Visual research about the Russian folk craft — Abashevsky toy. The Abashevsky toy is rather little-known and not familiar to everyone, so the research is aimed at getting to know the toy, its history, symbols and the manufacturing process. Also, a considerable part is devoted to what echoes of the toy we see now in the XXI century. While working on the research, I was looking for visual parallels in colors, form and plastics in the history of art and in what surrounds me and what I encounter every day. During the study, it turned out that echoes of the Abashev toy can be seen in many types of art: the shape of the toy is similar to sculptures of Iranian origin and to paintings on ancient Greek frescoes, a similar color scheme was seen in many “Arrows” posters, and the plastic of the toy clearly resembles modern sculptures.

The study consists of five sections: history and origin, myths and symbolism, manufacture, parallels and conclusions. The book is not large in size 290×480 mm and has a slightly elongated shape, this is due to the identical shape of the toy. Font (Spectra), used in several styles at once, seemed to reflect well the cheerful and free nature of the Abashev toy. The colour scheme of the book is also determined by the colours that are most often used in painting toys: red, blue, green and purple. This project was carried out as a student project at the HSE School of Art and Design in 2022, curated by Ivan Vetrov.