Poltava Embroidery

Poltava embroidery recently has gained popularity on the world podiums and is adored by members of the royal family

Historical background:The concept of embroidery for the Ukrainian people dates back to antiquity. Unfortunately, due to the short life of the material, namely threads and fabric, examples of such decorated things are preserved only from the late XVIII - early XIX century. But if you look closely at the Trypillia archaeological culture, you can see the characteristic geometric patterns. And this is the Eneolithic era, about 4-3 thousand millennia BC.As you know, the path of Ukrainian embroidery to this day is extremely thorny, so I suggest you to read the main historical mentions of it.For example, at the times of Kievan Rus Volodymyr Monomakh's sister Anna-Yanka organized a school in Kyiv, in the St. Andrew's Monastery, where young girls learned to embroider with gold and silver.Mittens and hats decorated with embroidery also appear in the memoirs of the Italian traveler Gilbert de Lanois, who was in 1412 and 1421 on the territory of modern Ukraine. This is mentioned in the book "Artistic embroidery" by Olena Gasyuk and Maria Stepan.And already in the XIX century the art of embroidery reached a new level: it became a craft. Each region of Ukraine has created its own unique features of embroidery.Cultural value:Every nation transmits its vision, beliefs, superstitions, hopes through art. Ukrainians genetically have an aesthetic vision of the world, and that is why they tried to decorate all consumer goods.Initially, special, even sacred senses could be found in embroidery and its creation is connected with numerous rituals. For example, women should be in a good mood while embroidering, as people believed in the power of energy. The magical connection with nature was reflected in ornaments and symbols of animals, plants, celestial bodies. So it is not surprising that shirts and towels "protected" their owners.This in-depth approach to "ornamental writing" is directly related to tradition. The fiancée embroidered a shirt for the groom for good luck, embroidered clothing was created for the newborn to protect them. The role of embroidery could explain many aspects of the Ukrainian modern worldview: close connection with nature and ancestors, the belief in destiny.Poltava embroidery white on white:Reshetyliv embroidery white on white is considered to be one of the most complex styles, where the main artistic effect is achieved in the ratio of pastel shades of blue, brown, green, gray and white. These elegant and at the same time complex ornaments are re-faced frosty patterns, created on windows in winter. On June 29, 2017, embroidery was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.As a resident of my region-Poltava , I would like to say that the complexity of execution and at the same time the tenderness of colors resonates with the mentality of the local population. Probably, the first actually follows from the second, after all what you already read about superpowerful energy of each master. Today, embroidery and understanding of the world are so intertwined that one can learn one process through another one .For a long time, this unique ethnic embroidery was little known abroad, but the events of the Orange Revolution changed everything. Ukrainian national costumes have inspired world fashion designers to create extraordinary looks. Among them were Jean-Paul Gauthier, the director of Dior - John Galliano, and the art director of Gucci - Frida Giannini. And in one of the most famous collections from Valentino, white on white motifs were used. The New York Times magazine recognized that the Ukrainian embroidered shirt as a trend of summer 2016, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom even ordered a traditional shirt from Reshetyliv's craftswomen.Such successes show us that the continued popularization of Ukrainian and Poltava embroidery also abroad will be an excellent tool for understanding between countries and people.