What an important tradition and expressive act of community in times of crisis. A defiance of sorts in the name of art. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
Ilona, what a beautiful post! I appreciate how you seamlessly weave these threads together in this piece. Thank you for sharing and introducing me to Pysanky and illustrating how creativity is an act of resistance.
Ilona Goanos: The painted eggs from Ukraine, coupled with their stories, are beautiful works of art with the pregnancy of a force of Mother Nature.
Each human culture deserves careful nourishment and deep search.
Your vignette about Ukraine shows a depth of human love spanning generations all the way to pre-Christianity among the Slavs.
One of the most powerful musicians in my life is Emile Gilels (19 October 1916 - 14 October 1984), a Jewish-Ukrainian whose real name was closer to Samuel Hillel (Hillel and Shammai were the ancient rival rabbinical schools in Torah study).
Emile Gilels was so ingenious that Sergei Vassilyevich Rachmaninoff yielded to the then-young prodigy the Anton-Rubinstein Medal, the one personally given to the composer by his Conservatory Master himself.
Thanks to the far-reaching strategy of Joe Biden, there is a strong infrastructure in Europe that hopes to overcome the waywardness of the Trump/Vance/Musk affliction.
Thank you for sharing your favorite Jewish-Ukrainian musician, Emile Gilels. Ukrainian people are a force, and I'm impressed with them at every encounter. I didn't know that Biden's acts were so in-depth and far-reaching, and that makes my heart glad. Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be the new leader of the free world.
I can't tell you how much I 💙 this post, Ilona! While I knew about the beauty of Ukrainian egg decorating, I didn't know the symbolic history and social importance of this beautiful craft. Thanks so much for this educational and inspiring piece. 🪺 I hope to find a Pysanky workshop in RI!
I looked into it and realized at this point I don't have the time and focus to get involved.. I know I would love it! Maybe next year... (I'm writing a memoir at present 😳 which is rather all-consuming these days)
“The egg's fragility mirrors our vulnerability, while the act of creation demonstrates our capacity to just keep going.”
This line, Ilona, really struck me. It's such a perfect encapsulation of what you're talking about. We often try to hide our vulnerabilities, to appear strong and unbreakable, but the truth is, we are all fragile. And yet, it's in that fragility that our strength truly lies. The act of creating, of putting something beautiful and meaningful into the world despite our own vulnerabilities, is an act of incredible courage. It's a reminder that we don't have to be perfect or invincible to make a difference.
We just have to keep going, keep creating, keep showing up, even when it feels hard. Your words made me reflect on the times I've felt most vulnerable and how those moments often led to my most significant acts of creation and growth.
Wow. So beautiful and meaningful! For years I have noticed that artists in Eastern Europe have almost other-worldly abilities in their creative endeavors. I've seen artwork that, to me, seems so far above what I see here or in other countries. I've always wondered about that. When I look at the photo of the Pysanky, it makes me wonder if practicing that art brings patience, joy, and meaning to the work that many of us lack. It's gorgeous.
It definitely brought those qualities to me as I worked on my egg, although there was a bit of nervousness about holding the egg and following the instructions at first. This was only my second time doing pysanky and I didn’t know how my egg would turn out. You dunk the egg in dye several times so I had no idea how the different layers would develop. I think I need to do it some more!
What an important tradition and expressive act of community in times of crisis. A defiance of sorts in the name of art. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story.
Hi Michelle! I think you should try in the name of art and peace. It's such a fun thing to do.
Very informative and interesting post!
Thanks, kid.
Ilona, what a beautiful post! I appreciate how you seamlessly weave these threads together in this piece. Thank you for sharing and introducing me to Pysanky and illustrating how creativity is an act of resistance.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Paulette. I'm glad you know about Pysanky now so you can spread the word. :)
Great article!
Slava Ukraini!
Heroiam slava!
Ilona Goanos: The painted eggs from Ukraine, coupled with their stories, are beautiful works of art with the pregnancy of a force of Mother Nature.
Each human culture deserves careful nourishment and deep search.
Your vignette about Ukraine shows a depth of human love spanning generations all the way to pre-Christianity among the Slavs.
One of the most powerful musicians in my life is Emile Gilels (19 October 1916 - 14 October 1984), a Jewish-Ukrainian whose real name was closer to Samuel Hillel (Hillel and Shammai were the ancient rival rabbinical schools in Torah study).
Emile Gilels was so ingenious that Sergei Vassilyevich Rachmaninoff yielded to the then-young prodigy the Anton-Rubinstein Medal, the one personally given to the composer by his Conservatory Master himself.
http://archiv.emilgilelsfoundation.net/en/biography/p-5/
Thanks to the far-reaching strategy of Joe Biden, there is a strong infrastructure in Europe that hopes to overcome the waywardness of the Trump/Vance/Musk affliction.
May Ukraine win and live forever!
Thank you for sharing your favorite Jewish-Ukrainian musician, Emile Gilels. Ukrainian people are a force, and I'm impressed with them at every encounter. I didn't know that Biden's acts were so in-depth and far-reaching, and that makes my heart glad. Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be the new leader of the free world.
I can't tell you how much I 💙 this post, Ilona! While I knew about the beauty of Ukrainian egg decorating, I didn't know the symbolic history and social importance of this beautiful craft. Thanks so much for this educational and inspiring piece. 🪺 I hope to find a Pysanky workshop in RI!
Let me know how it goes! I'd love to see the end result.
I looked into it and realized at this point I don't have the time and focus to get involved.. I know I would love it! Maybe next year... (I'm writing a memoir at present 😳 which is rather all-consuming these days)
Good for you! I’m writing one too, but I’d rather be painting eggs. 🪺🤣
“The egg's fragility mirrors our vulnerability, while the act of creation demonstrates our capacity to just keep going.”
This line, Ilona, really struck me. It's such a perfect encapsulation of what you're talking about. We often try to hide our vulnerabilities, to appear strong and unbreakable, but the truth is, we are all fragile. And yet, it's in that fragility that our strength truly lies. The act of creating, of putting something beautiful and meaningful into the world despite our own vulnerabilities, is an act of incredible courage. It's a reminder that we don't have to be perfect or invincible to make a difference.
We just have to keep going, keep creating, keep showing up, even when it feels hard. Your words made me reflect on the times I've felt most vulnerable and how those moments often led to my most significant acts of creation and growth.
We can't help but create--it's in our DNA. Might as well make something beautiful and joyful.
Very, very interesting and really cool! I had to look up how to pronounce pysanky.
I've heard it said different ways. Now I'm not sure how to say it!
I youtubed it!
I love this! Art has so much power!
That’s how we do it, Angela!
Wow. So beautiful and meaningful! For years I have noticed that artists in Eastern Europe have almost other-worldly abilities in their creative endeavors. I've seen artwork that, to me, seems so far above what I see here or in other countries. I've always wondered about that. When I look at the photo of the Pysanky, it makes me wonder if practicing that art brings patience, joy, and meaning to the work that many of us lack. It's gorgeous.
It definitely brought those qualities to me as I worked on my egg, although there was a bit of nervousness about holding the egg and following the instructions at first. This was only my second time doing pysanky and I didn’t know how my egg would turn out. You dunk the egg in dye several times so I had no idea how the different layers would develop. I think I need to do it some more!
It sounds so meditative!
I enjoyed learning about Pysanky eggs and their meaning. Thank you for sharing this. I love art in any form. And your eggs turned out beautiful!