Already today everyone willing can download a Petrykivka calendar for 2016, where every month is a wonderful painting created by a master from the pages of Petrykivka communities on Facebook and LiveJournal social media. The downloading is absolutely free of charge, but commercial use of the product is forbidden. The author of the initiative (the founder of the project petrykivka.dp.ua) is Ihor Lisny who is now a student of Lviv National Academy of Arts, he formerly studied painting at Petrykivka Art School.
“In 2011 a Petrykivka calendar for the first time appeared on the blogging platform LiveJournal. On the whole, the initiative was well received and picked up by other handmade portals,” Ihor tells the story of the project. “Especially the users liked the initiative with Petrykivka calendar in different languages: past year the calendar was translated into 11 languages. This year’s calendar has been downloaded over 2,000 times [it appeared on the net only on December 7. – Author], at the same time it continues to be spread actively on the web. There are a lot of positive reviews, though there is constructive criticism too.”
Every willing master or designer could take part in the development of the layout, on voluntary basis. “It is very interesting that no artist from Petrykivka (apart from me) has taken part in creation of the calendar,” Ihor told The Day, “But it was pleasant to receive response from masters from different cities of Ukraine, and even one from the US. All over Ukraine we have found masters whose Petrykivka painting is no worse, and maybe even better than in the well-known community, something that cannot but rejoice – this is unique folk art indeed. Oleksandr Oparii, a master from Lviv who learned the painting himself, became a real discovery: his level is so high, and the painting is so filigree that I can hardly believe it. I will tell about other participants too. Maria Savoskula and Maria Siianko are photo artists who represent the Kyiv style of painting. Aliona Kichkina continues her creative exploration of the Kharkiv school of painting, and Veronica Taylor even abroad doesn’t quit her cat brush. Natalia Maliarchuk paints insightful pictures in Petrykivka style – with Mamais and burning tires in Maidan. And Olena Kharchenko is another example that you can learn painting on your own, if you very much want. Incidentally, she authors a teacher edition How to Learn Painting in Petrykivka Style.”
Ihor replies assertively to the question whether he ever had an idea to make the calendar a commercial project. “But the main idea and mission of this project – that folk art must be accessible, be spread and find its admirers – turned out to be overwhelming,” the author of the initiative says. “Therefore with the idea of the great mission, the Petrykivka calendar has been published and freely distributed over the world for the fifth time.”
The most of admirers of Petrykivka style, in particular, this calendar, live in the capital of Ukraine. “But there are also many of them in Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, and other big cities of our country,” Ihor Lisny says, “It is very interesting that the Petrykivka calendar is popular abroad as well, mostly in Ukrainian Diaspora, in the US, Canada, Germany, France, and other countries of Europe.”
