The Tatar people have an ancient and colorful culture. His way of life, sorrows and joys, wars and unions, way of life, beliefs could not but be reflected in his work. Since the people are ancient, history and culture go back centuries. In its way of life and worldview, the nation differed from the tribes that settled nearby and was isolated. Therefore, for example, the Tatar ornament used to decorate clothes, household items, houses is original and original.
Types of ornament and types of motifs
The way of life of the people significantly influenced the patterns that decorated various products. The predominantly Tatar national ornament has a pronounced influence of ancient agriculture. But if you carefully study the works of the masters, you can see that the influence of the culture of pastoralism of the nomadic ancestors of the people is also manifested.
Tatar patterns and ornaments have three types of motifs: geometric, floralvegetable and zoomorphic. A characteristic feature is their contour completion.
Flower and floral ornament and its use
Patterns have been used by craftsmen from time immemorial in many areas of applied art: architecture, embroidery, painting, woodcarving. Tatar ornament with floral and floral motifs is the most common. Masters create both simple forms and complex bouquets. The colors that are used for ornamentation are bright, rich and blend well. The motifs are stylized and have many interpretations. An important role is played by the order in which the elements of the pattern are located and how they are combined with each other.
There are three directions in floral and vegetable motifs used for creativity: steppe, meadow and garden. Depending on the area in which the master or craftswoman lived, certain Tatar patterns and ornaments prevailed. For the steppe direction, motifs depicting stylized poppies, tulips, forget-me-nots, and carnations are more characteristic. Meadow motifs are full of flowers of wild rose, bluebell, chamomile, cornflowers. Garden directions were typical for urban settlements. Depicted mainly dahlias, chrysanthemums, roses, asters. The most common are two flowers that the Tatar ornament uses. Tulip and carnation are the main motifs.
Geometric and zoomorphic motifs
Zoomorphic drawings are almost never used. This is explainedthe requirements of religion, so that the Tatar ornament very rarely contains images of animals. However, craftsmen who still decide on zoomorphic motifs in their products stylize them so much that it is not always possible to understand which animal is depicted.
Often, the geometric Tatar ornament is not an independent element of the product, but performs auxiliary functions. The use of shapes depends on what the image is applied to. For example, weaving is dominated by geometric motifs, while embroidery is dominated by floral motifs arranged with geometric precision.
Elements used in the ornament. Their possibilities. Techniques for transferring the idea of the master
First of all, you should pay attention to how the tulip is used in the Tatar ornament. It is presented in the form of a pointed trefoil with varying degrees of curvature. Less common are quinquefoils. Wavy lines under the hand of the master are overgrown with leaves and form a "vine".
On one branch there can be grapes, and meander, and dahlias, and cloves. The Tatar ornament with geometric motifs uses both simple shapes (triangles, rhombuses, circles, squares) and complex ones (hexagonal rosettes, stepped figures, eight-pointed stars).
Floral ornament has another distinctive feature - the asymmetry of the elements. On one branch, flowers coexist perfectly, which in nature never grow side by side or bloom in different months of the year.
The meaning of the tulip in culture and ornament
Every nationhas its own symbol, which has meaning only for him. Many masters use the Tatar ornament, in which the main motive is the tulip. For this people, it is, first of all, a symbol of rebirth. The tulip is on the flag of Tatarstan.
Secondly, the tulip is inextricably linked with the religious beliefs of the Muslim world. The flower is associated with the name of Allah. The spelling of the name of the plant in Arabic consists of the same letters as the name of the god of the Muslim world. From the point of view of Abaj's numerological system (each letter has its own number), the sum of the letters in the words "tulip" and "Allah" is the same and equals 66.
Rose is also often displayed in Tatar ornaments. And again for religious reasons: it is a symbol of the prophet Muhammad. And although the flowers are highly stylized, a person who understands the symbols and culture of the Tatar people will definitely be able to read the Tatar ornament.
