The Dymkovo toy is a vivid representative of the Russian folk clay craft. It is she who provides a unique opportunity to trace how this folk art developed over a long time, replacing many generations and dynasties of masters.
Dymkovo painting: history
The founder of this folk craft was a small settlement Dymkovo (hence the name), located near the city of Kirov.
Initially, in the process of coloring the Dymkovo toy, exclusively aniline paints were used , which were required to be bred. For this purpose peroxide kvass or vinegar was used. The brush was made independently and was a canvas flap wound on a wooden stick. Such a home-made art tool was used when it was necessary to draw a line. In order to draw a spot, the craftsmen used the end face of an evenly cut twig.
Dymkovo toy production
These toys to this day are completely man-made art. Each representative is a work of one master. For the production of figures, local red clay is used, which is carefully mixed with fine sand. The figures are molded in parts, then the finished parts are joined and molded.
Before firing the finished figures, they must first be dried. This process takes 2 to 20 days. Products are fired in a furnace at temperatures from 700 to 800 degrees. Then the surface of the toy is covered with special temperature whitewash. In ancient times, chalk diluted with milk was used for these purposes.
This completes the manufacturing process of the toy. Next is the Dymkovo painting. It represents a completely unique folk style.
Elements of Dymkovo painting
To paint these toys, craftsmen have always used a strict geometric ornament. Dymkovo painting is a combination of circles, zigzags, strict straight or wavy lines. Round spots, cells and just dots are certainly used.
Elements of the Dymkovo painting also include rhombuses made of gold leaf or potal, which are glued on top of the already applied pattern.
Each master applies elements of the ornament to the figure in accordance with personal wishes, in a different order and various combinations. In this case, the product can be almost completely covered with a pattern, and sometimes the author's brevity can be traced. That is why among the whole variety of Dymkovo toys, it is simply impossible to find two identical figures.
Dymkovo painting is characterized by the use of special signs symbolizing the pursuit of truth, beauty and a healthy lifestyle. All patterns of traditional Smoke painting are associated with nature and various charms.
In addition, each element of the figure has its own hidden meaning. So, the wavy line is a symbol of water. Crossed straight stripes mean a well log house, and a circle with a star in the middle represents the sun. Dymkovo painting, the pictures of which you can see a little lower, has various plant elements: grains, berries, leaves and flowers.
Dymkovo toy form
Classical for Dymkovo toys are figures of riders, roosters and horses. Female figures have expanding bell-shaped skirts and high hats - kokoshniks. Here, the expressiveness of details is of particular importance: the elegance of hair and headgear, all kinds of frills, drape, umbrellas, handbags and other lady's accessories.
The coloring of human figures had a certain sequence. At first, hair, eyebrows and eyes were drawn in black. Three orange or red spots placed on the face of the toy with a speck meant the mouth and cheeks. Then a hat was painted and, last but not least, a bright skirt.
Characteristic features of animal painting
The painting of the Dymkovo toy has its own characteristics. Each clay character is painted in a special way. The traditional figures of horsemen, roosters and other characters beloved by the people are decorated very brightly, even fantastically: a horse can have bright blue apples on its sides, a turkey has an enchantingly colorful fan-shaped tail, and a goat has red with a gilded horn.
Ducks "lionfish" have a distinctive feature: a horizontal row of frill-wings. When you look at such a duck, you get the impression that she is wearing two aprons with a stucco frill. In addition, painting the toy provides for a certain sequence of drawing patterns. The first is a wide strip extending across the duck’s chest, the narrower strips diverge from the neck, and only then are transverse lines forming the traditional checkered pattern.
The painting of whistles in the form of skates combines vertical stripes with rows of multi-colored peas. At the same time, the shades used do not necessarily harmonize with each other.
Ducks and horses are the most popular images of animals used to create the Dymkovo toy. Goats, cows, rams and pigs, as well as poultry are much less common. Anatomical details, as a rule, are not respected, therefore all animals somewhat resemble Dymkovo horses. Only the shape of the face makes it possible to understand who is in front of us. The painting of these animals is represented by longitudinal rows of dark-colored dots or small peas of various shades.
Dymkovo colors
The patterns of Dymkovo painting are unusually bright. Blue, red, orange, yellow, raspberry, emerald and green shades are the main colors used in this technique. Brown and black paint are used only in small quantities.
It should be noted that the selected tones also have their own symbolic meanings. Green in the view of the common people is closely connected with the concept of life, symbolizes nature and peasant arable land. Moral purity, goodness and truth are, of course, white. Red color symbolizes not only fire, but also is the embodiment of health, strength and beauty. Blue is the color of the sky.
Dressing
The final step in decorating a toy is applying gilding. This is what distinguishes the Dymkovo toy, introducing unique features into its appearance. In Russia, real gold leaf was used for these purposes, which is very thin gold plates arranged with paper tapes (this did not allow the gold to stick together). Small rhombuses were cut from it and glued in the right places with the help of egg white.
The present Dymkovo painting
For painting toys in
modern production gouache paints are used, which are bred on an egg, as well as tempera or specially designed for ceramic products. Ferret or
columnar brushes are used to apply patterns
.Nowadays, Haze, unfortunately, has long lost the qualities characteristic of folk toys: spontaneity and low cost. Of course, these products have a special plastic. However, due to excessive static and detailed clarity, Dymkovo figures became simply beautiful souvenirs.