Folk crafts Mezen painting. Abstract on the topic "Mezen painting". The meaning of the "bird" symbol

Mezen painting is one of the most ancient Russian artistic crafts. It was used by folk artists to decorate most of the household items that accompanied a person from birth to ripe old age, bringing joy and beauty to life. She occupied an important place in the design of the facades and interiors of the huts. Like most other folk crafts, this painting got its name from the area in which it originated. The Mezen River is located in the Arkhangelsk Region, between the two largest rivers of Northern Europe, the Northern Dvina and Pechora, on the border of taiga and tundra.

This painting was called Mezen because the village of Palashchel, located on the banks of the Mezen River, is considered its homeland, which was first mentioned as a center for painting on wood in 1906. Therefore, in encyclopedias and various books on fine art, you can find the second name of Mezen painting - Palashchelskaya. In the Mezen itself, they did not do painting.

First of all, the Mezen painting is its own original ornament. This ornament attracts and bewitches, despite its apparent simplicity. And the objects painted with Mezen painting seem to glow from the inside, exuding the goodness and wisdom of their ancestors. Every detail of the ornament of the Mezen painting is deeply symbolic. Each square and rhombus, leaf and twig, animal or bird - are exactly in the place where they should be in order to tell us the story of the forest, wind, earth and sky, the artist's thoughts and ancient images of the Northern Slavs.

Symbols of animals, birds, fertility, harvest, fire, sky, and other elements come from rock paintings and are a type of ancient writing that conveys the traditions of the peoples of the North of Russia. So, for example, the image of a horse in the tradition of the peoples who have inhabited this area since ancient times, symbolizes the sunrise, and the image of a duck is the order of things, it takes the sun into the underwater world until dawn and keeps it there.

Traditionally, objects painted with Mezen painting have only two colors - red and black (soot and ocher, later red lead). The painting was applied to an unprimed tree with a special wooden stick (vise), a capercaillie or black grouse feather, and a brush made of human hair. Then the product was greased, which gave it a golden color. At present, in general, the technology and technique of Mezen painting have been preserved, with the exception of the fact that brushes are more often used.

The origins of the symbols of the Mezen painting primarily lie in the mythological worldview of the peoples of the ancient north. For example, the often encountered multi-tiered approach indicates the adherence to the shamanic tradition. Three tiers - three worlds (lower, middle and upper or underground, terrestrial and heavenly). This is the basis of the shamanic worldview of many peoples of the north. In the Mezen painting, the lower and middle tiers are filled with deer and horses. The upper tier is birds. Rows of black and red horses in tiers may also mean the worlds of the dead and the living. Numerous solar signs placed around horses and deer emphasize their unearthly origin. The image of a horse among the peoples of the Russian north is also a talisman (a horse on the roof), as well as a symbol of the sun, fertility, a source of life.

The tiers are separated by horizontal stripes filled with a repeating pattern. Elements of such patterns, as well as some other, often found elements of the Mezen painting in the figures below.

Earth. A straight line can mean both heavenly and earthly firmament, but do not be confused by this ambiguity. By their location in the composition (top - bottom), you can always correctly determine their meaning. In many myths about the creation of the world, the first man was created from the dust of the earth, mud, clay. Motherhood and protection, a symbol of fertility and daily bread - this is what the earth is for man. Graphically, the land is often depicted as a square.

Water. The heavenly decoration is no less interesting. Heavenly waters are stored in overhanging clouds or are poured onto the earth in oblique rains, and the rains can be with the wind, with hail. Ornaments in a slanting strip most of all reflect such pictures of natural phenomena.

The wavy lines of the water element are present in abundance in the Mezen ornaments. They certainly accompany all straight lines of ornaments, and are also permanent attributes of waterfowl.

Wind, air. Numerous short strokes scattered in the mezen painting along the ornaments or next to the main characters most likely mean air, wind is one of the primary elements of nature. A poetic image of a revived spirit, whose influence can be seen and heard, but which itself remains invisible. Wind, air and breath are closely related in mystical symbolism. Genesis begins with the Spirit of God. He, like the wind, was hovering over the abyss before the creation of the world.

In addition to the spiritual aspect of this symbol, specific winds are often interpreted as violent and unpredictable forces. It was believed that demons fly on violent winds carrying evil and disease. Like any other element, the wind can bring destruction, but it is also necessary for people as a powerful creative force. It is not for nothing that the Mezen masters love to depict bridged elements. Their wind strokes are often “strung” on crossed straight lines, which is very much like a windmill (“Caught the wind,” the children say).

Fire. Divine energy, purification, revelation, transformation, inspiration, ambition, temptation, passion, is a strong and active element, symbolizing both creative and destructive forces. The ancients considered fire to be a living creature that feeds, grows, dies, and then is reborn - signs suggesting that fire is the earthly embodiment of the sun, so it largely shared solar symbolism. In the pictorial sense, everything that tends to the circle reminds us of the sun, fire. According to academician B. Rybakov, the spiral motif arose in the mythology of agricultural tribes as a symbolic movement of the sun's body along the firmament. In the Mezen painting, spirals are scattered everywhere: they are enclosed in the framework of numerous ornaments and twine in abundance around heavenly horses and deer.

The spiral itself carries other symbolic meanings. Spiral shapes are very common in nature, ranging from galaxies to whirlpools and tornadoes, from shells of mollusks to drawings on human fingers. In art, the spiral is one of the most common decorative patterns. The ambiguity of symbols in spiral patterns is great, and their use is rather involuntary than conscious. The compressed spiral spring is a symbol of hidden power, a ball of energy. The spiral, which combines the shape of a circle and the impulse of movement, is also a symbol of time, the cyclical rhythms of the seasons of the year. Double spirals symbolize the balance of opposites, harmony (like the Taoist sign "yin-yang"). Opposite forces, visually present in whirlpools, tornadoes and tongues of flame, remind of an ascending, descending or rotating energy (“brace”) that controls the Cosmos. An upward spiral is a masculine sign, a downward spiral is a feminine one, which makes the double helix also a symbol of fertility and procreation.

Wherever they were placed, and everywhere they were in place! If a zhikovin (a keyhole cover) of this shape is hung on the barn door, it means to wish it to be full of goodness. If you depict a sign of abundance at the bottom of a spoon, it means that you wish there was never hunger. If wedding shirts are on the hem - wish the young a large complete family. The sign of fertility can be found on the ancient cult figurines depicting young pregnant women, which was placed where the child of the expectant mother is. Almost all Mezen ornaments are somehow connected with the theme of fertility and abundance. Plowed fields, seeds, roots, flowers, fruits are depicted in them in great variety and variety. The ornament can be built in two rows and then the elements in it are staggered. An important symbol was the rhombus, endowed with many meanings. Most often, the rhombus was a symbol of fertility, the rebirth of life, and a chain of rhombuses meant the family tree of life. On one of the Mezen spinning wheels, we managed to see a half-erased image of just such a unique tree.

Geometric ornament has become widespread in folk art. Especially often it can be found among weavers and embroiderers. The basis of the ornament is made up of rhombuses, squares, crosses and swastika images. The rhombo-dot ornament among agricultural peoples is a symbol of fertility.

Not a single painting is complete without depicting all kinds of zigzag and spiral shapes. They are especially common when depicting the world tree, or "tree of life". Researchers believe that spirals and zigzags are nothing more than an image of snakes that are always present in such stories.

The motif of a bird bringing good news or a gift is widespread in folk art. The bird at the top of the tree can often be found on the Mezen birch bark tues. The bird is perhaps the most favorite motif of folk artists. In addition, it is customary among northern peasants to hang wooden birds from wood chips in the red corner of the hut. This is a relic of the same motive - “a bird on a tree”, since a revered tree was associated with the red corner of the house.

Quite often, the image of several trees or a lonely standing tree, often spruce, is found on the Mezen spinning wheels. Of particular interest is the composition of three trees: two identical trees are arranged symmetrically in relation to the central tree, which is distinguished by its relatively large size. The fact that such a plot is not accidental on the Mezen spinning wheels is evidenced by the fact that the same plot takes place in the painting of antique furniture in the Mezen houses.

Among the most widespread and beloved images, most often depicted by the Mezen masters, one should include the image of horses and deer. The horses of the Mezen paintings are more distant from the real prototype than the images of horses in other peasant paintings. Most of them had a red-orange coloration, which, as is known, was unusual for horses. The body of a black horse was often covered with a continuous lattice pattern, further emphasizing its unusual origin. The horses' unnaturally long and slender legs ended at the ends with feathers similar to those of birds.

The Mezen River, which flows in the Arkhangelsk Territory, gave the name to the amazing in its beauty and originality Russian painting - Mezen.

Household items, interiors, dishes were decorated with painting.

In addition to household dishes and utensils, Mezen ornaments were decorated from top to bottom with wavy lines and horizontal straight lines, spiral-shaped curls and numerous strokes of a spinning wheel.

How the Mezen painting appeared, where the unusual patterns and ornaments came from - modern historians cannot say for sure. However, the archaism of the symbols leads to the idea that the essence is ancient myths, knowledge that form the basis of the worldview of our ancestors who lived a long time ago in the north.

It is this mythological worldview, which comes through the millennia, manifested in the ornaments and patterns of the Mezen painting, and is valuable for us. Having understood its essence, you can open that knowledge, and honor those messages that our ancestors put into those around them, everyday, simple, it seemed would, items.

And at the same time, there are many mysteries in the Mezen painting. Despite the apparent simplicity in the set and alternation of paints (there are two primary colors - red and black), the deep meaning is very significant. Even in the modern interpretation, red symbolizes life, fire, blood, joy. Black is the color of death, earth, space, sadness. Well, what is hidden in patterns and ornaments?

Every detail of the pattern of the Mezen painting is deeply symbolic. Every leaf and square, diamond and twig, bird or beast - everything is in exactly the place where it should be, in order to convey to us the messages of fire, earth, wind, and water, which the ancient creator-artist put into an intricate ornament.
Let's figure it out together.

First of all, it should be noted that the patterns of the Mezen painting have three levels (tiers), which echoes the location of the embroidery patterns on the ancient clothes of our ancestors. It symbolizes three worlds: lower (underground, hidden), middle (terrestrial, our world, manifested) and upper (heavenly world of the gods).
Interestingly, in the Mezen painting, the upper level is intended for birds.

At the middle and lower levels, horses or deer are depicted.

The image of a horse is associated with the earth - the source of life (the horse helped to plow the land, improving its fertility). entrance).

The image of a deer for many peoples is associated with heaven. Deer antlers often symbolize the World Tree (Tree of Life). In its antlers, the deer can carry the Sun where it is needed, where it is expected after the long northern winter. Therefore, the cult of the deer among the small northern peoples is still preserved. Surprisingly, the connection of deer with heaven has been preserved even in Western civilization. Let's remember Santa Claus flying across the sky in a sleigh with a reindeer team.

The levels of the worlds in the Mezen painting are divided by horizontal, richly ornamented stripes. Elements of such ornaments are often used in Mezen painting. If we talk about the semantics of simple Mezen ornaments, then there is no doubt that the signs symbolize the primary elements - the elements of fire, water, earth and air.

The spiral itself carries other symbolic meanings. Spiral shapes are very common in nature, ranging from galaxies to whirlpools and tornadoes, from shells of mollusks to drawings on human fingers. In art, the spiral is one of the most common decorative patterns. The ambiguity of symbols in spiral patterns is great, and their use is rather involuntary than conscious. The compressed spiral spring is a symbol of hidden power, a ball of energy. The spiral, which combines the shape of a circle and the impulse of movement, is also a symbol of time, the cyclical rhythms of the seasons of the year. Double spirals symbolize the balance of opposites, harmony (remember the Taoist sign "yin-yang"). Opposite forces, visually present in whirlpools, tornadoes and tongues of flame, remind of an ascending, descending or rotating energy (“brace”) that controls the Cosmos. An upward spiral is a masculine sign, a downward spiral is a feminine one, which makes the double helix also a symbol of fertility and procreation.

Water. The heavenly decoration is no less interesting. Heavenly waters are stored in overhanging clouds or are poured onto the earth in oblique rains, and the rains can be with the wind, with hail. Ornaments in a slanting strip most of all reflect such pictures of natural phenomena.
In the folklore of many peoples, rivers and seas separate the worlds of the living and the dead, the natural and supernatural worlds - this manifests the symbolism of water as a transitional state. In all known legends about the origin of the world, life originated from primordial waters, which means that water was for our ancestors the source of life itself. The wavy lines of the water element are present in abundance in the Mezen ornaments. They certainly accompany all straight lines of ornaments, and are also permanent attributes of waterfowl.

Wind, air. Numerous short strokes scattered in a multitude in the Mezen painting on ornaments or next to the main characters - most likely mean air, wind is one of the primary elements of nature. A poetic image of a revived spirit, whose influence can be seen and heard, but which itself remains invisible. Wind, air and breath are closely related in mystical symbolism. Genesis begins with the Spirit of God. He, like the wind, was hovering over the abyss before the creation of the world.
In addition to the spiritual aspect of this symbol, specific winds are often interpreted as violent and unpredictable forces. It was believed that demons fly on violent winds carrying evil and disease. Like any other element, the wind can bring destruction, but it is also necessary for people as a powerful creative force. It is not for nothing that the Mezen masters love to depict bridged elements. Their wind strokes are often “strung” on crossed straight lines, which is very much like a windmill (“Caught the wind,” the children say).

Earth. A straight line can mean both heavenly and earthly firmament, but do not be confused by this ambiguity. By their location in the composition (top - bottom), you can always correctly determine their meaning. In many myths about the creation of the world, the first man was created from the dust of the earth, mud, clay. Motherhood and protection, a symbol of fertility and daily bread - this is what the earth is for man. Graphically, the land is often depicted as a square. Earth signs in the Mezen painting

The ornament can be built in two rows and then the elements in it are staggered. An important symbol was the rhombus, endowed with many meanings.

Most often, the rhombus was a symbol of fertility, the rebirth of life, and a chain of rhombuses meant the family tree of life. The ancient signs of fertility are interesting and beautiful - symbols of abundance.

As for the technique and technology of painting, then about this - in the following articles.
It can only be noted that the painting was applied to an unprimed tree either with a brush made of human hair, or with a capercaillie or black grouse feather, or with a special wooden stick (vise). Then drying oil was applied to the artistic creation. This contributed to the formation of a protective layer while at the same time giving the creation a golden color.

At present, the technique and technology of the Mezen painting have survived, mainly - except that modern brushes have begun to be used more often. However, the deep difference between the modern Mezen painting and the old one is felt. The fact is that initially the painting was done only by men, while, at the present time, it is mainly women who are engaged in it.

It is best to start the study of Mezen painting by mastering the simplest techniques, elements that will be necessary when composing a composition. These are various types of lines: horizontal, vertical, oblique, wavy, spiral, then ovals, circles, crosses, stars.

These exercises are necessary in order to train the hand and draw lines confidently.

If a fine brush is not available, a metal nib can be used. In the old days, masters painted with capercaillie feathers.

The outline of all the squares was painted in red with a homemade brush (in a local vice), which was made from a lock of hair, or a "vice" was replaced by a wooden stick, sharpened at one end and soaked. Currently, they use a regular brush. The patterns placed in squares amaze with their variety, complexity and originality.

Analyzing the ornamental elements of the Mezen painting, we draw attention to their geometric character, repeating the woodcarving pattern characteristic of this region.

It is quite possible that village carvers, under the influence of the pictorial art of the inhabitants of neighboring villages, changed the cutter to a brush, keeping traditionally the elements of geometric ornament in the pattern: circles, rhombuses, rosettes, squares and triangles, inscribing wavy lines, brackets, spirals, ovals, etc. .d.

A reed is a lattice consisting of a row of cells (from 2 to 4) in one or two rows, surrounded by ducks. Above and below the reed are geometric ribbons ("margins2). Usually one of the ribbons is directed vertically and the other horizontally.

The origin of the Mezen painting remains a mystery. Its uniqueness and depth of symbols deserves serious attention of scientists. The origins of the symbols of the Mezen painting primarily lie in the mythological worldview of the peoples of the ancient north. For example, the often encountered multi-tiered approach indicates the adherence to the shamanic tradition. Three tiers - three worlds (lower, middle and upper or underground, terrestrial and heavenly). This is the basis of the shamanic worldview of many peoples of the north. In the Mezen painting, the lower and middle tiers are filled with deer and horses. The upper tier is birds. Rows of black and red horses in tiers may also mean the worlds of the dead and the living. Numerous solar signs placed around horses and deer emphasize their unearthly origin. The image of a horse among the peoples of the Russian north is also a talisman (a horse on the roof), as well as a symbol of the sun, fertility, a source of life.

The tiers are separated by horizontal stripes filled with a repeating pattern. Elements of such patterns, as well as some other, often found elements of the Mezen painting in the figures below:

Signs of heaven and luminaries:

Elemental signs. Safety signs:

Sky and rain signs:

Earth and plant signs:

05.07.02 - Big Nisogora.
By a miracle, a wooden church has survived in the village. It can be seen from afar when you are driving along the banks of the Mezen. Once there were people who took up its restoration, but then it became obvious that a lot of money and effort would be required, to restore it and the restorers dropped their hands ... She squinted a little and every year she is getting weaker ...
And here in the photo is a loaf, or a horse, as the locals simply call it. The chump is made from a huge log. The horse is a symbol that protects the house from misfortune and evil.

The village stands on the banks of the Mezen. The most beautiful places .. Generally probably it's time to say that the Mezen is a river of stunning beauty. One bank is shallow, and the other is high, red! :) The steep banks of a deep, red color are clay, from which paint was made earlier. Mezen painting very well conveys the natural motives of this area. And color and style. Thin-legged, flexible horses, graceful swans and simple but rich patterns - like a fairy tale that carries away to another world full of harmony, kindness, love ...

We went to the school museum. The teacher (oh, how good it is that there are such people) has collected in the museum a collection of old school items, starting with a working gramophone, old alphabets, posters, atlases and ending with an archive photo album, which contains photographs of graduates of this school from the beginning of the century, front-line soldiers , simple and difficult people ... Such a wonderful atmosphere reigned there, that ... in general, it's a pity that the photos did not work out. : (((((
6.07.02 - B. Nisogora.

Mezen painting. The symbol of the horse in the representations of the Udor Komi.

Kryukova Y., Komi Republic, Municipal secondary complete comprehensive school No. 37 with in-depth study of a number of subjects,
Syktyvkar., Grade 9

Mezen painting is a bright and original manifestation of folk applied art. Its origin still remains a mystery. Unusual painting, graphic design, primitive-conditional interpretation of images of horses and birds encourage researchers to look for the origins of Mezen painting in the art of neighboring northern peoples and in rock paintings (petroglyphs).
The Mezen painting is characterized by contour, pictorial figures, bird figures with a pronounced S-shaped contour.

A characteristic feature of the painting is its multi-tiered character. Almost on every Mezen spinning wheel, three tiers are distinguished, and, in the lower and middle, the main figures are horses (deer), in the upper ones - birds.
In all likelihood, the highlighted tiers correspond to three worlds - underground, terrestrial and heavenly. The idea of the three worlds was widespread among the Mezen Komi, as well as among many other peoples.
Another count of the tiers displayed on the spinning wheels is also possible. If we take into account the geometric rows dividing the tiers discussed above, we get a seven-tier division of the spinning wheel. The number 7, like 3, is characteristic of the concept of the vertical division of the world. Spinning wheels are always associated with family life, and therefore with the continuation of life, with fate. Not without reason, the spinning wheel was an indispensable gift from the groom to the bride. The thread that the woman later spun on this spinning wheel also symbolized life, destiny.
Let us dwell separately on horses, often depicted on spinning wheels and other objects where Mezen painting is used. On the Mezen spinning wheels, one painted black, the other red, horses often follow each other. At the same time, personifying, apparently, the afterlife and real worlds. The fact that these horses are of unearthly origin is evidenced by the numerous solar signs placed above the manes, between the legs and under the feet of the animals. Most of the horses have a red-orange color in the painting. The bodies of black horses were often covered with a continuous lattice pattern, emphasizing their unusual origin. Unnatural - the long and thin legs of the horses ended at the ends with the image of feathers.
Horses were often portrayed not following each other, but opposing each other. Sometimes riders fighting with each other are painted on rearing horses.

On the upper side of the Mezen spinning wheels, the pattern is more stable than on the inside. In its middle part, two rows of horses or deer running one after another are almost always depicted. Usually the pattern is constructed in such a way that one of the rows consists entirely of the figures of horses, the other - of the figures of deer. Often, both rows are filled with uniform figures of horses, less often - deer. In each row, the master placed three or four figures of animals, so that a total of 6 or 8 figures were placed in both rows, respectively. The images of animals are pretty monotonous. The red-orange silhouettes of horses and deer are formed from three parts: a rectangular body, a long elongated neck and muzzle. The mane, four long legs and tail were painted with thin black strokes. Numerous solar signs and birds were placed around the horses and deer, indicating the unearthly origin of animals. In the upper and lower tiers of the front side of the spinning wheels, images of birds were placed, symbolizing the upper and lower worlds. Tiers - the worlds were separated by horizontal stripes filled with a geometric, report (repeating) pattern. Despite the fact that geometric patterns are made up of the same and even monotonous elements, on each spinning wheel such a pattern looks unusual and original. The craftsmen combined elements of geometric ornament in different ways. All these geometric rows were drawn by craftsmen at the same level on the front and back of the spinning wheels. Thus, the spinning wheel was perceived as something voluminous and round, like a tree of life.

The spinning wheel and the images on it can be viewed as a “world tree”. The world tree grows from the lower world through the middle and upper, solar, heavenly world.
In the Mezen spinning wheels we see horses, deer, a bird on the top of a tree, a three-part division of the tree itself. The zigzag pattern on the horizontal geometric rows on the spinning wheels is probably a snake entwining a tree. A spiral, like a zigzag, can be seen as a snake. Thus, this element of mythology is also present in a stylized form in the Mezen painting.
The main images of the Mezen spinning wheels - birds, horses, deer are included in the circle of folklore, are found in various calendar and family rituals.
From materials obtained during an ethnographic expedition to the Udora region on the river. Mezen, I have selected those that relate to the image of a horse, so often found in the Mezen painting.
The image of a horse is archaic, it is associated with the cult of this animal, which is especially revered among the people. The image of a horse served as a kind of amulet. It is not for nothing that many of the old houses on Udora are decorated with skates on the roof. The horse, carved on an ochlupne - a massive log crowning the roof of the house, symbolizes the tree of life and protects the peace of the living. The image of a skate is highly stylized, sometimes schematic, as we saw this in the village of Malaya Pyssa. And realistic, beautiful, just like the real ones in the village of Puchkoma across Vashka.
The horse is a divine attribute, it is necessarily present in mythology, fairy tales, legends. Deities riding in chariots across the sky; horses harnessed to a chariot necessarily accompany these deities.

The image of a horse is compared with the human soul. "Flying Horse" - "Flying Soul". A horse as a mediator between the earthly world and other worlds. It is probably not surprising that in many rituals of the Udor Komi the image of a horse is present in one form or another. When juggling or fortune-telling, the horse acts as a symbolic mediator between this and this world. Common solar (solar) horse symbolism. The horse is a symbol of the sun, fertility, the source of all life's benefits.
August 14 (new style) Udora Komi, like others, celebrate the Day of the Savior. On this day, a prayer service to the horses was specially performed. The local priest sprinkled the horses, which were specially taken out into the street. Then there were symbolic horse races.
On Ilyin's day, when, according to ancient beliefs, Ilya the prophet rode in a chariot across the sky, special attention was also paid to the horse. On this day, in the villages of Udora, mass horseback riding was organized.
On Maslenitsa, horseback riding was the favorite pastime of the Udora Komi. Horses were decorated with ribbons and flowers. Harnesses from paper, bells were hung on arcs and bells with songs circled the village, rolled everyone.
Pancake week trips marked an increasingly active movement of the sun across the spring sky. The Udora Komi, as a rule, traveled around the village; along a closed circle (sikt gogor). These magic circles "under the sign of the sun" were supposed to secure the village and horses from all kinds of misfortunes.
The magical significance of the horse was given during fortune-telling. They made fortunes with a horse more often on Vasilyev's day. The girls sat in the yard on a horse, which was blindfolded. If the horse found its way through the gates that were open at that time, then it was about the wedding, if not, then there would be no groom this year.
In Glotovo, they described fortune-telling with a horse, when they took her out blindfolded into the yard, put a barrier (barrel), if she stepped over - to marriage, if she walked around - no. Here, in Glotovo, hay was scattered at the crossroads in front of the blindfolded horse, whichever direction the horse goes, there will be the betrothed.
In all fortune-telling where the horse was used, it acted as a kind of “guide”, “mediator” between “that” and “this” world, as a means with which one can look into the future.

In Christmas divination, when the revelry of "spirits" is especially strong, instead of a horse, sometimes separate objects are used that are directly related to it, for example, a collar or a horse bridle. They were endowed with the same strength as a horse. Fortune-telling on Udora is known, when the girls took the bridle, went to the hole, lowered the end of the bridle into the water and waited for the guy to come up and ask for the bridle. So the girl will get married this year.
In fortune-telling, where they “listened” to sounds and predicted the future from them, sometimes a clamp was used. It was believed that with him it was better to “hear” sounds, but it was dangerous, because evil spirits can drag the fortuneteller to the “other” world. The collar, in this case, performs a peculiar role of a talisman in this "terrible" fortune-telling.
The image of a horse was used in dressing up, games, where the cult of the horse, which existed among the Udor Komi, is also clearly manifested.
In the evening, guys up to 20 people gathered on Vasilyev's day. Some dressed up as a horse, some as a coachman. They took 7 (necessarily!) (See the seven-part division of the world in a spinning wheel) silk scarves, wound them instead of reins, a collar, a tail, etc. A bell was hung on one scarf. The mummers stood in 2 rows and drove around the village.
The cult significance of the image of a horse is also expressed in ritual food. On Udora, there was a tradition on the eve of Epiphany to bake figurines from dough. We sculpted figures of various domestic animals - cows, sheep, etc. Figurines of horses were also baked. Horses. Different peoples and in different regions of Komi have different names: "roes", "cows". But on Udora they are still called “chibo” - “ch'an” (which means “foal”). They baked these cookies on Udora and for Christmas, while treating children, mummers and guests.

Separate cookies in the form of horses were placed on the goddess. It was believed that at the same time they are recruited with magical power. After Christmas time, these “chibos” were fed to cattle. It was believed that at the same time the safety and health of the cattle would be ensured this year.
Thus, the Udora Komi associated a lot with the horse in their life: prosperity, luck, protection from misfortunes, etc.
The image of a horse was endowed with magical power, it was a kind of "guide", "mediator" between the worlds. The horse's cult significance is reflected in many rituals and traditions. The horse is a symbol of the sun, fertility, the source of all life's benefits. That is why there is such a respectful attitude towards this animal, that is why its image is widespread in folk applied art.

The painting has always had a strict order. Along the small slender blade of a spinning wheel, cut off at the lower corners, decorated with domes at the top, like the domes of a northern church, there were three tiers. In all likelihood, they corresponded to three worlds: heavenly (in that tier birds and “reed” - a geometric ornament were drawn), ground (in that tier, horses and deer were the main ones) and underground (there were usually horses and birds).

There are only two colors in the Mezen painting: red and black. Reddish ocher was mined from coastal clay. First, it was ground on a stone, then diluted in a solution of larch resin. Black paint was made from soot: mixed with the same resin solution.

The spinning wheel was painted with a wooden stick ground at the end. Then a black grouse pen was outlined with black paint. And so that the paint would not fade and fade for a long time, the spinning wheel was covered with linseed oil.

She gave the painting a beautiful golden tint.

Mezen painting was of a household orientation.

All kinds of wood objects were made in Paloshchel. And be sure to sign.

Boxes of all sizes, rakes, sieves, salt shakers, bowls, ladles were made.

A lot of spinning wheels and spoons were made.

Only men were engaged in painting, those for whom the most important thing in the household were horses and deer. Wood for products was prepared in winter.

We painted products in the summer before the fair.

The Mezen painting originated in the village of Paloshchelye, on the Mezen River, in the Arkhangelsk region at the end of the 19th century. It is believed that this is an echo of the ancient art of the Chudi, the Finno-Ugric tribe that once lived in these places. Or maybe the roots of the Mezen painting are in the rock paintings of primitive art, excellent examples of which were found on the shores of Lake Onega and the White Sea. To date, there is no consensus about the origins of the Mezen painting. And the first written mention of Paloshchelje as a center of painting dates back to 1904.

It is best to start the study of the Mezen painting with an acquaintance with the history of the craft, with the development of the simplest techniques, elements that will be necessary when drawing up a composition. These are various types of lines: horizontal, vertical, oblique, wavy, spiral, oval; mugs, crosses, stars. Then you can move on to the development of other elements of the painting: horse, deer, bird.

It is better to paint with paints right away, without the help of a pencil. First, the teacher shows the elements of the painting on the chalkboard using a brush dipped in water. The display on the board is supported by artistic and didactic tables:

geometric ornament elements

Mezen painting stands out in Russian folk art. There are no elements of floral ornament in it. She is stingy in expressive means, laconic in drawing. This painting is mysterious and seems archaic. At the same time - surprisingly solid, refined! How accurately the rhythm of the running of the animals is reproduced! Extreme simplicity of transferring the characteristic features of a horse, deer, bird.

From the history of the Mezen painting

Mezen painting leaves no one indifferent. Seeing her for the first time, some are surprised by the unusual ornaments and strange characters, others admire the spontaneity and clarity of the graphic design; in the soul of the third, music sounds - rhythmic, solemn, light; some are annoyed by the lack of understanding of what they saw ...
Where did this unusual painting come from? The small, remote village of Paloshchelye in the middle reaches of the Mezen River gave its name to a whole trend in Russian decorative art.
There are many mysteries in this painting. Until now, disputes about where the Mezen phenomenon originated from. The rhythm and alternation of colors are extremely simple, but significant. Only two colors are used. Red represents life, fire, blood, joy. Black - earth, space, death, sadness.
Let's first consider the semantics of the simplest signs, which will help us decipher any Mezen ornaments in the future. There is no doubt that the signs of the primary elements - the elements of earth, water, air and fire - occupy a very large place in the Mezen ornaments: spinning wheels from top to bottom are dotted with horizontal straight and wavy lines, numerous strokes and spiral curls

Wind, air. Numerous short strokes scattered in the mezen painting along the ornaments or next to the main characters most likely mean air, wind is one of the primary elements of nature. A poetic image of a revived spirit, whose influence can be seen and heard, but which itself remains invisible. Wind, air and breath are closely related in mystical symbolism. Genesis begins with the Spirit of God. He, like the wind, was hovering over the abyss before the creation of the world.
In addition to the spiritual aspect of this symbol, specific winds are often interpreted as violent and unpredictable forces. It was believed that demons fly on violent winds carrying evil and disease. Like any other element, the wind can bring destruction, but it is also necessary for people as a powerful creative force. It is not for nothing that the Mezen masters love to depict bridged elements. Their wind strokes are often “strung” on crossed straight lines, which is very much like a windmill (“Caught the wind,” the children say).

Fire. Divine energy, purification, revelation, transformation, inspiration, ambition, temptation, passion, is a strong and active element, symbolizing both creative and destructive forces. The ancients considered fire to be a living creature that feeds, grows, dies, and then is reborn - signs suggesting that fire is the earthly embodiment of the sun, so it largely shared solar symbolism. In the pictorial sense, everything that tends to the circle reminds us of the sun, fire. According to academician B. Rybakov, the spiral motif arose in the mythology of agricultural tribes as a symbolic movement of the sun's body along the firmament. In the Mezen painting, spirals are scattered everywhere: they are enclosed in the framework of numerous ornaments and twine in abundance around heavenly horses and deer.
The spiral itself carries other symbolic meanings. Spiral shapes are very common in nature, ranging from galaxies to whirlpools and tornadoes, from shells of mollusks to drawings on human fingers. In art, the spiral is one of the most common decorative patterns. The ambiguity of symbols in spiral patterns is great, and their use is rather involuntary than conscious. The compressed spiral spring is a symbol of hidden power, a ball of energy. The spiral, which combines the shape of a circle and the impulse of movement, is also a symbol of time, the cyclical rhythms of the seasons of the year. Double spirals symbolize the balance of opposites, harmony (like the Taoist sign "yin-yang"). Opposite forces, visually present in whirlpools, tornadoes and tongues of flame, remind of an ascending, descending or rotating energy (“brace”) that controls the Cosmos. An upward spiral is a masculine sign, a downward spiral is a feminine one, which makes the double helix also a symbol of fertility and procreation.

The ancient signs of fertility are interesting and beautiful - symbols of abundance.

"Hymn to Life"

The panel is conventionally divided into two parts: the upper one represents the heavenly world, and the lower one - the earthly one. In the center of the composition there is a sign “Fertility” uniting the heavenly and earthly worlds. At the heart of "Fertility" is the red cross - a combination of heavenly and earthly. The circular protection of this important symbol in the form of flying birds - human souls - is repeated many times. On the sides, fir-trees stretched out in a clear formation - the personification of male power. At the base of "Fertility" is the eternal Tree of Life, filled with countless rhombuses - childbirth. The four cardinal points are marked with solar signs of various configurations. Ducks hover around them - the souls of their ancestors. The “Fertility” sign is crowned with a “window” to the heavenly world. In the heavenly world, deer-giving birth, the giver of life, reign. In the earthly world, a row of red horses means the movement of the sun across the sky. There is also an ornament of plowed land. The whole composition is enclosed in an ornamental frame, meaning the concept of "white light".

What a master needs
Materials (edit)

The main material for painting is paints. When painting wood, the same paints are used as in painting: oil, tempera, gouache, watercolors, as well as aniline dyes. For Mezen painting, gouache and tempera paints are best suited.

Instruments

The main tool of a painting master is a brush. Most often, round squirrel and columnar brushes of different sizes are used for painting. In the Mezen painting, you will at least need the following brushes:

· Round columnar No. 1 and No. 2 with a pile of medium length (for contouring and outlining with black paint).

· Round squirrel No. 2 and No. 3 for applying red paint.

· Flat synthetic or bristle No. 4,5,6 for priming and varnishing.

The ideal brush for painting should resemble a drop, a seed, a candle flame. When purchasing brushes, check them outwardly so that they are thicker, with neatly matched hairs. Dip the brush in water and shake it off to check the tip. Finding a good brush is not easy, each has its own character. The master values his favorite brushes very much, does not lend to anyone, because everyone has his own handwriting, and this will certainly be reflected on the brush. The wooden tip of the brush is also working - it is used as a "poke" for drawing points: "seeds", "dewdrops". A used brush will still serve you as a "poke" if you carefully cut off the remaining hairs.

The palette is needed to mix paints, remove excess paint from the brush. The palette can be a white saucer, tiles, a piece of plexiglass, a lid.

Final finishing of the painted item

The varnish coating allows you to protect the painting on wood from the effects of the external environment: moisture, temperature extremes, active substances. In addition, covering materials - linseed, varnish, mastic - give the product an additional decorative effect.
Processing a product with varnish is also a kind of art. It happens that a beautifully painted thing under an incorrectly selected or poorly applied varnish loses its attractiveness. It is no coincidence that there is a profession of lachila at the enterprises of artistic painting. That's who knows all the subtleties of varnish coatings! We must understand the basic and most affordable means, taking into account the conditions of children's institutions. Oil varnish PF-283 (4C) has proven itself from the best side and is most suitable for us. It is well diluted with turpentine (always natural)! This varnish is transparent, light enough, but gives the painting some yellowness, which is even desirable for the Mezen painting. It dries for at least 72 hours at room temperature. Do not under any circumstances speed up this process in a hot oven - the varnish will swell. It is best to put the polished item in a clean box with a lid that has been wiped with a damp cloth beforehand, or simply cover it with a box on top so that less dust settles and the smell of varnish does not spread. When dry, a glossy elastic surface is formed, which has increased physical and mechanical properties and is resistant in contact with water. To work, pour small portions of varnish and thinner into small containers, and close the large jar with varnish tightly with a lid and turn the jar upside down for a few seconds. The resulting tightness will not allow the varnish to dry out. Do not try to coat the product the first time with a thick layer of varnish. It is better to do the first treatment with a thinner varnish, let it dry well, and then lightly sand it.
When applying varnish with both a swab and a brush, small bubbles form on the surface due to the fact that air escapes from the pores of the wood. As it dries, some of them disappear, and some remain. They are especially difficult to grind off. The more diluted the varnish, the less bubbles there will be. As the layers of varnish grow, each subsequent layer should be thinner than the previous one.

Here, I briefly told you about the Mezen painting and what you need to have to create your own creation.

So, we got acquainted with the history of the emergence of the Mezen painting and learned the meaning of some of its motives. Now it's time to learn how to compose compositions and ornaments ourselves, and most importantly, learn how to paint Mezen motives. So everyone is ready? Go!

For work we need: an album for drawing or separate sheets of thick paper, a ruler, a pencil, an eraser, brushes number 1-3 round squirrel or columns, paints - red and black.

On a piece of paper, use a ruler and a pencil to mark the strips with squares, as shown in the figure. Now we take a brush number 2 and a red paint and carefully, trying in one motion, holding the brush strictly vertically, write a straight horizontal line. Then we draw another, after that we draw the verticals. We got the Mezen fields-land, now, we proceed to the internal drawing. To do this, we take a brush number 1 and black paint, with careful, thin lines, we begin to inscribe patterns into the cells, as in the pictures ... Now, having drawn one strip, we can paint others in the same way. These ornaments in the Mezen painting serve as some kind of boundaries between the tiers on the product. As I already said, in such squares they draw the earth, the squares are either all the same in one strip, or alternate through one. According to the rules, such stripes are located in the lower or central part, because the top is air, but here you can experiment

Even in the Mezen painting there is a kind of triangle ornament, it can mean both the earth and sometimes water, air. To write this ornament, draw a strip on a sheet of paper and inscribe triangles into it, using a ruler and a pencil, now, as in the case of squares, draw red lines. We look closely at the drawing and try to repeat all the curl lines. Also in this picture, an ornament in a strip (water, with black curls) is presented. And the ground (square ornament) Try to draw them all. Ornament of Water is used under the birds ...

Now we will create the sky and the air ... Draw and draw lines in red as shown in the figure (with oblique vertical lines). We take black paint and a brush number 1 and proceed to a detailed drawing of the ornament. You and I have learned how to draw the sky, air, as you would expect, such an ornament will be located at the top of the composition.

What kind of land is it without flowers and trees? Let's draw them as shown in the picture. Plants and trees are arranged in an ornament along with animals and birds, they symbolize fertility, the beginning of a new life.

Let's start writing the Bird motive. As we said before, birds are a symbol of the souls of ancestors (plump ducks), birds soaring in the sky are the souls of people living on earth, and the firebird is something mystical and magical. Now we take a brush and paint and start training, of course not everyone can get a bird the first time, but it is worth training and all the birds will be good.

Now let's get down to horses and moose. You can try to write them right away with a brush, and if it's difficult, draw with a pencil. Here you have a wonderful deer, and here are simple compositions with a horse and an elk

And of course your painting will seem unfinished without these small but very important elements. They symbolize the universe, the wind, and the stars ... Practice, the difficulty is that they should be small

I hope that you have mastered the basic elements of Mezen painting and now you can proceed to painting products. In the material of the Master class, drawings of a children's notebook were used for creativity. "Mezen painting", Yu.G. Dorozhin.

The workpiece must be divided into strips in such a way that in the center we have the widest strip, in it we will inscribe the central ornament, then along the edges at the bottom and at the top it is surrounded by narrow strips, about 1 cm wide - this is the ornament of the earth, after them there are strips of about 3-4 cm, for the image of reindeer horses. Now in the central part in the middle we draw a square, in it another one is 1 cm smaller, as shown in the figure. Now we will divide our stripes into equal parts, where we have a wider animal ornament, where a narrow strip can be divided by 1 cm.

The next step in our work will be a detailed pencil drawing of our motives. Begin. First, in narrow stripes, we outline triangles along the lines that we already have, we do this on the entire workpiece. Now we begin to draw deer and horses: in the ornamental line we outline the middle, now in the rectangles that we drew we inscribe the horse. IMPORTANT ALL ANIMALS MUST LOOK FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT. In the figure, you can see how it looks, it only remains to repeat, it is written very easily, the main thing is to try ...

There are ducks between the legs of the deer and the horses; they resemble the English letter S, only the upper part is slightly smaller than the lower one. We do this all over the board.

Now let's move on to the central motive. For him, you can choose any sign of fertility shown in the history of the Mezen painting. In our rhombus, ducks are also inscribed in a strip, which was obtained between 2 squares. Now place firebirds on all 4 sides of the square. It is very difficult to describe in words how to draw them, but try to look at the picture and sketch…. I hope you succeed!

Phew ... The tedious part is over, now let's get to work with paints! We take a little red paint on the palette, dilute it with water to the consistency you need and go! We take a brush number 2 and begin to draw thin lines - everything that we previously outlined with a pencil (only horizontal). We outline the triangles, horses, ducks and deer, paint over completely. In small triangles we draw-attachments.

Everything! The underpainting is finished, we set aside the red red and take the black one, and with it the most current brush that we have. In the triangles we add 2 attachments on the other side of the red ones, in the same strip in the upper triangles we write wavy lines. I have shown another type of stripe on my board, you can try it too. Now we outline the mane for the horses, draw attachments, and wavy lines between them - our mane is ready. Now we draw the reins, the legs, they come with attachments on both sides, do not forget about the eye. Now we draw the ponytail - these are simple straight lines, but if you want, come up with a more graceful and interesting tail. We carry out a tail for ducks with attachments, draw an eye. Now we make a slanting pigtail next to the horse as in the picture ...

Let's move on to writing deer. We make the horns, outline the ass and make a small tail, with the ducks everything is the same.

Now we draw the central part of the board. In the square we draw the sign of fertility, which you have chosen, add the ducks, as we did before. Now let's move on to the Firebirds. We draw a beautiful and lush tail with red and black curls, now we write feathers with short strokes, alternating red and black strokes, now it remains to make a crest and write an eye.

If you have space left at the top of the board, you can add 2 more firebirds there

Now that we have the main drawing ready, we begin to add small motives, such as: spirals, dashes, stars ... And see what we get ...

That's it, now that all the paint has dried, we erase the pencil with a soft eraser, if where it is left, and we are preparing to varnish. Here is the finished work

I like to use acrylic paints, but you can also use gouache and tempera. Brushes are the preference of every master ... I love the round squirrel "Rublev", I use it more often with number 2. the first is rare and so everything turns out. My teacher loves speakers, and I don't own them at all. The board, if it is poorly polished, can be covered with a layer of varnish (liquid PF), or with diluted PVA glue. According to the rules, Mezen painting is painted ONLY on wood, but you can tint the workpiece with a color close to wood.

SnegoBarsa, it really is, before the wedding was presented with painted amulets, a pregnant woman carried a signal with her or kept it nearby ... There are many symbols, they are almost all deciphered, and we can not only paint the board as a gift, but to create a whole message, protected a loved one. After all, it's not for nothing that this is the wisdom of the ancients. If you have questions about decoding the signs, write, let's try to figure it out together.

cartouche, I'm answering your questions:
!. PVA, it is advisable to dilute a little with water, cover the workpiece 1 time, wait until it dries, then sand the surface with a little sandpaper.
2. You can put points both with the tip of the brush and with the brush itself, it all depends on how large a point you need, but it’s probably easier to use the handle of the brush, they turn out to be small and neat.
3. The coin is the most common, like everyone else's in the wallet, the size of the motive depends on the size of the blank and the idea of the master. For example, you can depict one polorsu with horses on a box, or two or three, and naturally the motive will decrease in size, everything worked out harmoniously for you.
Varnish can be bought at any PF-238 hardware store, you will need to buy a skipedar for it.

A wonderful gift for Holy Easter, returning us to the tradition of giving Easter symbols to our loved ones. The egg is painted in the Mezen painting, where each symbol has a miraculous and mystical meaning. A talisman for fertility, health, a talisman from evil thoughts. Traditionally painted in the colors of life - red and the color of sorrow - black As for the set of paint on the brush, I do this: I bathe the brush completely in the paint so that it is soaked and the water droplets that remain on it after washing are mixed with the paint. It turns out we have such a plump and round tail, then we take a can of paint or a cuvette and carefully remove the excess paint on its edges, without much enthusiasm, just to get a thin and sharp tip ...

As for the transparency of paints, it all depends on what kind of paints you use, in my opinion you need to look at the initial consistency, it happens that the paint does not need to be diluted at all, but after varnishing the paint will become brighter by itself. The main thing is to choose the right varnish and varnish the work correctly so that there are no streaks. The varnish is better than PF 238 and turpentine or another solvent suitable for this brand of varnish must be added to it. The varnish is poured into a jar, a small amount and very little is added 2 tablespoons of about a thinner, about 1/2 cup of varnish, mix everything and you're done!

th, without them life is not life.

I watch a lot of questions about the varnish, I will answer this way: if you paint the workpiece ONLY with acrylic, then you can use acrylic varnish, layers, you really need to apply more than 3 layers, and if you have gouache on the workpiece, then you cannot use acrylic varnish, because gouache under varnish will flow. It is best to use PF-283 varnishes, they give a durable coating with shine, the product is very durable and moisture-resistant, I do not advise using NC varnishes, these are nitro varnishes, red gouache may flow from them, and some acrylic may swell, the varnish itself, if applied many layers can chip over time. It should be covered with a liquid varnish, but several times, from thick varnish, streaks may appear. I hope the advice will come in handy, but for those who do not live in Russia I advise acrylic varnish, it is easier to buy it!

olya, thank you, yesterday I collected a whole bunch of these large and tiny stones on the sea. At the same time, I finally visited the other side of the coast. Really beautiful - huge boulders, pebbles, sand, boats on the shore.

Girls, I found a wonderful book on the internet. I read several chapters with great pleasure, and although it does not contain special information about the Mezen painting, it provides a detailed explanation of the origin and meaning of many symbols used in our painting. For example, such as the symbol of a plowed field, moose women in labor, etc. The story is very detailed and interesting. The book is called "Paganism of the Ancient Slavs" by Rybakov. Here is a footnote to this book: http://historic.ru/books/item/f00/s00/z0000031/index.shtml It can be read immediately, but there are no illustrations on this page. I found sites where you can download it, but I could not see what I downloaded because I do not really understand how to open the book. It would be even better with illustrations, but even so it is very clear and interesting. So I recommend it to everyone.

But on this site it is interesting to talk about the thunder sign and much more: http://mou004.omsk.edu.ru/istor/izba/izba3.htm

This testicle protects its owner from trouble 24 hours a day, since the horse protects during the day, and the duck at night. It also protects on all four sides. That is, from whichever side of the world the trouble goes, the person will be protected, since the duck-horse is located in the east, west, south and north of the egg. The testicle is also decorated with signs

Pattern symbolism

The tiers are separated by horizontal stripes filled with a repeating pattern. Elements of such patterns, as well as some other, often found elements of the Mezen painting in the figures below.

The wavy lines of the water element are present in abundance in the Mezen ornaments. They certainly accompany all straight lines of ornaments, and are also permanent attributes of waterfowl.

In addition to the spiritual aspect of this symbol, specific winds are often interpreted as violent and unpredictable forces. It was believed that demons fly on violent winds carrying evil and disease. Like any other element, the wind can bring destruction, but it is also necessary for people as a powerful creative force. It is not for nothing that the Mezen masters love to depict bridged elements. Their wind strokes are often "strung" on crossed straight lines, which is very much like a windmill ("Caught the wind," the children say).

The spiral itself carries other symbolic meanings. Spiral shapes are very common in nature, ranging from galaxies to whirlpools and tornadoes, from shells of mollusks to drawings on human fingers. In art, the spiral is one of the most common decorative patterns. The ambiguity of symbols in spiral patterns is great, and their use is rather involuntary than conscious. The compressed spiral spring is a symbol of hidden power, a ball of energy. The spiral, which combines the shape of a circle and the impulse of movement, is also a symbol of time, the cyclical rhythms of the seasons of the year. Double spirals symbolize the balance of opposites, harmony (like the Taoist sign "yin-yang"). Opposite forces, clearly present in whirlpools, tornadoes and tongues of flame, remind of the ascending, descending or rotating energy ("brace") that controls the Cosmos. An upward spiral is a masculine sign, a downward spiral is a feminine one, which makes the double helix also a symbol of fertility and procreation.

The ancient signs of fertility are interesting and beautiful - symbols of abundance.

Straight Cage Patterns

Simple elements

Patterns in a slanting cage

Ribbon ornament

Decorative image of birds in traditional Mezen painting

Decorative image of trees and flowers in traditional Mezen painting

Decorative image of animals in traditional Mezen painting

Horses were often depicted not following each other, but opposing each other. Sometimes riders fighting with each other were painted on rearing horses. The fact that the horses of unearthly origin depicted on the spinning wheels are also evidenced by the numerous solar signs placed by the draftsmen above the manes and near the horses' legs.

The images of animal figures are very similar to each other. All the difference between deer and horses is that instead of a mane, branched horns are drawn behind their backs with the same black strokes. Children copy the proposed image of a deer or horse. Each subsequent image of the animal differs from the previous one by the appearance of additional details.