Misc. International Goods

nobody@flickr.com (Olean Public Library) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:44:54 -0700

Polish painting on glass - Vistula (Wisla) River in Warsaw

The painting can be realistic or abstract. Realistic reverse paintings are more challenging to create as one must, for example, in painting a face, to put the pupil of an eye on the glass before the iris, exactly the opposite of normal painting. If this is neglected the artist will not be able to correct the error as they will not get in between the glass and the paint already applied. No such care need be taken with the abstract form, but with this form there is not a good idea how the piece will look like until it is finished. This process is not like stained or leaded glass work in that it is not intended to hang in a window with light coming through the piece. Hanging on a wall, framed or unframed, with a lot of light directed towards the piece provides best viewing.

Russian Lacquer Pin

The techniques of production for these miniature works of art include the application of several layers of paint, each fully dried and then coated with a transparent lacquer, before the final steps of polishing occurs. Translucency is a hallmark of the style. In the hands of an expert, the colors are rich, and the finished piece glows as if alive. Mother-of-pearl, both fresh water and river, lends a wonderful stylistic quality. Gold, silver, bronze, and aluminum powders are frequently mixed with the oils. Painting is on papier-mache, mother-of-pearl, wood and can be inset into a handmade metal surround. Many times the clasp is a safety pin embedded into the papier-mache. Each piece serves multiple functions: first, as affordable wearable art, second, as frameable art, and third, an heirloom to passed on to younger family members.

Russian Spoons (painted in the traditional folk style)

This painting technique emerged in the 17th century in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, near the trading village of Khokhloma, to which it owes its name. The technique of Khokhloma painting has hardly changed to this day: fine cut articles made of teil or aspen trees are covered with a special base, smeared with aluminum powder, and painted with heat-resistant dyes. When the objects are covered with lacquer, their silver patterns become golden in color. The traditional decorative motif combines entwined grass and flowers painted in fiery cinnabar, as well as black and sparkling gold hues; these designs decorate mugs, serving spoons, ladles, and small barrels. The wooden articles are resistant to both water and organic acids. The Khokhloma technique is used not only for decorating pottery, but for souvenirs, furniture, and household items as well.

Sicilian puppet

The fate of puppets and marionettes in Italy took an upward turn in the 16C, when the aristocracy took an interest in marionettes. The spread to a wider, paying audience came about in the 18C. But it was not until the mid-19C that the puppet show became a genre, complete with shiny armor, swords and agile movements in fight scenes.

Puppets are made of wood and are jointed with metal hinges (the warriors, at least); their manipulation is controlled by lengths of wire connected to the head and right hand. The embossed armor is usually made of bronze or copper. There are two main schools: Palermo and Catania (associated with the school of Acireale), which builds puppets to different criteria.

Chinese Knot (all tied using one thread)

Like Christmas trees and wreaths in the west. the Chinese knot is the most favored ornament for most Chinese families during the Lunar New Year celebration. Almost every shopping mall in Beijing has a special counter to sell Chinese knots of various sizes. shapes and colors.

No matter how different the knots are the messages the ancient craft delivers are similar: offering blessings of happiness, prosperity, love and good luck.

The major characteristic of the Chinese knot is that every one is tied from a single thread (at least 1 meter long) but looks the same from both the front and back. A typical Chinese knot is red but it can also be gold, green, blue or black. Flowers, birds, dragons, the phoenix, fish and shoes are the most common patterns used in the Chinese knot.

Drawing of Tiger on rice paper

Chinese painting mainly uses the following tools: brush, ink, xuan paper (rice paper), and water.
Chinese paintings are much more like drawing. Contour drawing is the basis of most Chinese Ink brush paintings. It consists of the drawing of the outlines, and some internal lines, to define the form of the subject. The lines can vary in thickness to express shadow or strength. Also, painting with an ink brush on rice paper is much more difficult than drawing.

In Chinese culture, the tiger is considered to be the king of all animals (in much the way we see the lion in western culture).

Russian Wooden Chickens Swing Toy

Toy and sculpture-making of Bogorodskoye is based on the ancient principles of medieval Russian art. Its cultural origin is connected with Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius (Moscow Region), a large centre of national arts and crafts. The detailed hand-decorated figurines of people and animals, either painted or unadorned, are based on fairytale characters or legendary heroes. Local craftsmen do their work with much imagination, humour, and extraordinary attention to detail. Many museums in Russia have their own collections of toys in this style.

Scandinavian Drawn Thread Work

Drawn thread work is a form of counted-thread embroidery based on removing threads from the warp and/or the weft of a piece of even-weave fabric. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into a variety of patterns. The more elaborate styles of drawn thread work use in fact a variety of other stitches and techniques, but the drawn thread parts are their most distinctive element. It is also grouped as whitework embroidery because it was traditionally done in white thread on white fabric and is often combined with other whitework techniques.