In Ukraine’s ‘Painted Village’ as war approaches

In the Petrykivkas museum in eastern Ukraine, a room is empty.

Before Russia’s invasion began on February 24, the building housed art treasures unique to the region, but now the museum’s curator says the paintings have been sent to a “secret” location for safekeeping.

Petrykivka is only a few hours’ drive away from the frontline fighting in Ukraine. But on June 27, the same day Radio Free Europe visited the city, at least 20 people were killed when a 5.8-tonne Russian rocket destroyed a shopping center in Kremenchuk, less than 100 kilometers away. The next day, rockets hit Dnipro, just 40 kilometers from Petrykivka.

Petrykivka painting is an ancient art form that once decorated the exterior and interior walls of Ukrainian village houses in the rural region around Dnipro. The candy-colored art was originally believed to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity and love to a family.

In 2013, this type of art was registered in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the world.

This form of painting dates back to about 300 years ago, but early examples of the art have been lost due to the use of perishable materials. Before using paint and varnish, the people of Petrykivka used natural dyes, including juices from sunflowers, beets, cherries, and grass. A glossy coating was given by boiled sugar.

Natalya Rybak is one of Petrykivka’s most popular master painters and decorates items sold throughout Ukraine and abroad. Rybak says she “adores” her profession, adding: “If your work can bring joy to other people, then why not?”

Rybak says that it is mainly women who paint in Petrykivka, because “men have to do heavy physical work that stresses their bodies, while women can be neat and precise with their brushstrokes.”

After the Russian invasion in February 2022, the artist says she stopped painting for three months due to anxiety, but recently resumed.

“I find it calms me down and helps take my mind off the fight,” she says.

According to artist Rybak, all professional painters in Petrykivka have their brushes made of cat fur, which is softer and more resilient than other fibers and essential for authentic Petrykivka paintings. The cat should be of a “relaxed and happy” temperament, Rybak says, and given sausage or a favorite treat as tufts of hair are clipped from the tip of the tail or under the armpit.

The paintings at Petrykivka are notable for their fantastic birds and flowers, which are often hyperbolized versions of reality. Many features of the paintings are symbolic.

The painting above on the hearth in the Petrykivka museum tells a story of love, family and faith.

Viewed from the bottom of the picture, the berries (each made with a single finger touch) represent dead ancestors. Further in the artwork, two red flowers symbolize a man and a woman, while chicken-like birds represent the love of the married couple. Above the birds, the seeds in a sunflower-like plant represent children, then at the top of the image, three dots symbolize the Holy Trinity of God.

On the outskirts of Petrykivkas, artist Mykola Deka in a picturesque house that looks like a scene from the classic Soviet cartoon based on a Ukrainian folk tale “Once upon a time there lived a dog.”

The artist keeps alive the ancient Ukrainian tradition of painted houses with hanging flowers and hanging berries on his property, in the style of Petrykivkas.

Deka, who has a guest house on his land, says that since the outbreak of war, international visitors have stopped completely and only tourists from nearby Dnipro have booked into his property.

Deka says that the painstaking task of keeping the ornamental flower and fruit paintings fresh by repainting them every year is important “to keep our traditions alive”.

Both Deka and Natalya Rybak say they intend to stay in their famous city, even as thousands of Ukrainians flee to the west.

When asked about the possibility of a Russian advance on Petrykivka, Rybak vowed to Radio Free Europe that she would stay in the city and continue her art “no matter what happens”. Radio Free Europe