Petrykivka Ukrainian decorative painting is a traditional folk painting style that has played a significant role in Ukrainian people’s everyday lives for centuries. The main elements of Petrykivka painting style are lush flowers, symbols of nature: mallow, peonies, asters, various wild flowers, magical fantasy creatures.
Petrykivka Ukrainian decorative painting is a traditional folk painting style that has played a significant role in people’s everyday lives for centuries. Prononced -Pe tree keev ka-. It originates from the Petrykivka village in the Dnepropetrovsk region, in central-south-eastern Ukraine, along the Dnipro river.
Folk painting accompany humanity from existence. Ukrainian people believed that beauty held protective magic, and therefore they decorate the external walls of their houses, their windows and their doors with these colorful and magical ornamental paintings to defend its habitants from evil forces.
At the beginning of 19th century, turmoils of insecurity were over and farming was flourishing, Petrykivka villagers began producing dining room and kitchen décor, along with painting interior walls, stoves, furniture, wedding chests and decorative plates for wall display, jewelry boxes, and all sorts of household utensils made from wood. They sold their products at the seasonal markets where customers from all regions were able to buy and enjoy their art.
Paintings became more sophisticated as painters start using oil based paints permitted to produce new color schemes and enhance painting techniques. Outstanding ornamental paintings start to be used to decorate porcelain, expensive arm ware, souvenir boxes. From folk painting Petrykivka style developed into professional activity for many talented painters.
The main elements of Petrykivka painting style are lush flowers, symbols of nature: mallow, peonies, asters, various wild flowers, magical fantasy creatures. The plant imagery is often combined with birds or magical firebirds, and sometimes with images of animals and people. The simplicity of painting in fact shows hard intricate detailed work the painter put in its product. Petrykivka painters use brushes they make themselves from tender cat fur they cut from cat’s neck area.
In 2013 Petrykivka painting style was included to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.