СТАРО И НОВО ЛИЦЕ KУВАРИЦЕ
THE OLD AND THE NEW FACES OF “KUVARICE” EMBROIDERED CANVAS

Summary/Abstract: White embroidered pieces of canvas cloth suspended on the wall, with written messages and linearly depicted situations involving mostly anthropomorphic characters around which a short concise story is woven, most often additionally explained by a written message and lined in the margins with floral ornaments, were common decorations in many kitchens during the 20th century, all the way to the 1970s. The ease of production, decorativeness and practicality, together with use of motifs whose beauty and simplicity symbolize a whole range of desirable qualities, feelings and virtues, enabled these pieces of canvas, often called “kuvarice” in Serbian, to easily and quickly spread throughout Western and Central Europe as well as the Balkan Peninsula. In that way, the idea of the positive characteristics of individuals and the whole society was transmitted and built into every home within that spacious multinational region. The concept of ”kuvarice” consists of a complex of defining elements: two-dimensionality, position on the wall, type of canvas, techniques of ”handwriting-embroidery”, techniques of motif transfer, linear stylized compositions, motifs and symbols, short language forms in the form of messages. Their structure incorporates social, economic, social and psychological significance derived from their obvious and latent functions. These functions influenced socialization, gender identity building, social integration, affirmation of values, and transmission of cultural patterns passed down from one generation to another. The “kuvarice” bear imprints of social factors and economic circumstances that participated in their development. They explicitly speak of economic and family relationships where a woman was supposed to be committed to home and housework. They are related to gender identity, gender role of women and gender stereotypes of housework. The word “kuvarica” in Serbian language brings to mind an image of a woman who will spend most of her day in the home kitchen, preparing various elaborate dishes for dinner. With the cessation of functionality of such a role in changed social and economic circumstances, in addition to losing its practical hygienic and decorative purpose, the ”kuvarice” also lost its communication role of nurturing certain gender interactions and other socio-psychological functions with the home and the family, and therefore disappeared from the kitchen walls. In addition to its role as a museum object that preserves the everyday life of the past, and in addition to its role of a souvenir, a new form of this practice appeared through effort of women gathered around the association ”Impractical Women” of the art group “Škart” as they use it for expressing their worldviews and criticism of society, aphorisms and engaged art statements.

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