What we call folk art is a result of longer, slowed-down time. The history was always created by individuals, and the same is with art. But the art was slowly depositing in consciousnesses, it was lying balled longer than the time needed for the events to pass, in mountains and valleys not connected one to another, over seven rivers and seventy seven mountains. Since our country is very diverse, we possess an immense treasure of this slowed-down history. Aware of its value, as well as its volatileness we make it a sign today – we confer to it the sign of identity. Indeed, we possess a lot of that treasure, but in the words of a poet „it is still there, it is still there thanks to some with pride“– and we shall possess it as long as we shall preserve that pride. This set of stamps by Croatian Post is a contribution to this purpose. By continuing its series „Croatian Ethnographic Heritage“, Croatian Post seizes into an immense treasury that is surely among the exquisite treasures of this world. Often unaware of what we possess, we let it decay in daylight or vegetate in darkness. The light however is needed for admiration: to these patterns, colours, petals of an imperishable garden which resists to dryness and rains, snows and centuries. National heritage has surely saved us much from that which faded in the changing of high styles. In that covert garden the tulips that were the subject of possessed desires in 17th century, still open. Baroque roses and small Biedermeier roses flourish, romantic forget-me-nots and art deco lilies intermingle. In the world history once there existed a coded language of flowers. Each flower, each colour had its exact sense and meaning. A seemingly innocent bunch of flowers contained a legible message. Today the nuances have vanished, but the task of mediating love and thankfulness remained preserved in flowers. How much love and thankfulness is there on these folk costumes from Draganić in Pokuplje, over Dubrovnik littoral and then again in Međimurje and Posavina! Almost white on white, tender flowers of Pokuplje combine with small branches of Dubrovnik, drawn precisely as hyssop. Succulent roses from Međimurje smell with maturity and fullness. To the Pokuplje whiteness in the end corresponds the black background of Posavina, on which the filigree contours of calyxes discern like when the eye closes against too strong light. The folk heritage comprises all forms and dimensions of life. Though, it is nice to offer it in the form of flowers: fragile and short-lived like the flowers, let us pick them by the glance, today, while we still exist, happy for existing. Željka Čorak
