News
The Triumph of the Russian Calico
19.10.2012
The exhibition “The Triumph of the Russian Calico” opened in the halls of the Excursion-Exhibition Centre “The People’s House”. It is a joint project of the two museums - All-Russian Museum of Decorative-Applied and Folk Art and National M.A.Sholokhov Museum-Reserve. The exhibition is a part of the major project “The Don. Sholokhov. Russia” developed by the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov.
The exhibition presents examples of printed fabrics made in Russia, a collection of calico kerchiefs of the XVII – beginning the XX centuries in all their diversity, with their distinctive original drawing patterns. The challenge of the exposition is to draw attention to the fabric as a full value work of art. “Calico is a product of artistic culture the same as the picture, and there is no reason to make a distinction between them…” This statement by Osip Brik in relation to the exhibition is absolutely true. The visitors are amazed at the variety of images, their colour, the highest quality fabrics of the prerevolutionary period. For most people the cloth is a too utilitarian thing widely used in everyday life to think about its artistic component, decorative qualities. Even more so, if we are talking about “some calico”. The exhibition is aimed at showing the importance of the print pattern and an artist’s work reproduced in kilometres of manufactured printed fabrics. The exhibition also presents a collection of print boards of the XIX – XX centuries, which complements and broadens the knowledge of printed textile designs of that time created by hand.
The exhibition “The Triumph of the Russian Calico” is a fabulously beautiful sight. The author of the artistic design of the exhibition is the People’s artist of Russia, the laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation B.A.Messerer. The artistic embodiment of the exhibition shows a world of textile printed ornaments, where the beauty and harmony become decisive, which helps to feel the artistic importance of the fabrics as artware.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was very interesting. The guests were invited to make a “bird of happiness” with their own hands from pieces of coloured calico making a sincere desire.
We invite residents and guests of the Don region for the exhibition, which will work till December, 10, 2012.
Irina Koveshnikova
