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

Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

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