- Khokhloma
Khokhloma ("Хохлома", "Хохломская роспись" in Russian, or Khokhlomskaya rospis') is the name of a Russian
wood painting handicraft .It first appeared in the second half of the 17th century in today's Koverninsky District of the
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast . The handcraft was named after atrade settlement Khokhloma in the sameoblast , where craftsmen had been known for making and selling their handmade goods between the 18th and early 20th centuries.An original of painting wood in a goldish color without applicating real
gold is typical for the Khokhloma. Articles carved out of wood (tableware , mostly) were usually primed withclay mortar, rawlinseed oil andtin powder (nowadays,aluminum ). A floral pattern was then painted on top of this coating with a brush. After that, the articles were coated with linseed oil (nowadays,synthetic oil ) and hardened in akiln at high temperatures. A combination of red, black and goldish colors is typical for the Khokhloma. There are two principal wood painting techniques used in the Khokhloma, such as the so-called "superficial technique" (red and black colors over the goldish one) and the "background technique" (a goldish silhouette-like design over the colored background).The Khokhloma handcraft seemed to be fading away in the early 20th century, but it revitalized during the
Soviet times. The Khokhloma craftsmen united intoartel s in the 1920s - early 1930s. In the 1960s, the Soviets built afactory called the "Khokhloma Painter" near the Khokhloma village and an industrial association called the "Khokhloma Painting" in a town of Semyonov. These two factories have become the Khokhloma centers of Russia and produce tableware,utensil s (mostlyspoon s),furniture ,souvenir s etc.External links
* [http://www.stuartking.co.uk/index.php/khokhloma-ware-folk-art-for-the-masses/ Khokhloma ware: folk art for the masses]
* [http://www.khokhloma.net Khokhloma is a traditional Russian art style since the XVIIth century.]
* [http://www.russian-gifts-home.com/khokhloma/golden_khokhloma.htm Information about Khokhloma]
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