Compose a message on the topic Gzhel. Gzhel. The history of the industry. Artistic design of products

The art of the people and their creativity invariably reflect their originality and spiritual wealth. One of such well-known Russian folk crafts is Gzhel. The unsurpassed art of filigree painting on clay products and the peculiarities of the drawing make it possible to call Gzhel the property of Russia with full confidence. This folk craft with a long history and is now very popular. Gzhel not only pleases the eye with a unique and intricate ornament, but also plunges into a mysterious and intriguing fairy-tale world.

The history of Gzhel and its origins

The name of this folk craft is associated with the village of Gzhel, located in the Moscow region. The place is very picturesque, but not fertile. For a long time, the inhabitants of this village tried to engage in agriculture. However, their time was wasted. All failures were associated with a huge layer of white clay, which lay almost on the surface. After it became known about the high quality of this clay, that excellent porcelain was obtained from it, a folk craft was born associated with the manufacture of various pottery. Local craftsmen created not only dishes, but also children's toys. The first products of the potters of this area have been known since 1320.

Gradually, the original drawing, the unique painting and the amazing originality of the Gzhel became very popular, and individual workshops merged into large productions.

There is an opinion that at first this folk craft was called "zhgel", and then for the convenience of pronunciation they switched to the word "gzhel". The very name of the village meant "to burn".

Features of the Gzhel fishery

The difference between Gzhel and other folk crafts, which allows us to confidently call it a unique, distinctive, inimitable and original part of Russian art, is the unusualness of the painting and, of course, handmade. The main feature of Gzhel is a pattern in blue tones on a snow-white background and a pattern representing a complex floral ornament. Thanks to the contrast of cobalt paint and white background, a unique brightness of color is created, which invariably attracts the eye and makes you admire the work of the master again and again.

In addition, the pattern is applied under the glaze and only then the product is fired. Cobalt is one of the few paints that can withstand oven temperatures of 1300 degrees.

Variety of Gzhel forms

Products from Gzhel are distinguished not only by a huge variety of patterns and original ornaments, but also by a wide choice of shapes.

The world of Gzhel is represented by such items as:

tea pairs
services
flower vases
Teapots
sugar bowls
Sockets for jam
Samovars
Souvenirs

A wonderful and unusual gift in addition to the above are: shtofy, plaquette, kumgan.

Shtof is a tetrahedral vessel with a short neck and stopper. In the old days, it was used to store strong alcoholic beverages. A plaquette made in the Gzhel technique is a painted decorative plate and serves as a wonderful interior decoration. Kumgan is a vessel with a narrow neck, a thin spout, a handle and a lid. Previously, it was used to wash hands and feet, and now, thanks to the Gzhel masters, it is a wonderful and memorable gift.

Gzhel is also represented by a rich variety of souvenirs. Among them are figures of animals, heroes folk tales, snowmen, fish, nesting dolls, etc. Some of the products are dedicated to representatives of various professions, made in the form of the first sheet of a calendar, or have the shape of a bell.

Method for the manufacture of Gzhel craft products

The creation of products under Gzhel requires extraordinary clarity, painstakingness and an incredible flight of fancy from the master. Dishes can be made of porcelain or majolica. The difference is that porcelain is a white clay. It is more fragile and thin. Majolica is made from red clay and is more durable.

The entire manufacturing process can be divided into five stages. These include:

Create a blank
Preparation for painting and the first firing
Control and rejection of products
painting
Second firing

The harvesting process is the creation of clay molds for porcelain or majolica according to the sketches of the artist. Such a blank is made on the potter's wheel, but not with hands, but with special tongs. After the plaster mold is ready, a liquid porcelain mass is poured into it, which gradually hardens. Gypsum absorbs moisture well, so porcelain hardens quickly.

An important feature of the creation of Gzhel is that all elements of dishes, from handles to embossed patterns, are made in different forms. This requires special care and attention from the master.

The next step is to prepare for painting. It includes polishing the product and firing it.

In order for the drawing to lay down evenly and accurately, at first each product is cleaned with a special knife and polished. This process is carried out manually. Then the attachment points of various parts of the product are washed out, and the remaining irregularities are smoothed out using a foam roller. After that, the product is sent to the kiln for firing, which lasts about eight hours.

After firing, quality control of the product and the presence of defects in it is mandatory. They are identified using a solution of fuchsin. This substance accumulates in the irregularities of porcelain products and acquires a bright red color. Thus, irregularities or poor-quality joints in the product become visible. Further, the removal of imperfections is carried out by grinding with a roller or washing. In the case when the defect cannot be eliminated, the product is sent to marriage and remelted.

After that, the painting begins. Each master is distinguished by his unique technique of applying patterns and signs his work at the end. Then, the supporting parts of the product are treated with paraffin. To do this, the master manually dips the dishes in a hot paraffin bath. Then, the product is dipped in glaze and sent to the second firing. It lasts long enough, eighteen hours. It is thanks to the underglaze painting that the color saturation remains the same for a long time. Such products can be washed not only by hand, but also in the dishwasher.

Thus, each of the stages of work is carried out manually. Such work is very painstaking, therefore, mainly women work at the Gzhel production plants.

After firing, the product acquires its final form and is subject to subsequent packaging.

Features of painting under Gzhel

The uniqueness, grace and incredible beauty of Gzhel products are given by the peculiarities of their painting. These include:

snow white background
Intense blue pattern
Surface glazing
Diverse and complex floral ornament
handmade

The use of only two colors and the uniqueness of the images allow you to create unique masterpieces folk art, therefore, two identical products from Gzhel do not exist.

The pattern of the future product is first carefully thought out, and only after that it is applied to the porcelain surface. The ancient masters applied the drawing immediately, without a preliminary sketch. They drew their inspiration from nature or in pictures of folk life. The painting is made with a solution of cobalt oxide, which, after firing, acquires a rich blue color. It is applied with special squirrel brushes.

There is another type of painting in the Gzhel style, which is called majolica. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that not one color, but as many as five is applied to the snow-white surface.

Many centuries ago, Gzhel masters tried to reflect in their art their vision of the world around them, pictures of urban and rural life, inexplicable natural phenomena, their thoughts and fantasies. Based on this, the general style of painting can be divided into three main groups:

ornamental
vegetable
Storyline

The ornamental pattern is original, unusual, and a certain association can be traced in it. The most common ornamental patterns are: drops, antennae, blades of grass, pearls, combs. In addition, a checkered pattern is traditionally applied along the side and along the border, which is a chain of blue squares.

The floral pattern is considered classic for Gzhel. It is usually quite stylized, but one can always distinguish one plant from another. Most often, craftsmen depict berries, blades of grass, cuttings, flowers on a Gzhel product. Berry garlands on porcelain can easily intertwine with ears of wheat or a riot of floral patterns. At the same time, gooseberries can be easily distinguished from currants.

Often, ornamental painting is combined with a floral pattern.

The plot drawing appeared one of the first. It was a picture of the life that surrounded the master. It could be beautiful landscapes, fun fairs, sleigh rides, colorful natural phenomena.

Modern masters of Gzhel

Thanks to the creative heritage left by the ancient masters of Gzhel, their modern followers were able not only to revive this great folk craft, but also to add notes to it contemporary art, features of life and the originality of the views of the present. At the end of the 19th century, modern Gzhel began to gain popularity, however, they painted mostly simple figures and the drawing was not as intricate as that of the ancient masters. Gradually, they began to master porcelain sculpture and decorative vases, new original types were added to the traditional Gzhel pattern.

Thus, thanks to modern masters, there was a revival of Gzhel, it acquired new interesting techniques, exciting plots and a special style. Now these products are in great demand all over the world and are an integral part of Russian folk art.

Gzhel has been and remains an unsurpassed symbol of the great creative imagination and the highest skill of the Russian people. This craft is a kind of history book that carefully preserves the imprint of the time in which it was created, immerses in a world full of incredible miracles and unique colors, tells about how our ancestors lived. However, the popularity of Gzhel lies in the fact that it is also able to display pictures of modernity, helping people to look at themselves from the outside, to see how beautiful and amazing the world around them is.

In contact with

Since Gzhel is an ancient center for the production of porcelain, faience and earthenware, back in the 19th century, there were attempts to connect the incomprehensible name of the area with its specialization:

Politikaner, CC BY-SA 3.0

They burn dishes, hence the whole production is called zhgel, a word that turned into gzhel due to the property of a commoner to rearrange consonants.

Later, when the trade became especially important and attracted the majority of local workers, the name of the production was transferred to the area most occupied by it.

Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0

It is clear that this explanation is completely unfounded and represents a typical false etymology.

A bit of history

Gzhel has long been famous for its clay. Extensive mining of various types of clay has been carried out since the middle of the 17th century.

In 1663, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree "to send clay suitable for apothecary vessels to the Gzhel volost for apothecary and alchemical vessels."

Messir, CC BY-SA 3.0

At the same time, for the pharmacy order, 15 carts of clay from the Gzhel volost were delivered to Moscow and

“It was ordered to keep that clay for apothecary affairs: and henceforth the sovereign ordered that the clay from the Gzhel volost be taken and transported to the peasants from the same volosts, how clay would be needed in the Pharmaceutical Order.”

In 1770, the Gzhel volost was entirely assigned to the Pharmaceutical order "for alchemical dishes." The great Russian scientist M. Lomonosov, who appreciated the Gzhel clays, wrote such lofty words about them:

“... There is hardly any land that is the purest and without admixture anywhere in the world, which chemists call a virgin, except between clays used for porcelain, such is Gzhel’s with us ... which I have never seen with superior whiteness ...”

By 1812, there were 25 factories producing dishes in Gzhel.

Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0

Among them, the most popular were the factories of Ermil Ivanov and Laptev in the village of Kuzyaevo. According to the signatures on the remaining products of famous masters: Nikifor Semyonovich Gusyatnikov, Ivan Nikiforovich Srosley, Ivan Ivanovich Kokun.

Products

In addition to dishes, they made toys in the form of birds and animals and decorative figurines on themes from Russian life. Shiny white horses, riders, birds, dolls, miniature dishes were painted with purple, yellow, blue and brown colors in a peculiar folk style. The paints were applied with a brush. The motifs of this painting were decorative flowers, leaves, herbs.

Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0

After 1802, when light gray clay was found near the village of Minino, the production of semi-faience arose in Gzhel, from which kvass, jugs and kumgans were made in large quantities. Since the second half of the 20s of the XIX century, many products were painted only with blue paint. Semi-faience was characterized by a rough structure and low strength.

Distinguish from fakes

Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0

Work copyright.

Over the years, the brand name has changed its appearance. For export were products with a brand on English language.

Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0

colored gzhel

Few people know that initially it was not blue, but multi-colored Gzhel that was typical.

Al Silonov, GNU 1.2

Such painting was practiced in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Fine drawing is distinguished by its grace. Nowadays, only a few masters master this type of Gzhel painting.

colored gzhel

Gzhel production in our time

After the collapse of the USSR, Gzhel was the only art craft enterprise in the Gzhel region. New times brought new challenges. Gzhel products appeared.

Only in the Gzhel region there were about thirty enterprises producing fakes, and about seventy in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions of Russia. Only in last years truly artistic porcelain products began to be produced by several enterprises.

But there is still a certain confusion with the choice of products from these and other enterprises, which are still often associated with the Gzhel association itself and its trademark.

The main production centers of Gzhel:

There are several more independent enterprises, in the name of which there is the toponym "Gzhel" - "Sin Gzhel", "GzhelGrad", "Star of Gzhel", "Gzhel-Malachite".

Photo gallery

WHERE COULD I BUY?

You can view, select and purchase the best Gzhel products in the RUSSIAN CRAFTS online store.

Name meaning

The broader meaning of the name "Gzhel", which is correct from a historical and cultural point of view, is a vast area consisting of 27 villages united in the "Gzhel Bush".

It is located about 60 km from Moscow. Now the Gzhel Bush is part of the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. Before the revolution, this area belonged to the Bogorodsky and Bronnitsky counties.

Gzhel toys

Until the middle of the 18th century, Gzhel made the usual pottery for that time, made bricks, pottery pipes, tiles, as well as primitive children's toys, supplying Moscow with them.

It is believed that the number of toys produced at that time should have been in the hundreds of thousands of pieces a year.

The Secret of Porcelain

Around 1800, in the village of Volodino, Bronnitsky district, peasants, the Kulikov brothers, found the composition of a white faience mass. In the same place, around 1800-1804, the first porcelain factory was founded.

Pavel Kulikov, its founder, learned the technique of porcelain making while working at the Otto factory in the village of Perovo. Wanting to keep the secret of making porcelain, Kulikov did everything himself, having only one worker, according to legend, two potters. G. N. Khrapunov and E. G. Gusyatnikov secretly entered Kulikov’s workshop, copied a forge (a kiln for firing products) and took possession of clay samples, after which they opened their own factories.

The Kulikov factory is remarkable in that the porcelain production of Gzhel came from it.

rebirth

Only from the middle of the 20th century in Gzhel began the restoration of the craft, which recently celebrated its 670th anniversary. In the 1930s and 1940s, almost half of all porcelain and faience enterprises in Russia were concentrated here.

In the postwar years, the artist N. I. Bessarabova and the scientist A. B. Saltykov participated in the restoration of the fishery. Bessarabova is considered the founder of the modern Gzhel style.

Notable artists

N. I. Bessarabova taught her students to make “a wide stroke with tonal color transitions from dark blue to light blue, almost white” on products.

Already at that time, one could see an inscription on the products, symbolizing this or that event in the life of the country. For example, "30 years of the Komsomol" or "1948 USSR". Among the students of Bessarabova is the artist T. S. Dunashova, known for her skill in “flower painting”.

The artist N. B. Kvitnitskaya is working on the creation of sculptures of small forms: “Grandmother and granddaughters”, “Poultry”. N. B. Kvitnitskaya. "Grandmother and granddaughter"

The artist L.P. Azarova creates dishes of large shapes, decorating them with stucco products. For example, on the shoulders of the fermenter there are figures of roosters, ready to throw themselves at each other. The lids of the teapots are decorated with flowers. All her products, despite their beauty, retain their domestic purpose.

Distinguish from fakes

First of all, you need to pay attention to the marking, which is always applied under the enamel, which means that it cannot be erased.

Marked on it or corporate logo manufacturer, or the name of the craftsman, if Work copyright.

And, of course, even with an inexperienced eye, you can notice the difference in the drawing: a real artist always prescribes details, uses a lot of techniques, while a few blue strokes are carelessly applied to fake products.

In the Ramensky district of the Moscow province, the Gzhel Bush is widely spread - twenty-seven primordially Russian villages randomly located among forests and fields. It was in them that the fabulous blue-and-white painting was born. The art is folk, deep and traditional. There are only a few famous art crafts in Russia: Khokhloma, Zhostovo, Fedoskino, Gorodetskaya and Gzhel painting. Khokhloma painting- this is an artistic painting and various wood products. Zhostovo painting is drawings on metal trays. Fedoskino painting technique, much more complex, is based on the use of a layered reflective ingredient. Gorodets painting is drawing a picture on a thin wooden base. It is akin to the icon painting technique, but the plots are mainly used purely mundane.

And, finally, Gzhel painting is a drawing with bright blue cobalt paint on raw white porcelain, followed by glazing and firing.

The Gzhel land is poor in black soil, it is barren and it is difficult for a person to feed on it. For years and decades, people tried, plowed the land, sowed. Seven sweats descended from the plowmen, but all in vain - the earth did not give birth. And the whole point was that immediately under the top layer of the earth, a wide layer ran without end and edge, deep and vast. How can wheat be born here? The Gzhel people thought, thought, and gave up digging in the ground. He began to mine clay and raise pottery.

In the Gzhel region, every second person is capable of "handicraft" - at least make a barrel, at least an earthenware jug. And things went on. First, several small handicraft artels were created, then a larger pottery production was organized, and dishes began to be produced. And the dishes should be beautiful, which means that painting is needed. In a short time, artists appeared. At the same time, they learned to distinguish clay. The highest grades, pure white, were sent to Moscow to pharmacists for the manufacture of medical utensils. Clay was simpler for faience, plates and bowls, and the most snow-white, porcelain, was used for products in the classical Gzhel style, the painting of which was so beautiful that it was breathtaking.

They say that tea from a Gzhel cup has a unique taste: you drink ten cups and still want to. Gzhel painting is called so because its name comes from the word "zhgel" - it means "burn", "burn". Well, a Russian person loves to rearrange letters in words. If someone says the word "omnibus", then it will definitely turn out "I'll hug." So they rearranged: Zhgel became Gzhel. In 1812, there were already 25 factories in the Gzhel bush that produced high-quality dishes. Along the way, toys, decorative crafts and sets for festive tea parties were produced in the workshops at the factories. Clay, different grades and several shades, was enough for everything.

However, in the middle of the 19th century, Gzhel production began to decline, partly because a lot of dishes had already been made, or maybe just a period of calm came, as happens from time to time with large factories. But the crisis did not affect art production. Gzhel painting is still in demand. Recently, specialized educational establishments, whose graduates join the ranks of porcelain masters, artists and designers. Gzhel painting, whose pictures never repeat, is now flourishing again, delighting with the unique color of its products.

GZHEL

Colloquial name for pottery produced in the area villages Gzhel Moscow ( cm.) area, and one of the famous Russian folk art crafts.

Gzhel has long been a center for the production of pottery from high-quality local clay. In the 17th century here appeared the first handicraft workshops that made dishes. In the second half of the XVIII century. began to produce majolica products. Miniature dishes and small decorative sculptures (white horses, riders, birds, dolls) were painted with lilac, yellow, blue and brown colors in a peculiar folk style. The paints were applied with a brush. The motifs of this painting were decorative flowers, leaves, herbs.
At the beginning of the XIX century. in Gzhel, the production of porcelain, faience and semi-faience began. The shape and painting of porcelain and faience products retained the characteristic features of folk ceramics. From the second half of the 20s of the XIX century. products began to be painted mainly in blue paint.
At present, the enterprises of the Gzhel Association, located in the village of Turygino (near Gzhel), produce porcelain dishes, decorative sculpture, etc. Gzhel masters continue the tradition folk art. Products are still painted by hand. Modern Gzhel porcelain and earthenware is characterized by blue painting on a white background, rich shades of blue. The painting is dominated by floral patterns, images of flowers. The dishes are often decorated with sculptural elements. Decorative sculpture most often represents images of animals, scenes of folk life.
Tableware. Gzhel:

Decorative sculpture. Gzhel:

Russia. Large linguo-cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute Russian language them. A.S. Pushkin. AST-Press. T.N. Chernyavskaya, K.S. Miloslavskaya, E.G. Rostova, O.E. Frolova, V.I. Borisenko, Yu.A. Vyunov, V.P. Chudnov. 2007 .

Synonyms:

See what "GZHEL" is in other dictionaries:

GZHEL- and; and. collected Products of folk art ceramics with rich blue painting on a white background // Such a separate product. ● By the name of the village of Gzhel, where this craft originated. * * * GZHEL GZHEL (Gzhel ceramics), products of ceramic crafts ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

gzhel- a village in the Moscow region, to the SE. from Moscow. The production of Gzhel ceramics is widely known: fermenters, plates, toys with multi-color painting and sometimes with stucco figures. Fishing in the vicinity has reached a high artistic level. level in the 2nd half of the 18th century, in ... Geographic Encyclopedia

GZHEL- GZHEL, and, female, collected. Products of folk art ceramics [after the name of the village of Gzhel, where the corresponding craft arose]; such a separate product. | adj. Gzhel, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

gzhel- Gzhel, and (settlement) and Gzhel, and (product; also collected) ... Russian spelling dictionary

gzhel- and. Name locality. Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern dictionary Russian language Efremova

GZHEL- GZHEL, a village in the Moscow region. Railway station. Ceramic enterprises (Gzhel ceramics). Pottery reached a high artistic level in the second half of the 18th century. majolicas (fermenters, plates, toys, etc.), with multi-color painting, ... ... Russian history

gzhel- n., number of synonyms: 2 city (2765) ceramics (18) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

gzhel- Gzhel, a village in the Moscow region, in the Ramensky district, a railway station. Ceramic enterprises (production of Gzhel ceramics). Pottery has a long tradition. He reached a high artistic level in the 2nd half of the 18th century ... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"

gzhel- ... Wikipedia

gzhel- and, well. Kind of porcelain. In Moscow, the fashion for Gzhel is now blooming. This is also porcelain, thick-walled, as if "rustic", made in a small factory at the Gzhel station near Moscow. [Literary newspaper, 1980, 42] ... Small Academic Dictionary

Books

• Gzhel is a Russian pearl, M. G. Averyanova. At a distance of 50-60 km to the south-east of Moscow, in the Ramenskoye district, along the Yegoryevskoye highway, there are two dozen beautiful villages and villages that have merged with each other. Gzhel is the name of one of…