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OUR ENGLISH COLUMN FOLK ART OF UKRAINE ■Growing’ amidst beautiful nature of her country, the Ukrainian woman conceived in her soul the ar dor for grace and charm. Even during the earliest settlings on the Dnieper River she had been embel- leshing her hut as well as her dishes, as the fossils of Neolithic Age (found in the town of Tripillya, in Ukraine) manifest, displaying interesting and rich ornament. In time these decorations come forth on wooden utensilis. In agricultural life there is usually less work in winter time and this period the Ukrain ian woman used to devote to this effort. The Princely (Kievan) State strove to utilize this inclination to ornamentation for different purposes. The convents were establishing shops and schools where the girls and older women were producing objects for use in the church, like chasuble and stan dards. These shops continued even in the Cossack era and toned up the technical dexterity of village artisans. In modern times special schols were being established to develop the work of manual skill, based on abundant tradition of folk art. Wall painting The house of an Ukrainian peasant woman sinks in flowers. Yet the flowers form the outside frame not only, tihey likewise adorn the walls inside. She paints flowers on the stove and forms ornate bord ers around the windows. Weaving From raw materials — flax, hemp and wool the Ukrainian woman is weaving fabrics. Having per fected her skill, she can produce complex woven patterns. In the largest semblance they are noted in the carpets which constitute florid or geometric positions. The smaller ones are stripy sheets, table cloths and pillow cases. The finest designs the Uk rainian woman is weaving into towels. For the towel is a ritual object which is used at the weddings and funerals. It also adorns- the holy pictures in Ukrainian homes. Embroidery Clothing requires mosit of ornamentation. A young girl develops a design on her sleeve to cheer up its white monotony, elaborates the neck band and the parting of the shirt. This embroidery is blooming and alluring on the shirt, on the kerchief and the jacket. The man’s shirt, however, is of se vere adornment, which is embroidered only at the seams. Variety of stitches permits many designs. They vary in different districts — heavy and solid, light, lucent, pale and fiery. The Easter egg In the spring when nature reawakens, we cele brate Easter. Then the Ukrainian woman writes designs on eggs. The egg is the emlbryo of life. She is covering this symbol with mysterious signs which bring luck and gladness. She produces painted won ders which are called “рузапкі.” They adorn the Easter table and are freely given to friends and neighbors. . Ceramics In the Ukrainian land the first vessel came out from the el'ay. In ancient times it had been orna mented by wavy or zigzag lines. Later on also a twig and a flower were introduced. This vessel painted by the Ukrainian woman may be found in many an Ukrainian home. When the Ukrainian woman was abandoning her native land to emigrate to foreign countries, she took with her her folk art as a talisman. On entering the Ukrainian home in the clamorous cities of America or in the virgin forests of Brazil, one will note everywhere the blooming Ukrainian embroidery, while during the Eastertide the Uk rainians the world over are exchanging Easter eggs. UKRAINIAN WOMAN
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