History of Ukrainian embroidery

When was art born?

The oldest monuments of embroidery date back to the 6th century. Figures of people dressed in festively decorated robes were found near the village of Martynivka, Cherkasy region. The shirts on the figurines had an original patterned embroidery at chest level. The uniform of ordinary Ukrainian peasants was decorated with a similar ornament 100 years ago.

According to the testimony of traveling chroniclers, Slavs - the direct ancestors of Ukrainians - wore elegant embroidered clothes even after the 10th century. The work of embroiderers was highly valued and respected. Specialized schools were organized in which fine crafts were taught. In the Kyiv monastery of St. Andria, Volodymyr Monomakh's sister, Hanna, set up an institution where young girls acquired skills in silver and gold embroidery.

Despite the close contacts with various countries and the influence of other peoples (ancient Greeks, eastern tribes) on the culture of the ancient Ruthenians, Ukrainian embroidery remained virtually untouched. The people's respect for their own history, traditions and rituals became the reason for the creation of a unique authentic style that has passed through the ages to the present day. It is interesting that some pagan embroidery motifs were preserved on Christian icons of the 15th century. Embroidery was actively used to decorate women's and men's wardrobes (shirts, suits, outerwear), items for home decoration (towels, bedspreads, underwear, blankets).

Symbolism - features

At the initial stage of development, the patterns of embroidered shirts were distinguished by a certain severity of ornament (there were a large number of sharp corners, sharp lines), coloristic restraint (monochromeness is inherent in products). Further, the patterns became more whimsical and brighter.

Even in modern embroidery, an echo of paganism is clearly visible. Various color combinations, geometric ornaments (crosses, rhombuses, triangles and squares), floral and zoomorphic motifs have long been used to decorate clothes by representatives of all Slavic tribes. Our distant ancestors tried to depict their vision of the world, its patterns, natural phenomena through works of art.

Floristic and faunal motifs are dominated by:

• branched "trees of life" with lush crowns - willow, oak;
• periwinkle as a symbol of love;
• grapes - a symbol of well-being and well-being;
• birds - doves, roosters, storks;
• drawings of animals - horses;
• beetles, insects, snakes.

Often there are original embroidered shirts with images of human figures (with diamond-shaped torsos, heads resembling a cross). In total, there were more than 100 embroidery techniques. Among them, the most widely used techniques were cross-stitching, satin stitch, lace, slider, weaving, and piercing. In the compositional sense, ribbon, bouquet construction was popular.

The patterns used to decorate embroidered shirts for women have always differed somewhat from the ornaments used to decorate embroidered shirts for men. Things intended for children had their own aesthetic and compositional features.

Coloristics

Ukrainian embroidery carries an important color semantics. The most common, quite respected shades for a long time were red and black. They were endowed with special, magical qualities.

• The red color signified the vitality of the sun, passionate passion, quivering love, the joy of the earth.
• Black personified mysterious knowledge, many hidden calls, the power of the earth, and was not considered a sign of mourning or death (he received such an interpretation a little later).
• White - this color symbolized high spirituality, moral purity, innocence, light.
• A blue tint (the antipode of red) denoted the water element, cold.
• Yellow paint reflects freedom, happiness, and green - beloved among Ukrainians after red and black - denotes youth, the riot of spring, the strength of life, growth.

A thread dyed brown (identified with a sown field) and gray (a symbol of spiritual balance, fulfillment of innermost desires) colors was used less often in drawing patterns on fabric. The modern Ukrainian embroidered system has a wider range of colors than before.

Regional differences in patterns

The nature of embroidery patterns also depends on the region. Western Ukraine (namely Hutsulshchyna, Bukovyna) has long been somewhat isolated from other territories (the reason was natural features, political conditions), therefore, unique examples of ancient patterns of zoomorphic, anthropomorphic nature with deep semantic content have been preserved to this day.

For Volyn, Podolsk, Poltava vyshyvankas, floral motifs and geometric ornaments are more characteristic. They have a deep magical meaning.

With the development of trade and the establishment of cultural and economic contacts between the regions, a special type of ornament, the combination ornament, was born and significantly spread throughout the state. It is often used by modern craftswomen.

The magical properties of embroidered clothes

Since ancient times, Ukrainian vyshyvanka has been considered not just a festive, original outfit. Magical properties were attributed to her, she was considered a kind of amulet, a treasury of folk beliefs, spiritual impulses and intellect. High quality embroidered vyshyvankas were carried out in detail by capable embroiderers for a long time. The master always tried to endow the thing with magical properties - the woman seemed to interweave with threads the wishes of good, health to the one who was supposed to wear the clothes she made.

Powerful, special energy was possessed by those works of art that were made with love for loved ones, relatives, children - our ancestors believed that then ordinary clothes turn into a protective amulet that can protect from the evil eye, illness, trouble, even death. Vyshyvanka was worn both for holidays and for war.

Each ornament displayed a piece of the soul of its author-performer. Therefore, people have always sought to buy a Ukrainian embroidered thing in a spiritually pure, sincere, benevolent person.