Oľga Danglová
In the traditional environment, and in folk creativity, much of what had previously been known in a general art history context was adapted to become our perception of the heart, its symbolism, and in its visual reproduction and inclusion in an ornamental composition. This might have been secular associations with everyday life, or in other cases religious associations. As long as the heart was not just one of the elements of an ornamental layout, its presence on a certain object was clear to local people. Everyone knew and understood its purpose and associations. In her article, the author explains how the motif of the heart was reflected in Slovakia’s traditional farming and shepherding culture, particularly in folk woodcarving. She notices the wooden moulds in the shape of a heart, wooden vessels with this motif, the heart on love tokens or the heart as a carved out empty space.