December 01, 2019

Pysanky for Peace


Pysanky for Peace
An assortment of pysanky. Lyuba Petrusha

In peaceful times, giant eggs would often appear in Ukrainian cities ahead of Easter, showcasing the art of the pysanka (pysanka is derived from pysaty, "to write," pysanky is the plural form).  Shops would fill with these delicate souvenirs, and Ukrainian artists, or pysankary, would be busy selling their creations over various internet platforms. 

An image from the pysanka festival in Kyiv in 2017, when over 500 pysankas graced the city
Oldest known pysanka found in 2013 and
thought to be from the sixteenth century.
From Pysanky.info.
An item from the Pysanka Museum in Kolomiya
created in 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The traditional pysanka is an egg that has been carefully emptied of its contents—one way is to drill a small hole at either end and slowly blow the egg out of a shell—and decorated. The artist applies the design with beeswax using a special instrument called pisachok (another name for it is kistka) and dunks the egg in dyed water. The process can be repeated several times if more colors are required, though traditional motifs often have just one. At the end, the wax is melted with heat from a candle and wiped clean.

Pysanky-making instruments: the wax is scraped into the pysachok, heated over a candle
flame and applied onto the eggshell. Kits like these are sold in the US, but you can also
order one from a Ukrainian shop. This one is offered by a seller in Sumy. ​​​​Keep in mind that
many cities are under siege which can make deliveries delayed or impossible.

 

To see the technique demonstrated, check out videos made by Tetyana Konoval, who taught children's classes in Kyiv before the war, and is now hosting candlelight workshops online. 

 

Konoval also has an online shop where you can order pysanky created by her and other artists. You can also purchase a step-by-step guide with the main ornaments, which is easily downloadable.

This year, war has uprooted millions of people and many artists have also been forced to flee. Some have warned potential buyers that they cannot guarantee timely delivery of their items. It is still possible to support Ukrainian pysankary: if you don't want to purchase a pysanka, some shops accept donations through purchase of a digital image, such as this one.

Check out the following artists if you're interested in buying pysanky or just supporting them in a very difficult time. Click on the image to proceed to the page on Etsy or Instagram.

These pysanky are made by Alina from Dnipro and are
available through her Instagram. Alina also makes
beautiful all-white etched pysanky.

    

Nataliia Yanishevska from Kyiv paints with hot beeswax, a slightly
different method. Note the modern styles and use of goose eggs.

 

Tetyana Melnyk is from Sumy, one of the hardest-hit cities. She is
still taking orders and offering digital images of her works for sale.

 

Oleg, another artist from Sumy with folk patterns. You can also
support Oleg through purchasing a digital image.
Bohdan from Vasylkiv, a town that was very
hard-hit early in the war, uses a different
technique: the eggs are painted and then
hand-scratched with a sharp tool

 

Dana from Kiev makes intricately laced pysanky by drilling through
the eggshell. She says he has fled to Poland but has taken her instruments with her.
You can also purchase digital images in her shop to support her family.
Halyna Kovalenko from Lviv offers traditional pysanky as 
well as pysanka-style earrings made from eggshells.

 

Tamara Fedorenko, another artist from Kyiv.
Check out her Instagram

 

Pysanka artists are also participating in the Pysanky for Peace project: if you are artistically inclined, you can paint your own egg, or sponsor one painted by somebody else. Proceeds will go to Razom, an organization helping with emergency response in Ukraine.

See Also

Malevich's Ukrainian Square

Malevich's Ukrainian Square

A century-old work of art by an avant-garde artist has become a symbol for the growing rift between Russia and Ukraine, just as more is being learned about its famous artist.
Four Museums

Four Museums

In which we tour four museums in four cities and towns in Russia and Ukraine, to see what they tell us about soceity more broadly.
The Museum of Freedom

The Museum of Freedom

On St. Petersburg’s Revolution Highway there is a museum devoted to collecting and preserving the elusive and controversial art forms of graffiti and street art.
Ukrainian Sparks

Ukrainian Sparks

A renowned Ukrainian artist uses street art to pay tribute to those who fell in his country’s recent uprising.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955