WOOD IN ART AND EVERYDAY LIFE
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area : Podkarpackie |
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category : traditional craftmanship |
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The return of wood in the region, the restoration of its former importance can be seen not only in the revival of timber construction. Wood has become popular again also in the furniture industry, as a raw material for traditional crafts and artists.
Wooden sculpture is one of the most distinctive traditions of the region. Artists have been reaching for this material for centuries and despite the fact that wood is less durable than stone, many works of art have survived to this day and can be admired by visitors from all over the world. Pietà from Haczów is one of the most prominent works of art. It has been the pride of the local church, which actually is the oldest and the largest wooden church in the world and one of the World Heritage Sites.
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Pietà from Haczów is just one of the examples of religious subjects in sculpture. Religious motifs have been popular for centuries with both educated artists and traditional folk sculptors. Roadside chapels and church altars are still decorated with works of artists who were active in many villages of the region. The authors are often nameless, as according to the medieval principle of folk art, even long after the Renaissance, their works were created for the God’s glory and not for the author’s credit. Pietà (depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus) was one of the most recognized motifs but there were other such as: the Madonna and Child, Christ Falling Under the Cross, The Pensive Christ. They have all become an everlasting element of rural landscape, not only in the Carpathian mountains. It seems interesting that sculpture developed especially in villages dominated by the Roman Catholic population, and not in the communities of Eastern Christianity, which favored icons.
Contemporary sculpture studios are not only a major tourist attraction (especially since they have been on the Carpathian Craft Trail) but they also fascinate many art lovers. Some artists still specialize in sacred art, but there are also those who take up different subjects– for example angels and demons are very popular in Bieszczady. Works of the authors from the region can be found not only in numerous churches but also in art galleries all over the world. Moreover, the future of this challenging art, which is as part of our cultural heritage, looks bright as it still attracts new apprentices who want to join the group of well established artists.
But wood is used not only in sculpture, but also in purely functional art. There are countless everyday objects among traditional wood products: wooden spoons, ladles, salt shakers, furniture etc. Today wood is in style again thanks to the popularity of ecological matters. And numerous workshops, once almost forgotten, keep making wooden products.
Furniture is the best example of this trend. Podkarpacie Province, and especially its central and southern parts, is well-known for small family businesses that make furniture. Until recently they mostly had a range of MDF products in their offer. However today wood, which is natural, organic and renewable material, is becoming increasingly popular. Especially that wood used in the region is of best quality and customers begin to appreciate the superiority of real, solid wood over MDF products. Of course real wood isn’t cheap and only the richest customers can afford it.
Traditional method of processing wood is also a part of the intangible cultural heritage. This is not common knowledge, as techniques were different and depended on the character of products. Containers such as barrels or buckets were nailed together from wooden staves, whereas ladles and spoons were carved out of pieces of wood. Making shingles, for example, required special skills and more complex objects such as toys, were precisely combined out of previously prepared parts.
Wooden toys were very popular a few decades ago. Children in cities, towns and villages rode rocking horses, played with wooden ponies, carts, birds and later with wooden toy cars. The Renaissance of the tradition is visible also in this field. There is an increasing number of studios that specialize in creating toys from wood and sell them to more and more clients.
Until recently the tradition of wooden toys was demonstrated even by the logo of the Podkarpacie Province. It depicted a wooden bird but had to give way to symbols that link the Bieszczady Mountains with the aviation industry. Fortunately, the wooden bird disappeared only as a symbol and wooden toys like other wood products seem to be popular again with both the inhabitants of the region and the tourists.
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