THE THINGS WE DO...

by Orysia Paszczak Tracz

A new journal about Ukrainian folk art

The National Union of Folk Art Masters of Ukraine unites the best folk artists, who through their creative work have preserved and are continuing to develop the artistic traditions of the Ukrainian people.

So what more do you want to know about Ukrainian folk art? You have the stuff around the house, you have read the entries in the five-volume Encyclopedia of Ukraine and in Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopedia, and you have read the wonderful catalogues of the various exhibits at The Ukrainian Museum in New York (of course, these are so much more than mere catalogues). You have browsed through the books from Ukraine - some being coffeetable albums with little text and many illustrations and plates, others having much text and few pictures. Some of these may be about the older, historical aspects of folk art. What about the folk art being made now, or the fine art being created based upon folk art? How about new information on individual artists, about specific aspects of historical folk art, or new designs?

For all of us who can never have enough of Ukrainian folk art (it is an incurable syndrome), there is an exquisite, fairly new publication called Narodne Mystetstvo (Folk Art). This journal was founded in 1997 by the Union of Folk Art Masters of Ukraine. It is edited by Volodymyr Priadka, with an editorial committee of academics and experts in folk art. So far, eight issues have appeared.

This is a large, glossy, colorful quarterly magazine, full of photographs and illustrations, and in-depth articles. Summaries in English were first inserted on a separate sheet, but now they are included in columns alongside the relevant article. Sometimes the translation is quaint, but certainly much better than some of the "translations from hell" that surface around the world. Often there are notes to the text, and the authors' credentials are listed.

The illustrations are clearly labeled with additional information on the artists and the works, and are so lush that, even without the English text, they are a delight to see and save. The covers are eye-catching, especially the latest issue - a basketful of exquisite Trypillian-design pysanky.

Before 1991, the only folk art serial from Ukraine was Narodna Tvorchist ta Etnohrafiia, which included folk art, material culture and all aspects of ethnography. In earlier times, certain topics were taboo or were colored with the usual Soviet brush. Since independence, religious topics have been included more often, as are articles on earlier persecution of artists (e.g., kobzari) and other aspects of hidden history. Too often, topics on crafts include kitschy items. Somehow, to this writer at least, embroidered icons and samplers with verses are not examples of folk art. This magazine's forte remains the wealth of articles on people, traditions and songs, and reviews of books.

Narodne Mystetstvo has taken the high road. Its articles are about traditional and new folk art - without the kitsch. Where to begin? The obvious branches of folk art are well-represented: weaving, embroidery, costume, pottery, glass, folk painting, folk architecture, folk iconography and wood carving. Within these areas, there are articles on specific aspects of these subjects, as well as on individual artists, museum collections and new trends. For example, you can read about Hutsul pottery, pottery from Volyn, Opishnia, Poltava, Podillia, as well as the ancient yet very modern dymlena/smoked pottery.

The Ukrainian Dictionary of Folk Terminology for Artistic Wood-Processing was serialized over a few issues. Some articles cover folk art's ties to antiquity and prehistory. There are reviews of books and exhibits, and theoretical discussions on the direction of folk art and its essence.

If you are interested in more esoteric examples of folk art, there are articles on carved wooden pipes and spoons, woven straw hats and "pavuky" (straw "spider" decorations), glass-painting, furniture, toys, and dolls. A surprise for me was coming across a well-illustrated article on toys and dolls. I had just seen "The Phenomenon of the Ukrainian Avant-Garde 1910-1935" at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, where one case contained the exact same dolls illustrated in this article. These particular traditional fabric dolls from the central Dnipro region do not have regular faces. Black or red thread is wrapped around the head, forming a cross instead of facial features.

The dolls were included in the avant-garde exhibit because they were an inspiration for Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935) from his childhood. Later, as a prominent reformer and innovator of 20th century art, he painted abstracted figures with faces lacking eyes and mouth, but marked with crosses, coffins or the hammer and sickle. In his autobiography, Malevich wrote about the "powerful effect the [local village] homes, clothing and rituals" had upon him.

FYI, the exhibit is on its way to the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, for February 9-April 7, along with an Alexander Archipenko exhibit, and then possibly to the Edmonton Art Gallery. A catalogue of the exhibit is available from the Winnipeg Art Gallery Gift Shop at www.wag.mb.ca.

Not only Ukraine's folk artists are covered in this journal; the diaspora is well-represented, too. The first issue, with Kozak Mamai on the cover, has an article about embroiderer Myroslava Stachiw of New Jersey. She created the famous "embroidered map" of Ukraine, showing the country's regional designs and stitches. Mrs. Stachiw also embroidered samples for "Ukrainian Folk Costume," the bilingual book published by the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations in 1992. An article on woodcarver Mykhailo Korhun of Troy, Ohio, is in the same issue. Tania Osadca, pysanka-writer supreme, has an article on researchers of pysanky in issue No. 1-2 of 2001.

I look forward to future issues and more fascinating articles and illustrations. My only reservation is about the editor's personal beliefs which, while given in a column clearly labeled as opinion, include quotes from the dubious Vles Knyha, and reflect the "native religion" ("rynvira") leanings. One article mentions the "Dazhbozhi zori" instead of just zori (stars).

To continue and to succeed, this journal needs subscribers - not only from Ukraine but from around the world. The publisher hopes to make the journal a quarterly. E. Morgan Williams of ArtUkraine, an enthusiastic promoter of all aspects of Ukrainian art, is the contact for subscriptions. Additional information is available on the website www.ArtUkraine.com.

The covers of all eight magazines and the table of contents for each issue are shown. There is a special price for the readers of The Ukrainian Weekly this spring, 2002, for a set of all eight issues, including all postage and handling to the U.S. is $ 48, and to Canada, $ 56. All prices are in U.S. dollars. Checks should be made out to E. Morgan Williams, and mailed to P. O. Box 2607, Washington, DC 20013. Please mention The Ukrainian Weekly special.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 10, 2002, No. 10, Vol. LXX

| Home Page |