion that also included a trip to the museum, which I wrote about in.
So, Khokhloma painting is a traditional artistic craft that appeared in the 17th century in the Nizhny Novgorod province. This painting got its name from the large village of Khokhloma. Since the mid-1960s. and to this day, the Khokhloma Painting plant is the largest manufacturer of wood products with Khokhloma painting. The city of Semenov is considered the capital of this beautiful craft.
As befits any excursion, we were accompanied by our own guide, who talked about the plant, Khokhloma, manufacturing technologies, and the history of its origins. It all started with the monument to Semyon Lozhkar - the man with whom the history of Khokhloma began.
Then the next monument to “Artist and teacher T.P. Matveev.” from the masters of Golden Khokhloma":
I really liked that throughout the plant there are a large number of various, mostly children's sculptures for children. They are gorgeous!
Great thing - a shop of reconciliation! I propose to install such benches everywhere in all cities and parks!))
On the territory of the Khokhloma Painting plant, a very beautiful and huge wooden hut was installed. It was built using traditional technologies of that time and serves as a museum where anyone can see how the life of a Russian person was structured.
Then we were taken around the workshops. The first workshop is woodworking, where craftsmen make blanks for future nesting dolls and dishes.
At the entrance to this workshop there is such a composition:
This is what the beginning of the workshop looks like - a storage area for wooden blocks:
At the factory, they pay their workers little, so even women have to stand at the machines. By the way, the guide herself told us that the painting masters also don’t hold up. When they get the hang of it, they immediately leave and, as a rule, practice this craft on their own at home, and sell their products in Moscow. They say that they earn much more with this scheme.
Of course, men also work in woodworking:
Moreover, the man in the photo above is probably the star of the Khokhloma Painting factory, because all excursions stop near his workplace to appreciate how he skillfully makes silhouettes of future nesting dolls and dishes from wooden blanks.
The next destination on our factory tour was the painting shop. At first it was a room where craftsmen worked on nesting dolls:
In general, photography is prohibited there, so the photographs were taken “on the sly” while no one was looking. In general, the women who work there are kind, smiling, and they do such delicate and complex work very beautifully.
On the eve of the Sochi Olympics 2014, the plant launched a line of products special for this event. They have a large store on the territory of the museum, where there is already a bulk of Sochi Khokhloma paraphernalia. When we walked around the plant, we often saw almost finished products, so the Sochi theme was revealed!))
After watching how the nesting dolls were painted, we were taken to another workshop where all the other products were painted.
For tourists there is an information stand where you can see the entire technological process of manufacturing products with Khokhloma painting:
We noticed that there was sooo much greenery there. They probably help cleanse the air of paint fumes. Here are some photos of how specialists' workplaces are equipped.
The last destination was the room with the master class. There we sat down comfortably and were given a wooden matryoshka doll and paint. Anyone, also free of charge, could paint their own version of the nesting doll and take it as a souvenir! Great, isn't it?
My version of the correct nesting doll is this:
This concludes our tour of the Khokhloma Painting factory. After that we were taken to, but that’s a completely different story, don’t switch!))
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Introduction........................................................ ........................................................ .......... 2
The origins of Khokhloma painting.................................................... ....................... 3
Periods of development of Khokhloma art.................................................... ......... 7
Khokhloma painting in the second half of the twentieth century.................................... 17
Conclusion................................................. ........................................................ ..... thirty
Bibliography................................................ ........................................... 31
Khokhloma wood painting, Russian folk art. It arose in the 2nd half of the 17th century. on the territory of the modern Koverninsky district of the Gorky region; The name of the fishery was given by the trade village. Khokhloma of the same region is the center of sales of Khokhloma painting products in the 18th - early 20th centuries. Khokhloma painting is characterized by an original technique of painting wood in a golden color without the use of gold. Objects turned from wood (mainly dishes) were primed with a solution of clay, damp linseed oil and tin powder (in modern products - aluminum), on a layer of which a floral pattern was made in a free brush style of writing, then covered with linseed oil varnish (now synthetic) and hardened at high temperature in an oven. The typical color of Khokhloma painting is a combination of red and black with gold. Common types of painting are “top” (red and black on a golden background) and “under the background” (golden silhouette pattern on a colored background). Extinct at the beginning of the 20th century. the fishery has been revived in modern times; in the 20s - early 30s. masters united in artels. In the 1960s The Khokhloma Artist factory was created in the homeland of the craft and the Khokhloma Painting production association in the city of Semenov, which became the centers of this artistic craft. They produce dishes, spoons, furniture, souvenirs, etc. Masters: F. A. Bedin, A. T. Busova, O. N. and S. P. Veselovs, E. N. Dospalova, Z. F. Kieva, O P. Lushina, A. G. and F. N. Podogov, A. P. Savinova, M. F. Sineva, I. E. Tyukalov, etc.
Already in those distant times, which we are trying to get an idea of, according to archaeological excavations, in the Volga region they were engaged in the manufacture of wooden utensils. Wood was the most convenient and affordable material for creating household items. Agile shuttles called “botniks” were hollowed out of tree trunks, figured ladles were carved, decorating their handles with carved silhouettes of horses, and various shapes of dishes were turned.
Everyone who settled in these places had to engage in crafts. The lands here were infertile, and there was not enough harvest until spring. Only forest wealth and nimble hands saved them from hunger and want. The proximity of the great Volga route contributed to the fact that wooden utensils began to be produced here early for sale.
However, the first tableware industries of the Trans-Volga region were still no different from the many similar industries that developed on the territory of our country. As in other areas, local craftsmen coated products with linseed oil or drying oil prepared from it. This gave strength to wooden utensils and made them more beautiful. This method of varnishing the surface of wood has not been forgotten even now. Until recently, it was used in the production of the cheapest cups and salt shakers, which served as everyday household items.
When did the art of golden Khokhloma arise? We do not have the data to answer this question definitively. Probably, the masters of the Volga region began to paint dishes long before they mastered the technique of “golden” painting. Back in the 19th century, along with “gilded” wooden utensils, cheap cups and salt shakers were also made here, the surface of which was decorated only with the simplest geometric patterns - rosettes, diamonds, spiral curls and wavy lines applied with a stamp or brush.
Getting acquainted with the wooden vessels of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries preserved in museums and manufactured at monasteries, we do not find among them products whose surfaces were painted golden using techniques similar to Khokhloma. They are similar to Khokhloma only in shape, cinnabar background, and sometimes in the gold belts decorating them, but these belts are made with powdered gold, which was not used in Khokhloma.
We find the techniques closest to Khokhloma painting among icon painters. Masters ancient Rus' knew how to save expensive metal. To paint the background of the icon golden, they sometimes used silver powder rather than gold. After painting, the icon was coated with varnish made from linseed oil and heated in an oven. Influenced high temperature the varnish film acquired a golden hue, and the silver powder shining through it became like gold. This technique became especially widespread in the 17th century. XVIII centuries, when the decoration of Russian churches becomes especially rich and magnificent. They create tall gilded iconostases with large icons. Icons and church furniture are painted golden. The techniques of writing with silver instead of gold at this time became known to a wide range of Russian icon painters.Most likely, the time of the emergence of the art of Khokhloma painting was the second half of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries, when the dense Kerzhen forests became a place of settlement for Old Believers fleeing persecution from the tsarist government and church authorities. After church reforms, opponents of Patriarch Nikon sought refuge here, forced to leave Moscow and the largest Russian cities. Participants in the Solovetsky Old Believer revolt also fled here to escape the massacre.
Among the schismatic settlers were icon painters and masters of hand-painted miniatures. The high skill of these artists is evidenced by two icon cases from the end of the 17th century, preserved in the collections of the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum. Their painting with plant motifs typical of the 17th century resembles covers made of precious gold fabrics. The shapes of fantastic flowers are outlined with contour lines and skillfully trimmed with strokes. On a dark red background among the greenery, golden stems and petals shine, made in the same icon-painting technique of gilding wood, which is close to Khokhloma.
Old Believers-schismatics brought with them ancient icons, handwritten books, richly decorated with miniatures and ornamental headpieces, patterned fabrics, and jewelry. Thus, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the distant forest wilderness of the Trans-Volga region became the richest treasury of ancient Russian art. This could not but affect the development of local artistic culture. In the new lands, the Old Believers were forced to take up crafts. Workshops appeared in their hermitages, in which dishes were sharpened and painted. The wealthiest settlers became traders and buyers. Having started painting turning utensils, icon painters could use the techniques known to them for painting wood golden in color with silver, which allowed local craftsmen to also produce original products that did not know competition in markets and fairs. This is obviously how the art of golden Khokhloma was born.
In the memory of the old residents of the region, legends about the origin of Khokhloma painting have been preserved, confirming that it was introduced by Old Believers icon painters. By talking with them, you can different options hear stories about the associates of Ataman Razin who fled here, about the arrival of masters of icon painting who were fleeing church persecution. One of the legends tells that among the hiding icon painters there was a famous master. He built a house in the forest on the bank of the river and began painting dishes in it. His patterned bowls looked like gold. Faithful people helped sell them. However, they found out in Moscow where the gilded bowls were brought from and guessed who painted them. And so the tsar’s soldiers set off in search of the master... Having learned about this, the master called men from neighboring villages, showed them his skill, gave them paints and brushes and disappeared. Some say that it was on the bank of Kerzhenets, others - on the bank of Uzola. Perhaps this was the fate of not one, but several masters.
Along with the painting technique, ornamental designs known to icon painters also penetrated into Khokhloma. The origins of the main types of craft ornament can be seen in Russian decorative art XVII- beginning of the 18th century. At this time, floral ornament became especially widespread. The techniques of its execution were varied. When painting walls, furniture and household items, herbal designs were often made, applied freely with a brush. The drawing of flowers and leaves was completed with rich strokes of white - revival. This ornament, associated with the painting traditions of ancient Rus', served as the basis for the formation of Khokhloma grass patterns.
Khokhloma painting also reflected graphic patterns with clear linear contours and elaboration of details with strokes. They contributed to the appearance of drawings using the “background” technique. The motifs of “curls” were suggested by drawings with curls that decorated the headpieces of manuscripts. Many features of Khokhloma paintings were the result of the fusion of two traditional lines of Russian decorative art, one of which went back to the ornamentation of icon painting and hand-painted miniatures, and the other to the crafts of ancient Rus'. In each of them, folk national characteristics of the understanding of ornament were manifested in their own way, each of them had professionally established techniques.
On the basis of this heritage, a new art is being formed in Khokhloma, connected in its future destinies with the design of everyday objects. The floral patterns brought to Khokhloma by icon painters are undergoing significant changes. It becomes much more concise and clear. The nature of his composition was greatly influenced by the traditions of ancient geometric patterns, distinguished by classically simple and perfect techniques for constructing patterns.
Khokhloma painting as a traditional artistic craft arose in the 17th century in the Nizhny Novgorod province and received its name from the large trading village of Khokhloma, where all wooden products were brought for auction.
At the moment, there are many versions of the origin of Khokhloma painting, here are the two most common:
First version
According to the most common version, the unique method of painting wooden utensils “like gold” in the forested Trans-Volga region and the very birth of the Khokhloma craft were attributed to the Old Believers.
Even in ancient times, among the residents of local villages, securely hidden in the wilderness of forests, there were many “Old Believers,” that is, people fleeing persecution for the “old faith.”
Among the Old Believers who moved to Nizhny Novgorod, there were many icon painters and masters of book miniatures. They brought with them ancient icons and handwritten books with colorful headpieces, they brought subtle painting skills, free-hand calligraphy and samples of the richest floral designs.
In turn, local craftsmen were excellent at turning, passing on from generation to generation the skills of making tableware forms and the art of three-dimensional carving. At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, the forest Trans-Volga region became a real artistic treasure. The art of Khokhloma inherited from the Volga masters the “classical forms” of turning utensils, the plasticity of the carved shapes of ladles and spoons, and from the icon painters - the pictorial culture, the skill of the “fine brush”. And, no less important, the secret of making “golden” utensils without the use of gold.
Second version
But there are documents indicating otherwise. The method of simulating gilding on wood, akin to the Khokhloma method, was used by Nizhny Novgorod artisans in painting wooden utensils back in 1640-1650, before the advent of the Old Believers. 
In the large Nizhny Novgorod craft villages of Lyskovo and Murashkino, in the Trans-Volga “village Semenovskoye” (the future city of Semenov - one of the centers of Khokhloma painting), wooden utensils were made - brothers, ladles, dishes for the festive table - painted “for tin work”, that is, using tin powder. 
The method of painting wooden utensils “for tin work,” which probably preceded the Khokhloma method, arose from the experience of icon painters and local Volga region traditions of tableware craft.
Khokhloma - decorative painting of wooden utensils. This type of artistic folk thought originated in the 17th century in villages near the trading village of Khokhloma, Nizhny Novgorod region. In the 20th century, the village of Semino and the city of Semenov became the center of the fishery, where the Khokhloma Painting and Semenovskaya Painting factories are located to this day.
A distinctive feature of the painting is a floral ornament made in black and red paints on a golden background. In order for the dishes to receive a golden sheen, tin powder is applied to it, which, after firing in the oven, gives a honey-golden hue.
There are two types of Khokhloma painting: “mountain”, when the background is first painted over, and a drawing remains on top, and “under the background”, when the outline of the ornament is outlined before painting, and only then the background is filled with black paint.
Khokhloma painting is easily recognizable by its traditional elements: flowers, strawberries and rowan berries, and sometimes birds. The painting is done with a thin brush and applied only by hand, so the pattern is never repeated. It decorates dishes, spoons, ladles and even some pieces of home furniture.
Now in the city of Semenov there is an art school that trains masters of Khokhloma painting. 
Khokhloma: dishes worthy of a royal table outside the window it’s autumn, and it’s time to remember the wonderful, very autumnal folk craft - Khokhloma painting, isn’t it true, looking at it, you can warm your soul.. I remember in my childhood in our house there were such spoons that were a little simpler - they gave it to me, the borscht was much tastier with it)))) the rest were for beauty. Khokhloma painting is a unique phenomenon in world culture. This style of painting wooden utensils is originally Russian, and is unique nowhere else in the world!
Khokhloma painting originated in the Volga region, and got its name from one of the villages of the Nizhny Novgorod district - Khokhloma. In the second half of the 17th century, after church reforms, many Old Believers sought refuge in these places. Among them were icon painters, thanks to whom Khokhloma painting appeared.
When painting icons, the following technology was used: to paint the background gold, the craftsmen used cheaper silver powder rather than gold. After painting, the icon was coated with linseed oil and baked in an oven, as a result of which the background became golden in color. This is such alchemy! Masters began to use a similar technology in Khokhloma painting, only instead of silver they used tin powder (and nowadays aluminum), but the result was the same - the product became sunny gold. Truly, dishes worthy of a royal table, but accessible to ordinary people!
The main colors used in Khokhloma painting are gold, black and red. Sometimes these colors are complemented with green, brown, orange, and yellow. The motifs used in painting are mainly natural: these are herbs, flowers, berries. Horse painting has several varieties, the so-called “grass painting” is the simplest of the Khokhloma paintings:
And this is a painting “like a leaf”, “like a berry”: 
This kind of horse painting is called “Gingerbread” or “Ryzhik” and symbolizes the sun: 
Background painting is done like this: the master draws the contours of the composition in black or red, and then paints over the background and draws in the details with strokes. This is very labor-intensive work! Background painting includes a type of composition called “kudrina” - fancy patterned leaves, flowers and fruits: 
There is also green Khokhloma. Such painting is done at the Khokhloma Painting enterprise in the city of Semenov, Nizhny Novgorod region. 
They say that Lyudmila Zykina once came to this enterprise and asked to make something for herself with her favorite flowers - lilies of the valley. Her request was not refused, and then this version of the painting was launched into mass production. And what a wonderful pattern it turned out to be! Thanks to Lyudmila Georgievna Zykina for inspiring the masters to create a new standard of Khokhloma. It is very pleasant and joyful that such an ancient and unique folk craft not only flourishes to this day, but is also developing harmoniously. 
And, here is such a masterpiece of modern Khokhloma 
In the 19th century, Khokhloma dishes could be found not only in Russia, but also in Persia, India, Central Asia, the USA and Australia. And in our time, Khokhloma dishes have become even more widespread. 
From the mid-1960s to the present day, the Khokhloma Painting enterprise has been the largest manufacturer of artistic wood products with Khokhloma painting, and the city of Semenov is rightfully considered the capital of Golden Khokhloma. 
The original technology of gilding wooden products, developed over centuries, which came from icon painting, has been preserved practically unchanged to the present day. 
First, turning utensils ready for further processing are turned from dried linden wood: bowls and barrels, stands and vases, spoons and ladles are cut out. 
Next, they are dried and covered with a special red-brown soil, which makes them all look like clay. Then soak in boiled linseed oil (linseed oil) and rub with aluminum powder. They become matte-shiny, reminiscent of silver, and in this form they are sent to the painting workshop. Painted items are varnished two or three times and hardened in an oven at a temperature of 120–130 degrees. The resulting varnish film gives the silver surface a golden shine. Thus the tree turns into “gold”. 
Thanks to a special varnish coating and high-temperature processing, the products are practical and safe to use. You can drink and eat from Khokhloma dishes, and it does not lose its appearance from cold and hot dishes, as well as salty and sour foods. 
All products of the Khokhloma Painting CJSC enterprise are certified and protected by the internationally registered trademark “Semenov. Khokhloma painting". 
Products with Khokhloma painting are business card not only in the Nizhny Novgorod region, but throughout the country as a whole. 
The Semyonovskaya matryoshka doll, produced at the Khokhloma Painting enterprise, represents the symbol of Russia for many people in the world. 
Khokhloma products are supplied to the domestic Russian market from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, as well as to many countries around the world, where high interest in them has not waned for many centuries. 
The company's assortment includes more than 1,800 items of products for utilitarian and decorative purposes - these are sets for fish soup, desserts, sets (about 100 types, in some up to 180 items), carved ladles, bratins, candlesticks, vases, suppliers, barrels, damasks, panels, music boxes, spoons and painted furniture. 
In addition to the main assortment, the company prepared a souvenir produced for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. 
And also a nesting doll with the symbol of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. 
The enterprise includes large workshops: the first and second art workshop, carpentry, drying and procurement, experimental, pressing, transport, packaging, as well as a materials warehouse and a finished product assembly workshop 
Work at the Khokhloma Painting enterprise in the Nizhny Novgorod region. 
