Abstract

The current situation in the manufacture and positioning of clay toys in Russia — a country with rich traditions of the existence of large and small crafts of this kind — is ambiguous, but has positive dynamics. The appeal to the activities of individual toy makers, both amateur and professional artists, provides the basis for understanding the current state of the craft. Of interest is the analysis of the search by craftsmen from different parts of the country for new artistic solutions both in terms of the shape of products and their decoration, in conditions of following the principles of craftsmen of the past. Currently, there is a surge of interest in clay toys in the works of modern masters from Russian researchers. However, a comprehensive study of its existence in various villages and cities of Russia has not been conducted. This determines the need to establish "hotbeds" of craft development, identify the most prominent representatives, establish links between modern creative activity and the traditions of the past, as well as identify new things that artists offer in their activities. The study also includes those crafts that have emerged recently and are not the result of continuity, but have a rather distinctive form and use elements of the artistic language of other crafts.