Folklore and Folk Art
The flowering of folk art in Opolan Silesia began at the beginning of the 19th century. The abolition of serfdom in the Prussian partition in 1807 contributed to the gradual awakening of peasants’ social consciousness, accompanied by cultural awareness. Of course the sources of the majority of the various branches of folk arts reach back into earlier historical periods. Archeological excavations have revealed that the ornamented Easter eggs unearthed in Ostrówek near Opole date back to the 10th century. Guild and village craftsmen undoubtedly produced artwork as well.
The golden age of traditional folk art in Opolan Silesia took place during the first 10 years after the abolition of serfdom. Yet in the minds of artists of that time the concept of “art” did not really exist. Initially, during the creative process of making a certain object the main emphasis was placed on the object’s function, while aesthetic issues were of secondary importance. The gradual stratification of rural populations led to the emergence of a class of wealthy peasants, and it is precisely for these peasants that craftsmen produced beautiful items: blacksmiths – metal lining and casing for doors, wardrobes, chests, metal screens, metal lining for posts and beams, cemetery crosses; cabinetmakers – richly ornamented furniture that was often covered by colorful paintings, porches and verandas attached to the fronts of homes; saddlers – saddles, reins, straps; tailors – clothes; shoemakers – shoes. Such wealthy items served to add greater prestige to those who could afford them and made people stand out from the rest of village society. This was particularly true in the case of folk attire. Objects were often richly decorated with symbols, formed by beliefs and the man’s relation to the nature that surrounded him. The works of individual artists adhered to concrete canons of beauty – they had to commonly acknowledged and understood. Fashions and innovations fit within these canons, slightly modifying them without undermining their essence. Examples of this were sculptors who produced religious objects. In the past villages remained in relative cultural isolation. New fashions did not instantly become accepted, but were rather slowly modified to meet village needs and tastes. Furthermore, villages were self-sustaining in terms of their tools and base of resources.
The industrialization process, which began in Silesia in the second half of the 19th century gradually, led to a change in the image of the traditional village. Peasant culture steeped in tradition began to undergo degradation. Large portions of the workforce moved to the cities to work in industry. Villages that had hitherto been self-sufficient now began to supply themselves with factory made goods. Rural communities were quicker to adopt urban trends and fashions, which meant greater progressive and modernization.
Traditional culture survived longest in the most economically backward areas such as the Olesko region. During the interwar period in many places traditional folk attire was nothing more than a relic of the past, passed on from generation to generation. Cast iron goods replaced the artistic objects made by blacksmiths. The same thing happened to the products made by other artists and craftsmen. Wooden figures of saints were increasingly replaced by plaster or ceramic casts. Only with regard to ritual arts were old traditions and customs maintained. In Silesian homes Easter eggs were dyed with a decoction made from winter corn, oak, onion peels, or “brezulki” (brazil trees). Girls gave Easter eggs to men who visited them during “wet Monday.” During the period of Advent wreaths were made. “The running of the bear” was traditionally held during the carnival season – a youth would dress up as the monster.
After 1945 one can speak of the complete dying out of traditional folk arts. That folklore and folk arts survived at all was largely thanks to the fact that they were sponsored by the state – which raised the status of folk art, making it one of the authorities’ important attributes. Crafts cooperatives and Cepelia (the Centers for Folk and Artistic Industry – 1949) were established. The idea of creating an association that would united various folk artists appeared during the 1960’s. In 1973 the Opole branch of the Association of Folk Artists was established. Cepelias, regional authorities, and museums (the Opole Open-Air Museum of Rural Architecture, the Museum of Opolan Silesia) supported and continue to support the organization of exhibitions and contests. Thanks to the initiative of the Opole Cepelia an idea for an entirely new type of contemporary folk art was born – Opole porcelain (Easter eggs designs were transferred onto to ceramics). The same Cepelia, engaged in the distribution of folk arts and crafts, to a large extent influenced the development of the model of the contemporary folk artist.
Ever since the 1990’s city and Voivodeship Easter egg contests are regularly held. This is the popular branch of folk arts and crafts in Opolan Silesia. Every couple of years the Opole Open-Air Museum of Rural Architecture and the Association of Folk Artists organize folk arts and crafts contests. A survey of different traditional folk troupes takes place in Krapkowice entitled “The Running of the Bear,” in Lewin Brzeski – “Herods,” in Tułowice – “The Easter Egg Festival.” All of the abovementioned customs, rituals, and folk arts are still practiced in the countryside. Although, one must admit, they are usually practiced in very modified forms. During the Easter egg contests artists try to outdo one another by coming up with unusually innovative and complicated designs, which differ significantly from traditional folk Easter eggs. During the “Running of the Bear” participants parade in contemporary costumes. Only in Raszowa can you still see a “bear” dressed in haulm.
From the map of endemic traditions one must cross off the wearing of traditional regional folk dress, which was still worn by some of Opolan Silesia’s older inhabitants up until the 1980’s. Very few blacksmith artisans have remained, and their products are frequently tailored to the contemporary consumer’s tastes. Folk sculptors and painters are an entirely different category altogether - they are individuals who have an unconventional attitude towards the world and a unique system of values. Among them, it is worth mentioning the deceased representative of “Art Brute,” Stanisław Majewski (died 1986) – a creator of crude and raw sculptures, as well as Jan Kawecki – famous for his small-town landscapes of Silesia.
Changes in contemporary folk art are precipitated by changes in mass culture. The acceptance of new designs and the modification of traditional elements are an inextricable part of this process. Modernity shapes certain canons of beauty that are often radically different from traditional aesthetic forms. However, in the case of folk art, the connection to tradition cannot be gotten rid of.
