Петриківський розпис / Petrykivka painting Петриківська селищна громада

It is believed that the painting style in question originated in the nineteenth century from the wall decorations of the houses of the village of Petrykivka, Dnipropetrovsk region. According to some local stories, the village was founded in the seventeenth century by a Cossack named Petryk. In many other villages in the region a similar practice spread but that of Petrykivka was the most characteristic and the best preserved. This form of artistic expression experienced several changes; people began to paint even the most common household objects, up to decorate their own musical instruments, such as the Bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument. Later, the artists also concentrated on painting on paper (works called "malovky"), which were in great demand in markets and fairs. 1935 was an important date for practitioners of this art; in Kyiv, Leningrad and Moscow, there were some exhibitions of the works of the most popular painters at the time, including: Tetiana Pata, Nadia Bilokin', Yaryna Pylypenko, Hanna Isaiev, Vasyl' Vovk and Ganna Pavlenko. In the following years, Petrykivka’s painting - which remained unknown until that time - achieved national popularity and still today, in the school hours of Art, it is taught to paint in the traditional style.