The exhibition "Silver Age of Russian Fantik"

[Santa]

Sweet Collection
Candy wrappers are portrayed in the museum
ELENA Ryzhov
 
The exhibition "Silver Age of Russian Fantik", which takes place at the Polytechnic Museum, shows that the wrappers for candy is not only a protective coating for confectionery products, but also a kind of document on which you can study the history of an era.

A century ago with the help of wrappers from chocolate wrappers or small adults, and a sweet tooth enlightened. For example, with the image on the package "candy" (as in pre-revolutionary orthography called candy) can be examined czarist army uniforms, "visit" in various Russian cities and to consider the architectural monuments, as well as reading stories or fragments of various excerpts from "Dead Souls" ( series, in 1921, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Gogol).

On the creation of numerous "wrapping" of subjects for the largest factories ("Red October", "Babaevskaya," "Bolshevik") operated by such famous artists as Wrobel, Vasnetsov, Bilibin, Apsit, Belsky and others. The truth, as told to the correspondent of "New News" organizer Igor humble, "entrepreneurs because of stiff competition carefully concealed the names of graphic designers." Small producers invited sweet delicacy, respectively, lesser-known artists. In any case, each wrapper "Silver Age" if not a masterpiece of art, but artistic value.

In the late XIX - early XX century Russian confectionery market was at its zenith; beautifully designed chocolates were popular not only in his native homeland, but also abroad. "Small works of art," as they call wrappers, a century ago when there were no computers, no special equipment is a masterpiece of industrial graphics. They are especially prized by collectors (of which there were many) because of the fact that painted by hand - pen and brush. After the revolutionary events of 1917, the names of even the best-known confectioners have been forgotten for more than 70 years.

As a rule, style wrappers fit the general trends of fine arts of the period. Thus, decorated wrappers characteristic of art nouveau floral ornaments, ladies in dresses on the floor, colorful landscapes. There was also a very popular "neo-Russian" or so-called "ropetovsky 'style (named after the architect Ivan Ropet), typified by the image on the packaging of Russian beauties, the heroes of the country's history, portraits of famous writers and poets, fairy-tale characters. The most popular historical topics. Therefore, the packaging of confectionery products, "noted" the 100th anniversary of the victory over the French in the War of 1812, the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and other important historical dates.

"Novye Izvestiya"