What
is decorative painting? What is tole painting?
There is a lot of confusion about the term "tole
painting" vs. "decorative painting".
Tole, from the old French, taule refers to
thin sheets of iron or steel that have been
laminated or welded under pressure. Therefore,
from a traditional point of view, "Tole
Painting" is painting on items made from
this thin metal.
While it is reasonably easy to trace the definition
of the word "tole" from a dictionary,
it is less easy to define what that term means
today.
Adding to the confusion over the term "tole" is
the fact that "toleware" is a very
specific kind of decorative, painted, highly
varnished product -- usually made from metal.
This style of "decorative painting" flourishes
in different "niches" around the
world. For example, Russian Folk Art, such
as Zhostova, continues to be produced in it's
birthplace and is a creative influence on American
decorative painters today.
Tole as an art form has many influences from
the past, from numerous countries, and is constantly
evolving. As a result, it is difficult to pin
the term "tole" down.
I think that we can say that "tole painting" is
a form of folk art painting based upon a teachable
method of specific strokes and techniques.
Those same skills are also used in other forms
of decorative painting, including specific
regional techniques such as Rosemaling or Zhostova,
etc., and more recently evolved "melting
pot" techniques.The term "tole painting" has
evolved and become
interchangeable with "decorative painting" in common usage, rather
than solely a reference to it's historical usage as painting on metal.
Which brings us to the phrase, "Decorative
Painting"...
Decorative Painting can actually be traced back as far as the Prehistoric Age
when the first Caveman began drawing on his walls.
Decorative painting in North America has been
driven by it's immigrant roots.For example,
certain areas of the US are more heavily influenced
by German or
Norwegian folk art.
It has only been since the introduction of
painting books, largely since 1970, that folk
art, tole and decorative painting have become
more generic in the US. Prior to the 1970's,
if you could find someone to teach this art
form at all, you would have learned Rosemaling
or Bauernmalerei or one of the Colonial based
painting techniques using historic patterns,
etc. Rarely would you find a teacher that
could teach generic decorative painting (drawing from a variety of techniques,
products, surfaces and styles) as most painters learn it today.
Therefore, the term Decorative Painting refers
to a diverse art form utilizing a variety of
techniques and media in which walls, furniture
and any of a number of other functional and
non-functional surfaces are embellished with
a patterned finish.
Among these techniques are tole painting,
stenciling, and various types of faux finishing
including strie', color washing, patina, crackling
and marbleizing.
Contemporary decorative painting is limitless
in its scope. If creativity, discipline and
craftsmanship are incorporated, decorative
painting offers opportunities not only for
artistic self-expression, but for creative
satisfaction as well.
Not sure what some of the terms above mean?
Let's see if we can simplify things a bit in The
Artist's Glossary.
|
