Objects decorated with designs made out of pieces of straw band can be found in the art of many people around the world. The oldest items decorated in this manner and preserved in museums date back to the early 18th-19th centuries. At those times villagers developed an active interest in decorating objects of every-day life with artistic pieces. Taking professional art works as an example, local masters created their own masterpieces using accessible materials and developing their own methods.
The art of straw applique traces its history back to intarsia, a special kind of inlaid work, and mosaic. The technique of intarsia was used to decorate expensive furniture and other objects with pieces of precious wood, bone, pearl, and metal. Local artists replaced rare materials, which were hard to obtain, with equally beautiful but cheap and readily available straw. It was hard to detect actual thickness of a straw band. The artist only had to glue it carefully to the surface to create a festive glowing ornament. This was exactly the effect artists strove to achieve. This is how straw applique came into existence.
Initially straw applique was used to decorate two types of items. The first type of item was made from wood, e.g. furniture and small everyday objects. The second type of item was made from textile, e.g. wall carpets. These two types of items had different qualities and surface sizes. The former was small in size and made from hard wood. The latter was large like a wall carpet and made from soft cloth. These differences led to the development of two trends in the evolution of straw applique. The first trend is based on geometric strict forms. The second trend is based on curvilinear and abstract soft forms.
Smooth lines of curvilinear compositions are very different from the crystal-like scattering of ornamental geometric compositions. Techniques of creating these designs are different, too. To obtain big elements of curvilinear compositions (flower petals, leaves), straw bands are glued next to each other on a sheet of paper. Then elements of required sizes and shapes are cut out of these sheets.
Geometric elements for the applique based on geometric forms are broken off the straw band right away. The small width and straight fibers of a straw band do not allow for any other shapes or sizes.
Applique based on curvilinear forms is used to create big wall carpets. These carpets are decorated with symmetric images of doves, deer, and flower bouquets. Garlands made of plant sprouts, leaves, buds, and flowers are set around these images.
Stylized geometric plant patterns and designs were used to decorate small wooden boxes, frames, Easter eggs, and toys.
To make their works more festive, artists used straw painted in bright colors. To increase color contrast between a straw ornament and dark background, wooden surfaces decorated with applique were varnished. Varnish also served the purpose of fastening straw to the surface.
Various every-day wooden objects decorated with applique could still be found in the mid 20th century Belarus. However, this type of art has gradually declined.
A renaissance of the craft started at a Zhlobin Factory of Inlaid Work, founded in 1961. Local artists V. Dekhtiarenko and her husband M. Dekhtiarenko initiated the revival of the trade. The artists based their work on the folk art tradition of applique based on geometric forms. They developed technique for painting straw and gluing it onto surfaces. They also created models of different things, mainly small chests of various shapes. The development of the craft became especially active in the 1960s and 1970s. The Brest Factory of Art Works was the next to open a shop, also producing items decorated with geometric applique. Belorussian straw became famous outside the republic. Many talented artists joined the trade. A lot of new techniques were added to those already existing by V.Basaliga, T. Alekseeva, V. Kotov and many other artists and masters.
It was possible to find wall carpets decorated with curvilinear applique in village houses still in the 1970s. In our days such carpets can only be seen in folk art exhibitions and museums. The tradition of creating wall carpets adorned with straw applique continued with the creation of decorative panels. Skillful hands of modern artists laid out straw compositions depicting splendid flower bouquets, animals, and birds. The names of the artists who have reined in this craft for years are L.Valeeva, L. Malakhova, R. Ramanenia, and V. Pavlova.
Modern straw appliquй is being enriched with new themes and techniques. A popular trend among modern masters and artists is a decorative panel, which shows historical spots and places of Belarus. Various themes rooted in folk holidays, tales, and fables are also introduced into the art. Search for new expressions consistent with the world outlook of modern man makes the work of modern artists different from the work of folk artists. Masters look for new artistic methods combining straw bands with 3-D straw weaving, glass, textile, and porcelain.

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