Russian Folktale Art Fit for a Tsar!

The work of Palekh artists must be counted among the true wonders of Russian art. When you look at their creations on black lacquer backgrounds each of them seems to glisten and sparkle with gold, silver and all the colors of the rainbow... 

-Abram Raskin, art scholar and Merited Art Worker of Russia.

I'd love your feedback and comments about these two gorgeous folk tale books (not technically "fairy tale", if you remember from my last post) I brought home from my trip to St. Petersburg. (Remember, a comment will enter you into my May Giveaways!)

Both books are illustrated with artwork from painted Russian lacquer boxes. By the way - I see that you can get used copies of the Russian Fairy Tales book very inexpensively, here from Amazon - for sure a lot cheaper than what you'd pay for one of the lacquer boxes!  This post is full of my own photos from Pushkin's Fairy Tales...

Russian lacquer art developed from the 17th-19th Century Russian icon painting tradition - which sadly came to an end with the collapse of Imperial Russia during the Russian Revolution of 1917 (although thankfully this tradition is being revived by young artists of the 21st Century) . The icon painters, who previously had been employed by supplying not only churches but people's homes with icons, needed a way to make a living.

Since many of the icons had been painted on cypress-wood panels or a papier-mâché base, the artists  began specializing in the craft of making papier-mâché decorative boxes and panels that were lacquered and then hand painted, often with scenes from folk tales.

There are four centers (schools) which practice the art of this Russian craft - both of my fairy tale books show the work of artists from the Palekh School, using the technique of painting in egg-based tempera overlaid with intricate gold leaf highlighting to decorate their miniature lacquer boxes.

 (Artwork by Alexei Orleansky a painter of the Palekh school, from Russian Fairy tales)

In my next few posts I'll be sharing different Russian folktales with you.  Today, I'll be sharing the artwork and stories from Pushkin's Fairy Tales.  Pushkin's tales are quite long, and written in verse (he was more influenced by French fairy tales then Russian folk tales, which were always written in prose).  I bought the book for my son-in-law, because he's especially interested in Russia and its literature.

From "Ruslan and Ludmilla", an epic tale in verse by Pushkin,
published in 1820.

From "The Golden Cockerel"

"The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" was the last folktale in verse by Pushkin, published in 1835.  It's based on a couple of chapters from the short story "Legend of the Arabian Astrologer" from the Tales of Alhambra by Washington Irving!

The only tale of Pushkin's that might interest younger children is "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Champions" (champions could also be translated as "knights").  Does the number seven make you think of any other fairy tale - SNOWWHITE AND THE SEVEN...?

Here is the Princess, in all her glory (and holding the "Pippin" apple), with the seven brother knights -  "champions...ruddy, bushy-whiskered men" (they're not dwarfs in this version, and they live in a mansion in the forest, as opposed to a cottage).

The Princess and her seven champions

She runs away from her step-mother, the Queen, and finds the knights' forest mansion.  The seven brothers love her, but she tells them she cannot marry any of them because "another still is dearest. I must his forever be; Elisey, the prince, is he."

This prince eventually comes looking for her - asking the Sun and Moon to help him find his soon-to-be-wife.  Little does her fiance know that she has been approached by an old woman and given an apple that was poisoned.  It is the Wind who finally tells him of her glass coffin and where to find it... 

From the coffin she is creeping; Ah, for joy they both are weeping!  

Now he lifts the maid away Out of darkness into day 

And the two are homeward faring, Happy, friendly talk are sharing.

Quickly round the tidings ring, 'Saved - the daughter of the king!'

One other Pushkin tale in this book that I'll mention is "Tale of Tsar Sultan".  It's been published as a picture book on its own with illustrations by one of my favorite present-day Russian artists,  Gennady Spirin.  You can see his version here.

I hope you're enjoying all this truly remarkable Russian-lacquer-box-fairy-tale-artwork!  More coming in my next post...and remember to leave a comment, if you want to be entered in my May Giveaways (it's Matryoshka Madness!)

Alexander Pushkin and Russian Folklore

When my husband and I were in St. Petersburg, Russia, we made a side trip to the town of Pushkin (named for the poet), which surrounds the Tsarskoe Selo ("Tsar's Village") estates.  I'll be sharing photos of the estates soon in another post; today I'd like to talk a little bit about Pushkin and Russian folklore.

Monument of Pushkin, founded on the 26th of May 1899, on the 100th anniversary of the poet's birth. 
Pushkin was educated at the Lyceum of Tsarskoe Selo.

Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) is generally recognized as Russia's greatest poet. He was born into an aristocratic family with a long and distinguished lineage, and attended an exclusive school for the nobility in Tsarskoe Selo, outside the capital city, St. Petersburg.

Pushkin was also a novelist, but part of his literary heritage is his "fairy tales", which were loosely based on Russian folklore (and on some French fairy tales - because of this his tales were criticized, called "artificial flowers" - source).

Pushkin's Fairy Tales,  with Palekh Painting

I honestly didn't know a lot about Russian folklore or Pushkin's tales, so I did some research and found out two interesting facts...

FACT # 1 - Pushkin's tales have always been favorite subject matter for  the painting school of Palekh, a famous old center of icon-painting and lacquer miniature boxes.  (More about this fact in my next post!)

FACT #2:  There are no fairies in Russian folklore, so they should really be referred to "folktales" - they have also been called "wondertales". (Thanks to Masha Gedilaghine Holl's website, which was my source for much of the information you'll find below!)

What is, then, a folktale? It's a story. First and foremost. In Russian, it is called SKAZKA. The word is from the same root as the verb "to say" -- skazat. Therefore it, quite simply, "that which is told" -- a tale, or story. But by implication, it is fiction, not news, something someone came up with: Entertainment. 

Up until the close of the eighteenth century most everyone from tsar to peasant delighted in the folktale.  After that time, the tales were more a part of the culture of the lower class.  Also of note is that the early Russian folk tales were traditionally told only after dark - when young children were asleep - they were typically not subject matter for children (too scary).

THERE ARE FOUR BASIC TYPES OF RUSSIAN FOLK TALES:
1 - Magical tales with a female hero.
2 - Magical tales with a male hero.
3 - Animal tales (with animals as main characters, with or without the participation of human characters).
4 - Tales about everyday life.

1, 2 - The first two categories are related. Both male and female heroes will embark on some kind of a quest. It may be a trip to the forest to gather firewood, mushrooms, or berries; or it may be a journey into a far-away kingdom. Similar characters appear in both types of tales, and they usually end with a marriage, and maybe fortune as well.
--The magical tales in which the hero is female (usually a girl) center around her ability to perform certain tasks. These tasks are usually practical and test the heroin's household skills: cleaning, cooking, spinning, weaving, and of course her knowledge of the proper behavior. These tales also test her ethics: she must not lie, although telling less than the truth is allowed; she must not steal, but taking something from an evil character, after she was allowed to do so by someone from that household, is also allowed.
--Magical tales with a male hero follow a slightly different pattern. For one thing, the male hero ALWAYS leaves his home on a QUEST (the female hero may live all her adventures in her own back yard). The male hero is not expected to perform tasks, at least not by himself: he encounters magical helpers that will do his work for him, or else fix the mistakes he makes when he attempts to perform the task.

3 - The third category of tales is not magical per se, unless you count the animals' ability to speak in "people's voices" (human speech). These tales may involve the participation of humans, or not, but usually the presence of humans somewhere is acknowledged or taken for granted.
--Animal tales are not cute stories about nice furry creatures. Animal characters are strictly typecast:

"The Fox and the Wolf," watercolor and charcoal by Yevgeny Rachev [source]

• Wolves are greedy rather stupid, and male (the Russian word for wolf is "volk," a masculine noun). 
• Foxes are sly, calculating, and tricksters. They are also female (the Russian word for fox is "lisa," a feminine noun). 
• Cats are opportunistic and lazy. They are male (the Russian word for cat is "kot," a masculine noun). 
• Bears are big and lumbering (naturally), rather clumsy, and not very bright. They are male (the Russian word for bear is "medved'," a masculine noun). The Russian word that is the equivalent of "teddy bear," "misha," is also the diminutive for the name Mikhail, which is the standard "first name" of folk-tale bears. 
• Hares are quick and cowardly, and male ("hare," in Russian, is "zaiats," a masculine noun). 
• The goat is cunning, and female (Russian -- "koza," a feminine noun). 
• The rooster is cocky and boastful, and male (Russian -- "petukh," a masculine noun).

4 - The fourth category of tales about everyday life includes tales about soldiers returning home who meet (and defeat) Death, or who encounter a witch, or some other kind of magical being, and who gain fortune in the end (or maybe just a bowl of soup, as in "Axe Soup," the Russian variant of "Stone Soup.")


Be sure and read this informative essay: Baba Yaga's Domain, by Helen Pilinovsky, about one of Old Russia's most famous (and complex) folklore characters.

BOOKS FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS

This bronze statue can be found in the
town of Bremen, Germany.  (The front
hooves of the Donkey have become
shiny - touching them is said to make
wishes come true.)

The Town Musicians of Bremen folktale from the Brothers Grimm seems a fitting tale for the day after Halloween...I recall feeling sorry as a child for the old Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Rooster, who were past their prime and consequently not useful  on their farms anymore.  They decide to become musicians and travel together to the town of Bremen. On the way, they see a lighted cottage; they look inside and spy four robbers enjoying their spoils. Standing on each other's backs, they hatch a plan to perform for the men in hope of gaining food. Their 'music' has an unanticipated effect; the men run for their lives, not knowing what the strange sound is. The animals take possession of the house, eat a good meal, and settle in for the evening. The thieves decide to return, but in the dark and confusion, the robber they send in to investigate becomes convinced the cottage in now inhabited by a horrible witch who scratched him with her long fingers (the Cat), an ogre with a knife (the Dog), a giant who had hit him with his club (the Donkey), and worst of all, the judge who screamed in his voice from the rooftop (the Rooster).  Well, the men flee and the animal musicians never do make it to Bremen, but live happily for the rest of their lives on the abandoned farm.

THE BREMEN-TOWN MUSICIANS, retold by Ruth Belov Gross, pictures by Jack Kent.

You can also find the story in Richard Scarry's ANIMAL NURSERY TALES. Watch the adorable Youtube video of the "Muppet Musicians of Bremen" song that my kids loved, below:

Another story your young musicians might enjoy is BERLIOZ THE BEAR, written and illustrated by Jan Brett (this one involves a mule!)  From the back cover: 

"The performers must get to the ball, (Berlioz leads one and all,) but their wagon and load are stuck in the road, and the mule has decided to stall!" 

It's fun to listen to Rimsky- Korsakov's "FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE" after reading this book.

Click HERE to read my past post, "Music Appreciation for Young Souls". (Titles reviewed include: MOLE MUSIC, by David McPhail; ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! A VIOLIN, by Lloyd Moss; Little Golden Book ANIMAL ORCHESTRA, by Ilo Orleans; and THE JAZZ FLY, by Matthew Gollub)