Gorodets Painting

a folk art industry that developed in the mid-19th century near the town of Gorodets (present-day Gorky Oblast). Gorodets painting replaced the local production of spinning wheels embellished with inlaid work and carving. (This industry had existed since the I8th century.) Simple and characterized by contrasting colors, Gorodets painting in tempera was used to decorate homes (shutters, doors, and gates) and objects of daily life, including spinning wheel seats, furniture, and toys. Flowered designs surrounded figures of horses, roosters, imaginary beasts and birds, and scenes of strolls and tea parties, which were executed in broad, free brush strokes. The pictures were graphically outlined in black and white to stress their rhythm.

The industry declined in the beginning of the 20th century, but it has recently been revived. In 1938 the 21-ia Godov-shchina Oktiabria Artel was founded in Gorodets, which produced decorated toys and souvenirs. Present chief masters are D. I. Kriukov, A. E. Konovalov, and I. A. Mazin.