PYSANKARST

VO

These are a traditi

onal craft in Ukr
aine, with a histor
years. The metho
y of thousands of
d is similar to ba
ti
k - patterns are dr
wax, which then
awn on the egg w
protects the covere
ith
d areas from the
repeating this pr
dye that is applie
ocess with diferen
d.
By
t colors of dye, a
built up. Finally,
multi-colored patt
the wax is removed
ern is
to reveal the colo
up at each stage.
rs that were cove
The symbols and
red
colors used are ri
ch in meaning;

TypesofdecoratedUkrainianeggs

Krashanky- are
boiled eggsdyeda
single color (with
vegetable dyes),
and are blessed
and eaten at
Easter. They are
what most people
refer to as Easter
eggs.

Pysanky (from"to
write") are raw eggs
created with the waxresist method (batik).
The designs are
"written" with astylus
or a pinhead. The
drop-pull eggs are
most common in
western Ukraine
(among theLemky
andBoyky).

Krapanky /
(from" a dot") are
raw eggs decorated
with the drops of
wax utilizing the
wax-resist
technique; the drops
do not form any
designs or shapes,
but are applied
randomly over the
surface of the egg.

Dryapanky

(from "to scratch")

are created by
scratching designs
into the surface of
a dyed egg to
reveal the
whiteshellbelow.

Malyovanky

(from"to paint")
are created by
painting or
coloring (e.g.
with a marker,
ink or paints) on
an egg.

Travlenky

Nakleyanky

(from"to glue")
are created by
gluing objects
onto an egg.

(from etching)
are created by
waxing eggs and
then etching away
the unwaxed
areas. This is not
a traditional
Ukraine practice,
but has become
popularized
recently.

PYSANKAITISANEASTEREGG.THEWORDPYSANKAISTHOUGHTBYMANYPEOPLE
TOREFERTOANYTYPEOFDECORATEDEGG,BUTITACTUALLYREFERSSPECIFICALLY
TOEGGSCREATEDBYAWAXRESIST(BATIK)METHOD.ITSNAMEDERIVESFROMTHE
UKRAINIANVERBPYSATY,MEANINGTOWRITE.(PYSANKAISTHESINGULARFORM;
PYSANKYISPLURAL.)

PysankaSymbolsandMotifs
Agreatvarietyofornamentalpatternsarefoundonpysanky.Thenamesand

meaningofvarioussymbolsanddesignelementsvaryfromregiontoregion,and
evenfromvillagetovillage.Similarsymbolscanhavetotallydifferent
interpretationsindifferentplaces,andcanevenbecalledbyverydifferentnames.
ThereareseveralthousanddifferentmotifsinUkrainianfolkdesigns.Theycan
begroupedintoseveralfamilies:

Geometric Symbols

Phytomorphic Symbols

Scevomorphic Symbols

Zoomorphic Symbols

Cosmomorphic Symbols

Religious Symbols

Eternity Bands

THEARTOFMAKINGPYSANKY
Pysankarstvoistheartofmakingpysanka.Itisatraditionthat
stretchesbacktothedawnofUkrainianhistory,passedalongfrom
generationtogenerationbyalonglineofpysankarky.
ThereisatraditionalcraftinUkraine,withahistoryofthousandsof
years.It'snamedPysankarstvo.Themethodissimilartobatikpatterns
aredrawnonthe
eggwithwax,whichthenprotectsthecoveredareasfromthedyethatis
applied.Whenamulticoloredpatternisbuiltup,aftermanyhours
ofrepeatingwork,thewaxisremovedtorevealthecolorsandsymbols,
coveredupateachstage,thatareveryrichinmeaning.Today,
pysankyareverypopulararoundtheglobe,andsomegreatmuseumsare
housinglargescaleexpositionsofthecolourfulUkrainianEastereggs,
includingtheLondonRoyalMuseum,KrakowandParismuseums.

MYWORKS

THEMUSEUMOFPYSANKA
(EASTEREGG)INKOLOMIYA
The Pysanka Museum building was built in 2000 in the
western Ukrainian city of Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Previously the pysanka collection had been housed in the
Kolomyia church of the Annunciation. The museum is part of
the Yosafat Kobrynsky National Museum of Hutsul and
Pokuttian Folk Art.
The central part of the museum is in the shape of a
pysanka (Ukrainian Easter egg). This is the only museum in
the world dedicated to the pysanka.
At this time, the museum possesses a collection of over 10,000
pysanky. The permanent collection includes pysanky from the
majority of the oblasts of Ukraine, but there is also a fine
collection of older pysanky from the Ivano-Frankivsk region
that date from the 19th and 20th centuries.