Classification of pysankas
When taking all types of Hutsul pysankas and trying to classify them by characteristic features, we would have approximately the following pysankas: pysankas with geometric ornamentation; pysankas with floral ornamentation; pysankas with animalistic elements; pysankas combining geometric and floral ornaments; pysankas depicting genre scenes; pysankas depicting original Hutsul structures; and pysankas with arbitrary, fantastic spots — the creation of the master’s originality.
The most famous center of pysanka-making in Hutsulshchyna was Kosmach, as there were unfavorable conditions for farming. Pysanka-making in Hutsulshchyna was not just an expression of love for this art, but often a means of existence. Especially Hutsul women specialized in this field and were often a great support for the family, helping Hutsul men to maintain the family and create at least some minimal well-being.
The masters of pysankas from Kosmach achieved great artistic perfection and were once renowned throughout Hutsulshchyna. The pysankas here had an extraordinarily miniature pattern with a delicate golden-orange color. During the Polish occupation of Hutsulshchyna, cunning speculators and middlemen amassed great fortunes from Kosmach pysankas. They bought them in bulk and exported them to various countries in Europe and across the ocean, while the Hutsuls who performed this work received the most meager payment for their labor.
Pysanka-making is still very developed in Kosmach today. About 50 women engage in this form of art there. Among the Kosmach masters of pysanka-making, particularly well-known surnames include K. Brusturnyak, E. Malik, H. Kob'yuk, H. Kiryashchuk, P. Ivasyuk, P. Kaptsyuk, P. Kushnirchuk, and many others. Overall, Kosmach has not lost its leading role in pysanka-making throughout Hutsulshchyna even today. Thus, it is quite clear that such a high level of pysanka-making in Kosmach has had and continues to have its influences on other areas of Hutsulshchyna.
The villages of Hutsulshchyna, such as Sheshory, Brusturi, Shepit, Richka, etc., have been particularly influenced by the Kosmach pysankars. However, it cannot be said that the mentioned villages blindly adopted the Kosmach traditions without introducing anything original into this field. In the mentioned villages, pysanka-making has undergone many of its own peculiarities. The number of colors in the pysankas from these villages has significantly increased, and geometric ornamentation has given way to compositions where floral motifs are mostly combined with geometric ones. In these villages, animalistic depictions are practiced more frequently, as there is a greater affection for the animal world, and thus these motifs have gained broader practice.
Similarly, pysankas from villages closer to Kosmach differ in their originality and uniqueness. For example, in Rozhniv, which is located near Kosmach, the pysankas here predominantly feature motifs of larger geometricized floral forms rather than miniature ones. Here, the pysankas are mainly bronze-yellowish with some admixture of green hues.
As we have noted, Hutsul villages contribute much of their originality to pysanka-making and do not simply replicate their neighbors. This characterizes the creative inclinations of the Hutsuls and their ability to create something their own and original. For instance, in the southeastern villages of Hutsulshchyna, such as Zamahori, Bani-Berezovi, Yavoriv, and Verkhovyna, light pink, dark green, and golden colors prevail in the ornamentation of pysankas. The depictions of living elements remain white and flat-silhouette. This is nothing more than the creative imagination and creation of the masters from these villages. They seek something of their own, creatively interpreting the adopted traditions.
The village of Zamahori is particularly famous in this regard, as the local masters in pysanka-making have achieved extraordinary expressiveness and decorativeness. Thus, their pysankas can confidently be considered the best and most original in all of Hutsulshchyna.
