In 1968, a small book was published in Kyiv, bearing the title «Українські Писанки» (“Ukrainian Pysanky”).  The book was neither broad in scope, nor did it introduce any groundbreaking discoveries.  But it was important, and it was groundbreaking, in that it was a book about pysanky, published in Ukraine, in Ukrainian.

Pysankarstvo had been banned by the Soviets, and extirpated from much of Ukraine, but lived on in pockets of Ukraine.  One of these pockets was Hutsulshchyna, where it had become a source of income for many woman in the 19th century.  When Binyashevsky began collecting pysanka designs, this region would prove an incredibly rich source of designs.

Hutsul pysanky have a strong regional component and well as a distinct local style. Complexity is the hallmark of a Hutsul pysanka (as a result of decades of market pysankarstvo), but there is much variation in design, color choice and motifs from village to village, and even family to family. 

The pysanky below exhibit a variety of styles, including the traditional Kosmach (top right). I’ve translated the names given them by Binyashevsky, which vary in accuracy (he had a habit of changing them); the numbers refer to the page they are found on in his book, and L&R refer to which half of the page. There are 16 altogether.

  Binyashevky Gallery        “World”