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Mikhail KARASIK

A JOKE ON A PLATE

…It is believed that Daniil Harms made up many jokes about A.S. Pushkin: apparently, he was jealous of his Muse, and Pushkin could not answer because he had lived a century before that. I suggested that Igor Smirnov-Okhtin should answer to Harms on behalf of Pushkin and make up jokes about Harms during A.S.’ anniversary in 1999. I illustrated some of these jokes and painted a few paper plates.

So, some eat on china, some on newspaper scraps, and some are offered paper plates. Cynical businessmen/designers decided to engage china to newspapers and print flowers, ornaments, and pictures on paper plates… Now you may choose a baroque paper plate, or a Suetin-style paper plate, or a Czech art-nouveau paper plate… But why can’t people paint plates for themselves? And it is best to start with blank white paper: that is, a blank white paper plate…

Plate, of the 19 century, Khokhloma painting, village of Syomino,
Koverninsky uyezd, Nizhny Novgorod province.
«…Already in the 18 century the villagers in the Zavolzhye part of Nizhny Novgorod province painted tableware, which was called after the trading village of Khokhloma. It was a unique industry: it had the original technology of hardening wooden tableware in ovens to give it a golden tint without using the precious metal and also unique ornaments using ancient geometric symbols and floret motives:
grass, flowers, and berries»