Openwork ostrich and goose eggs, eggs of beads, pysankas, as well as the Easter rushnyks (Ukrainian embroidered towels – ed.), the embroidered and painted icons and pictures of religious subjects, baskets and other handiworks of osier, vytynankas (the patterns cut from paper – ed.), the variety of traditional arts and crafts is presented at the exhibition Easter in Slobozhanshchyna opened on April 5th in the Kharkiv Regional Organization and Methodology Centre of Culture and Art.
‘Our objective is to give this exhibition the subject filling, we have invited masters of various directions, and we have decided to show here in combination of various techniques how the national masters celebrate, express their emotions just before this main holiday of the Orthodox Calendar,’ Tetiana Ishchenko, the director of the KROMCCA, has underlined during opening of the exhibition. ‘The subject of Easter does not leave indifferent modern masters of arts and crafts from Kharkiv and the region. Magnificent rushnyks are presented here, which were traditionally embroidered specially for ornamentation of pokut (the corner in the traditional Ukrainian house where the icons are put – ed.) for Easter and for covering the baskets with Easter cakes. We also see traditional Slobozhanshchyna pysankas here, made in different techniques, with observance of masters’ prescriptions from ancient times.’
Just during exhibition opening, the masters of drawing pysankas, Iryna Moiseyeva and Victoria Darmostuk, gave a master class for those who have decided to prepare the pysankas and krashankas for Easter.
‘The krashankas are one-colour eggs which are eaten, and the pysankas are multi-coloured and patterned, but they are exclusively of sacral character and are to be stored for many years. At my place, there are several pysankas created of usual boiled eggs, consecrated, internal contents dry up only a little there, but they are stored well. However, very qualitative eggs are needed, which is a problem now. Pysankas can be made both of usual boiled eggs and of vydutkas, the eggs with blown out internal content,’ Victoria Darmostuk, the member of the Kharkiv City Club of Pysankas Making, says. ‘When making the pysanka, a pattern is put with the pencil first, and then it is painted by layers, starting from the lightest and finishing with the darkest. For this purpose, the pattern is drawn with wax with the help of a pysachok (an instrument for drawing with wax – ed.), the egg is dipped in vinegar, and then in the paint, then the wax layers are gradually melted on a candle, and serially the pattern elements are painted over in the same way (dipping in the vinegar and paints)’
The lacy eggs are made under the similar scheme: the pattern is drawn with the pencil, then those areas which should remain the same are covered with the wax, and the areas of the future holes are pickled with special solutions. Then the real jeweller’s work is carried out: the lacy patterns are cut with a mini-drill.
The picture Jesus Christ’ Resurrection has become the main exhibit of Easter in Slobozhanshchyna. ‘I wished to draw the Christ’s Resurrection long ago, I have started, but it didn’t fly, and I found inspiration the last year, in February, I started and finished just by Easter, and the picture has appeared,’ Oleksandr Kovaliov says, the author from Valky and the member of the Ukraine National Union of Arts and Crafts Masters. ‘For depicting those events, I had to read a lot to plunge into that epoch as much as possible to depict the clothes, weapon of those times more precisely, and even to show what was the weather like (as it is written, the sky was red). But it is a picture, not an icon. To draw the real icon, it is needed to fast, to be in certain prayful spirit, to watch not to sin. The priest has told me: for icon to cry, it is necessary that the icon painter’s soul cried. There are canons which must not be violated (the face is to be painted first, in one colour, and then it is covered with another colour). I’ve painted few icons, the priest said: perfectly well. But I would like to draw in my own style here, to transfer my own emotions.’ The national master from Kupiansk, Andriy Petrenko, is engaged in woodcarving for over two decades. Seven of his carved icons are presented at this exhibition. ‘Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Vladimirskaya and Kazanskaya Mother of God, Michael the Archangel, Angel, Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion,’ the master shows his works. ‘I’ve spent about three months for each of them. Basically, I work with different species of wood, but I like linden most, this is a soft material and it can be toned easily.’ The performers of ethnographic band Muravsky Shliakh of the Kharkiv Regional Organization and Methodology Centre of Culture and Arts have helped to create special atmosphere during the exhibition opening. The exhibition will work till April 30th. You can familiarise with the works of various kinds of decorative art here. They are modern icons executed in different techniques, pysankas, embroidery, osier, wood and art metal handiworks. Workshops on various kinds of arts and crafts will be given during the exhibition. Preliminary record for workshops is needed, please, call: 728-16-47, 097-494-81-43 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The exhibition address: Kharkiv, Pushkinskaya Str., 62. The exhibit hall is open 10.00 to 17.30 every day, except for Sundays.

Look the exhibition items in the virtual gallery here