Historians and ethnographers are convinced that the flourishing of the tradition of painting houses and household items in the village of Petrykivka, and later in a significant area around it, is a consequence of the economic prosperity of that part of the eastern territories of our country that was on the territory of the Zaporozhian Host's Freedoms. In other words, if a peasant artist (the masters of Petrykivka painting were women) has the time and inspiration to create despite the fact that the only means of her survival — household chores — absorbs almost all her strength, this means that she is confident in the future.
Tetyana Pata, "Peacocks." Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
As for the areas to be painted, the list of such places in the house was also standard: walls, door frames, areas around windows, as well as the baseboard, the rafters (the main supporting beam) and the stove. Household items were also painted, including tables, benches and basins.
According to historical documents, the founder of Petrykivka was a Cossack named Petro Ivanenko (Petryk) - the general clerk of the then Hetman's Chancellery. At the moment of its appearance at the end of the 17th century, Petrykivka was an ordinary winter settlement, but (and this is very important) one whose inhabitants, due to the location of their village on the territory of the Zaporozhian Host's Freedoms, were not burdened with unnecessary taxes, so they carried out active economic activity. The local fair lasted for weeks, and the fairground had a rather large diameter for those times - 2,5 km. Grain, livestock, vegetables, clothing, household items, as well as painted interior items were sold here. Here you could also find a craftswoman to paint a house or household items.
Olena Tereshchenko, a tour guide at the Petrykivka Museum of Ethnography, Everyday Life, and Folk and Applied Arts of the Petrykivka Village Council, explains: "The art of painting was passed down from generation to generation — from mother to daughter. Of course, someone simply painted their house, and someone turned it into their profession. Gradually, a group of semi-professional craftsmen formed in Petrykivka who made paper drawings and painted the interiors of houses, household utensils, sleighs, and fans. The paper drawings were sold at markets — in the cities of their own and neighboring provinces."
According to Ms. Olena, popular craftsmen made a significant contribution to their families' budgets. At the same time, painting houses and interior items was so "fashionable" that some artists managed to earn well even during the famine years. Some of them even managed to save their families during the Holodomor in this way. This means that local residents perceived painting as an everyday necessity and purchased this service even when there was not enough money for other things.
Panel "White Dance", Fedir Panko. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
But the craftsmen, by the way, did not have to spend money at all: the cost of painting was very low, because the paints were made from natural materials themselves. In order to make them, it was enough to simply walk around the house and garden and collect the necessary components: viburnum, soot from the stove, flower juice, leaves and berries. Dark red paint was obtained from currants, bright red from cherries, orange from onion husks, green from wheatgrass, blue-blue from snowdrops, and purple of various shades from elderberries and mulberries: "The technology of creating bright natural colors from plants has already been lost, but even today anyone can grind berries or make a bright infusion from onions."
If necessary, the paint was diluted with water or milk, or vice versa - thickened with flour or white clay powder and egg yolk was added for shine. The finished mixture had to stick well, so sugar made from sugar beets or a cheaper component - cherry slime was also added to it. Olena Tereshchenko notes that natural components have a significant drawback - fragility: "Unfortunately, works painted with such paints and improvised tools - the craftswoman's finger, a mat (a part of a cattail stem cut diagonally) or a "kitty" brush made of wood and cat hair (no cat was harmed during the manufacture of the brushes) have not reached us, because they burned out in the sun. Later, when aniline factories appeared, they began to paint on paper with them. Such products have been preserved, and they are in our museum."
Museum Fund of the village of Petrykivka. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
As for techniques, Petrykivka painting has a set of strokes, the shape of which makes it easy to guess that the masters work with both brushes and fingers. The most popular and famous are four:
- "grain" - a stroke that is applied by touching the brush from the tip to the base and is used to draw spikelets;
- "comb" - a brush stroke that begins with a thickening and ends with a "thin tendril", used to draw grass, leaves, and flower petals;
- "nut" - consists of two curved and comb-like strokes placed opposite each other, necessary for depicting an ovary, bud, or flower;
- a transitional stroke created with two colors: first, one color is applied to the entire surface of the brush, and then another color is applied to the tip. Thus, a stroke of one color smoothly transitions into another.
Fragment of a carpet, Tetyana Pata. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
In fact, until the middle of the 20th century, painting houses and interior items was an everyday occurrence for all regions of the country. Each historical region had its own painting
As for the areas for painting, the list of such places in the house was also standard: walls, door frames, areas around windows, as well as the baseboard, the rafter (the main supporting beam) and the stove. Household items were also painted, including tables, benches and basins. At the same time, the images - especially the paintings on the exterior of the houses - were not very durable, and they had to be constantly updated, so the craftsmen never lacked, in the literal sense of these words, space for creativity. Moreover, anyone could order a painting: the main requirement for the "suitability" of a house for painting was that it had to be whitewashed, and even the poorest manors met this criterion.
Museum Fund of the village of Petrykivka. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
Thus, Petrykivka painting was simple, cheap (since almost everyone could afford it) and very popular - so much so that peasants updated the decor of their houses almost every year. Moreover, the tradition developed in the village, where a huge fair was held. These two factors are enough to conclude that this art was to quickly become popular over a large territory.
Olena Tereshchenko explains: the territory of the Zaporozhian Host's Freedoms included lands in the lower reaches of the Dnieper and its tributaries, namely, significant parts of the modern Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, and Donetsk regions, so Petrykivka painting was indeed popular not only in Petrykivka, but also in many areas of the listed regions. However, despite popular belief, Petrykivka painting is not an exceptional phenomenon. Of course, not in the sense of its value, but in the sense of the existence of other similar techniques.
Fedir Panko, "Owls". Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
Photo #24 Museum collection of Petrykivka village. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
In fact, until the middle of the 20th century, painting houses and interior items was an everyday occurrence for all regions of the country. Each historical region had its own painting. Of course, the styles, techniques, and names were different: Samchykiv painting in Volhynia and Podillia, Opishnya painting in Poltava and the center, Podillia - in Podillia, Yavoriv - in Lviv, Tavriy - in the southern regions. There were even their own paintings in the mountains - in the villages of Lemko, Boyko and Hutsul regions.
The territory of the Zaporozhian Host's Freedoms included the lands in the lower reaches of the Dnieper and its tributaries, namely, significant parts of modern Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad and Donetsk regions, therefore Petrykivskyi The painting was indeed popular not only in Petrykivka, but also in many districts of the listed regions.
Where did these unique traditions go, and why are the only associations their names evoke in us now only vague pictures from school history textbooks? The reason, unfortunately, is notoriously traditional: most Ukrainian murals, like, in fact, many layers of Ukrainian culture in general, sank into oblivion during the Soviet occupation. In the end, only the Petrykivka variant “survived”: other murals did not disappear completely, but the tradition was interrupted, and its popularity was lost.
Tatyana Pata, panel. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
“At that time, many types of local art declined because they were not allowed to develop. Petrykivka painting was preserved only because the management of the Petrykivka factory of artistic products “Druzhba”, opened in 1961, chose the tactic of “flirting” with the Soviet authorities. Local artists painted posters on ideological themes such as “Ilyich’s Light Bulb” and “Corn is the Queen of the Fields”. In the center is a Soviet plot, and on the sides is painting. All the artists of that time were engaged in this: Vasyl Sokolenko, Volodymyr Glushchenko, Lyudmila Horbulya and Andriy Pikush. Thanks to the tactics of “putting to sleep” by the Soviet authorities, many masters managed to hold exhibitions all over the world.”
Museum Fund of the village of Petrykivka. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
The tour guide adds: despite the fact that Opishnya, Samchykiv and other traditional wall paintings have lost their popularity, they still left a deep mark on the collective mentality of the Ukrainian people. Oleksandr Stolovy, an architect, ethnographer and popularizer of a scientific approach to the cultural mentality of rural Ukraine, agrees with her: “The custom of spring renewal was laid back in the days when our ancestors tried to live in one rhythm with nature. Why do you think the peasants sought to whitewash their huts and the roof and repaint the walls every spring? And certainly before Easter, otherwise it would be a shame? That’s exactly why.
And the rule of spring renewal has remained in modern culture: spring cleaning and interior renovation - for the city, whitewashing the cellar, cleaning the yard of garbage and repainting the fence and gate - for the village. Take a drive through the village in April, and you will see that every second gate and fence has been repainted, and the yards are clean. At the same time, ornaments traditional for old paintings are still painted on the gates: rhombuses and geometric figures, plants and even whole paintings with swans. Although not all types of Ukrainian paintings have survived, the cultural patterns on which they were based have not disappeared!
E. Berchenko. Wall paintings. "Drawings on the chimney". Image source: https://www.facebook.com/petrykivkapaint
The expert is sure that old habits can be seen at every step. For example, residents of his native village of Koziivka in the Kharkiv region still know where to find blue, green, and red clay for home decoration near the village. And they get it from the same place where their 17th-century ancestors did.
To prove their theory about the strength of collective mental attitudes and everyday habits of Ukrainians, Oleksandr Stolovy and his team released a limited series of decorative chests. The architects hoped that the chest-coffee tables on wheels with dimensions of 60 by 60 by 50 cm would be purchased for painting. However, everything turned out to be much more interesting.
"Previously, there was a good tradition in Ukraine — to paint a chest and give it as a dowry. Unfortunately, along with the chests, the tradition of painting them disappeared. We released chests with boxes and areas for internal utensils and a coating suitable for painting. Sit down in the evening by your own authentic chest, paint it — and you have your own art object. What's not an art therapy session? And it's also a chest. This is Ukrainianness in a cube. However, the results exceeded our expectations: out of 20 chests, 12 were purchased not only to paint, but also to give to your daughter as a dowry for her wedding. We saw a willingness to completely, 200%, repeat the old ritual. Where did these people learn that this is how they did it with chests in the old days? It is unlikely that this information was passed down in their families from generation to generation, but people somehow manage to do it. This is a vivid example of the vitality of intangible cultural heritage."
The architect believes that cultural patterns are preserved, diffused, migrated, reincarnated, find new expression — but do not disappear. "We are not artists, but craftsmen: we make something out of nothing, and then apply it in practice. What is the benefit of painting? Conditionally, we can say that a painted house, furniture or gate gives you the opportunity to position yourself as a master. And for us, this is valuable, because we try to be competitive with our neighbors: plant potatoes earlier, whitewash trees, put the yard in order. When the neighbors are already there, and you are not there, an internal mechanism seems to start in you that forces you to immediately catch up... This is a very healthy horizontal competition — a unique feature of our people."
Works by contemporary artist Galya Nazarenko. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/galya.nazarenko/photos
Works by contemporary artist Galya Nazarenko. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/galya.nazarenko/photos
Petrykivka painting in modern times: rethinking and dissemination
Whether it is due to the efforts of the masters who managed to deceive the Soviet authorities, or to the mental need of Ukrainians that has developed over time, now, when even in Japan they are already talking about the probable decline of traditional arts, Petrykivka painting is flourishing. For example, at the beginning of the 20th century in Japan there were about 300 masters working with gold foil, and now there are only 20 of them, and the average age of the community members is 70 years old. Olena Tereshchenko assures: “The Petrykivka ornament is on most of the buildings of enterprises and business establishments in Petrykivka. It can be seen everywhere: on fences, bus stops, pharmacies, and also on the walls of official institutions. They paint on everything that holds paint: on glass, stone, fabric, and leather.”
The love of Petrykivka residents for painting houses is a consequence of a competent educational policy: most local residents are proficient in Petrykivka painting, having learned this technique in childhood. In the village of Petrykivka, it is taught in play lessons in kindergartens, in drawing lessons in secondary schools, and in specialized art schools.
“We have standard educational albums for different ages. Children start drawing from the age of three — at this age they learn to practice simple strokes needed to draw viburnum. In the future, we introduce new strokes and tools every year. Every school has Petrykivka painting lessons and creative circles, and those who want to learn the technique better go to study at the Tetyana Pata school. Those who want to devote their lives to painting study at the local vocational school No. 79, where you can master the profession of a wood-painting artist. In Dnipro, Petrykivka painting can also be studied at the Dnipro Professional Art and Artistic College of Culture and the Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.”
Petrykivka painting on a stove. Master — Yevgeniya Voloshchuk. Image source: https://www.tiktok.com/@evgeniya.voloshchuk12/video/7440890635621502263
The environment always creates the market. In the case of Petrykivka painting, this market does not belong to large architectural companies (we do not yet have any significant examples of the use of this technique in architecture), but to enthusiastic artists, mostly from Petrykivka, who provide interior and exterior painting services and, thus, contribute to the popularization of the technique.
Petrykivka painting on a stove. Master — Yevgeniya Voloshchuk. Image source: https://www.tiktok.com/@evgeniya.voloshchuk12/video/7440890635621502263
It seems that the commercialization of Petrykivka painting is evolving according to a fairly typical algorithm for Ukraine: first, volunteers set the tone, then there is a transition to a significant commercial basis, and finally, the already worked out scheme is scaled abroad. Currently, the system is at the stage of transition from “total volunteerism” to the formation of small specialized teams.
An example of painting a small architectural form. Master — Kateryna Abramova. Image source: https://www.youtube.com/@art_abramova_kv
In particular, the team of the company "DYVOSVIT MYSTETSTVA" has focused its efforts on popularizing the most colorful works of Ukrainian folk decorative art on the Ukrainian and even international markets. For ten years now, they have been engaged in the development and dissemination of decorative art of Ukraine, namely, Petrykivka and Samchykivka paintings.
The organization's executive director, Darya Vakulych, said: "We have extensive experience in painting modern buildings using Petrykivka and Samchykivka paintings. We teach Petrykivka and Samchykivka paintings and sell authentic Ukrainian souvenirs. Before the start of the full-scale war, we also conducted art tours to the village of Samchykivka."
Samchykivskyi tour. Image source: uamaze.com.ua
In the company "DYVOSVIT ARTS" are confident that Petrykivka painting can become one of the visual markers of modern Ukrainian design on a par with embroidery
Among the works of the company "DYVOSVIT MISTETSTVA" are paintings of a home for the elderly in the village of Gruzke, a children's department of the oncology center in Kyiv, a home for the elderly in Kyiv, a playground in Kyiv, on Parkova Alley, as well as Kyiv Boarding School No. 11 with the support and participation of Bee Bee Event Agency.
Kyiv Boarding School No. 11, with the support and participation of Bee Bee Event Agency. Image source: https://www.facebook.com/UAMAZEart/
In each of the above cases, the painting was integrated into the interior and exterior of the buildings individually: the masters painted the walls of the corridors and the exterior walls of the rooms, flower pots, and even play areas on the playgrounds.
Children's playground with painted play details. Image source: https://uamaze.com.ua/
"Increasingly, folk paintings from different parts of Ukraine are being used to decorate buildings and interiors not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Unfortunately, for now, during the war, we have stopped the practice of exterior paintings and focused on educational projects, but we are confident that the use of Ukrainian folk paintings in modern architecture and design has a great future."
Petrykivka painting is characterized by a number of unique properties that make it super-adaptive: firstly, the drawings can have any shape and size - an ornament, a large picture, a series of small patterns, etc., and different colors, so they can be applied to almost any surface - flat, spherical, curved, as well as smooth or textured (the texture should not be too pronounced). Secondly, bright images are a great color accent for white, gray, pastel, black and beige walls and, thus, are a complement to calm urban interiors.
Murals in the children's ward of the oncology center in Kyiv. Image source: https://uamaze.com.ua/
Thirdly, painting does not require any adaptations of the material or the method of working with it: resistant acrylic paints replaced paints made from plant juices at the beginning of the 20th century, and masters are open to further modernizations. The themes familiar to the tradition — plants, flowers, birds, and animals — remain relevant.
Murals in the children's ward of the oncology center in Kyiv. Image source: https://uamaze.com.ua/
Thus, the universality of Petrykivka painting completely eliminates any conflict between authenticity and commercialization, so this technique has both a future and prospects.
Artists from the company "DYVOSVIT MISTETSTVA" are confident that Petrykivka painting can become one of the visual markers of modern Ukrainian design on a par with embroidery. Olena Tereshchenko adds: the work has already begun, because the granting of international UNESCO status to this art was preceded by three years of work on promoting the brand abroad - promotional tours in Europe and Asia, visits of representatives of diplomatic missions of countries around the world to Petrykivka, painting weeks in world capitals, presentations at Ukrainian embassies in European Union countries, the European Parliament in Brussels and at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, as well as more than 50 exhibitions in dozens of countries around the world.
Painted decorative objects from "WONDERLAND OF ART". Image source: uamaze.com.ua
The tour guide is sure that the UNESCO status has yielded results: "Our main achievement is interest. A lot of foreign tourists have appeared, so our income has increased noticeably. Wall painting has also begun to develop, because, to be honest, before it was included in the UNESCO list, it was a bit forgotten. When we became famous, the regional and village authorities began to pay attention to both the museum and the issue of decorating Petrykivka. Currently, this is also being done by the public organizations "Masters of Petrykivka Painting" and "Association of Masters of Folk Art of Ukraine" - an association of masters who carry out orders for painting interiors and exteriors and even decorate Petrykivka at their own request."
This picture seems very positive against the background of the state of affairs ten years ago, when the Petrykivka Museum of Ethnography, Everyday Life and Folk and Applied Arts only dreamed of a third exhibition room and renovation, and the Petrykivka Art School named after Tatyana Pata - about paper, in order to purchase which the management of the latter had to hand over old drawings of students for waste paper, as well as offer children to draw on wallpaper and sketch old works of their predecessors.
Decor with Petrykivka painting from "WONDERLAND OF ART". Image source: uamaze.com.ua
Last year, the museum, which, by the way, already has 4 exhibition rooms, underwent cosmetic repairs, and this year new museum display cases were purchased. The Tatyana Pata School no longer dreams about paper, because there is no longer a need for it: now there is modern renovation, interactive learning tools, and high-quality laptops.
