Lessons ASSIGNMENT:
Create a folk art Ukrainian egg by decorating an egg shape with symbolic colors and pysanky symbols.
STEPS:
1. Draw/trace oval egg shape onto paper
2. Use water color paints for background of egg shape
3. Use colored pencils to draw pysanky symbols.
GRADING:
Symbolic colors
Symbols
Craftsmanship
NOTES
Pysanky comes from a Ukrainian verb 'pysaty' which means 'to write', so actually a pysanka is an egg that is written on.
The art of making these eggs goes back many years, but approximately the year 988 A.D. is when the Ukrainians accepted Christianity, and that's when the egg's symbols took on different meanings. According to Ukrainian legend, people decorated eggs believing that great powers were embodied in the egg. To them, eggs symbolized the release of the earth from the shackles of winter and the coming of spring with its promises of new hope, new life and prosperity, and that as long as pysanky were decorated, goodness would prevail over evil throughout the world.
The symbols took on many different shades concerning good luck and tightening the chain on 'evil' in the world....Must not be too many made??? Eh? Many ancient Ukrainians believed the eggs possessed magical powers and that wealth could be obtained by decorating the eggs with certain symbols. When Christianity was introduced into the Ukraine, the symbols changed and others were added to reflect Christianity, the Resurrection and a promise of eternal life..
Making pysanky became a Lenten ritual in Ukraine. A family produce many eggs during this time to be shared with friends and family and the local priest. Some were planted or placed in the fields or feeding troughs to insure a wealth or abundance in their crops and livelihood. Some were place by the family graves or placed in the coffins out of respect for their loved one. Others were kept in the home for protection. And then, some were presented to young men as signs of affection. (Have you given a pysanky to your boy friend lately?).
It seems that the women of the house were to make all these eggs during Lent. They even had secret recipes for their own special dyes in the villages. These were always handed down from mother to daughter. An interesting piece of information I found was that before they would begin to create the pysanky, they would pray "God help me" and they also prayed that the person who received the eggs would be given joy, good fortune, happiness and protection from harm.
NOTES:
Folk Art - Art made by people who have had little or no formal schooling in art. Folk artists usually make works of art with traditional techniques and content, in styles handed down through many generations, and often of a particular region. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, costume, tools, and other everyday objects all may be folk art. Stenciling can also be considered a folk art by many.
 Pearl Quick
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