The Common Root of Folk Crafts and Russian Avant-garde

— Maria, today we will talk about the connection between decorative, folk art and academic art. But is there such a connection?

 Sure. Folklore, from which folk art grows, is built on archetypal images that accumulate centuries of cultural experience. We constantly come across these images in everyday life, but in a different form. In the work of any artist, there are also these images, but even more interpreted. Sometimes they take on a different, non-obvious form, but the root remains the same.

Let’s take the image of a red horse. It is in Petrov-Vodkin, Chagall, in Mezen painting and in Gorodets painting. Red horses are everywhere. And this image is obvious to us. It is a symbol of the victory of good over evil, fearlessness, courage.

Not only the image is symbolic, but also the color. Black, red and white are colors that have been significant since ancient times. Their meaning then does not coincide with the modern one. So, earlier, not black and white were opposed, but black and red. The first chess was red and black.

Black was not emotionally colored negatively. We simplify everything, and in ancient times there were several blacks, among which was sablis. This color was not the color of grief, it was an attribute of a rich life, since it was difficult and expensive to achieve this shade when dyeing fabric.

— Does art somehow influence a person’s life, the person himself? Everyone or not everyone?

— I can’t be objective. My circle of friends implies people of art, the same concerns friends and relatives. I go only to theaters, museums and workshops. Sometimes I visit an educational institution where I can meet people of art, only younger.

But I think there is a practical need for art. It allows us to be smart, subtle, and it also makes our life more sophisticated.

Precisely more difficult, because it inserts a special lens into our eyes. And with it we see more colors, experience more emotions and interpret events differently. And this same lens allows us to find consolation in the beautiful.

— And what is the role of decorative objects in a person’s life? How important is it to have a beautiful cup or at least one beautiful chair?

—It is really important. A beautiful chair allows you not to feel like an impostor, not to be Khlestakov. With such a chair, everything takes on a personal interest. It connects us with the past, and we no longer feel like a fragment, we are a part of something huge.

— Maria, one can come across the opinion that decorative and applied art is lower in status than academic art. What is your attitude towards decorative and applied arts?

— It’s all art. It can’t be divided into fragments. For example, let’s take icon painting. If we remove the religious layer, we’ll have high-rated, professional art. If we take a porcelain cup, we’ll have a pearl. Its shape was revealed by the best masters, and the painting is abstract painting. It’s a highly intellectual piece of art.

— While an artist is creating, he creates his own philosophy. You have a cycle about the Solntsev sisters, which touches on the philosophy of the memory of generations, there is a cycle where architecture is considered to be an idol. Do items of applied art have a philosophy?

— Yes, they do. I really like it, I want to perceive the philosophy of the master of the cup or chair. In general, we discover this philosophy when choosing a thing. We bring this or that object into our lives because it resonates with us. We want to be influenced by beautiful things.

And this is not only about folk crafts. Applied art is broader in general. Let’s move to the study of William Morris, who rejected the mass production of things and advocated a return to manual craftsmanship. He believed that a hand-made object is a masterpiece.

I would like to be surrounded by such works of art. It is a luxury to communicate with such objects: to touch them, to sit on them, to eat from them.

— Is folk art symbolic?

— Definitely. Everything means something. All these circles, triangles, dots have meaning. Surprisingly, in Russian ornamentation you always find echoes of the Russian avant-garde of the 20th century. Folk art and avant-garde are an ideal plastic solution without a hint of vanity. The everyday layer is removed, the essence itself is left.

— How do beautiful objects influence you personally?

— I get more pleasure from life. Firstly, they protect me from worries and sorrows. Secondly, they awaken the desire to learn more. I have rebellious brains that always wants to get new knowledge. And a beautiful piece of art gives me exciting information. Thirdly, my heart is deeply pleased with it.

Interestingly, things last longer than people. They live longer than us. It is absurd, but embroidery or fine porcelain can last for several generations.

— And does folk art influence the artist’s work?

— Of course. And not only mine. We have a very good tradition of classical art education. For example, students of the Surikov Institute go on an internship in the summer and live in a village for two months. And this village and everyday things influence us all.

My summer internship always took place in a village of Ferapontovo. And my master Nikolai Ivanovich Andronov in his works showed some kind of biblical view of the village. Not a popular one, but a deep one. After all, in the village everything is frank and close: the sky, the earth, birth, death. Everything is exposed there, there are no city decorations. For me, such a view and interest in the village was surprising.

— Do you consider folk art symbolic?

— Definitely yes. Everything has a special meaning. All these circles, triangles, dots have meaning. Surprisingly, in Russian ornament you always find echoes of the Russian avant-garde of the 20th century. Folk art and avant-garde are an ideal plastic solution without a hint of vanity. The everyday layer is removed, the very essence is left.

— It turns out that the people came to the essence long ago. Did they know earlier what we are trying to find out now?

— I suppose, not the people themselves, but the artists of that time.

— I am still for the people. Let’s take pre-Petrine embroidery. Almost the entire female population of the country did embroidery. Everyone embroidered. Rich and poor. Peasants, nuns and boyars. And they all read the ornamental symbols, which only a few can do today.

— We are too arrogant. It is from ignorance. It seems to me that people were more artistically educated then. They had better motor skills. They knew more symbols. In fact, they were artists because they did it. For example, every woman was an artist. It’s just that these artists are nameless to us.

— Is there a place for folk art in modern life?

— I want to repeat that; I have a specific social circle. I go from house to house, where everything is done in pseudo-Russian style. I think it is widespread. We see the perfect combination of such objects with modern ones. And even if you do not have any sacred things inherited, you can create such a story from scratch. And these things will have a special meaning for your children.