"This Exhibition of Ukrainian Folk Icons is dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Planton Biletsky"

The history of icon painting in the Ukrainian lands dates back to the time when Christianity was introduced to the Kyiv Russ in the 10th Century. The icon painter had to follow very strict rules imposed by the orthodox hierarchy of the Byzantine Empire. Icon painting was assigned to skilled professionals with formal art education who followed rules prescribed by the cannons of the Christian faith.

	St.Paraskeva Second half of XIX ct,  Oil on wood, 34.5X30.5,  Kyiv Region.	St.Justinian  Mid of XIX ct, Oil on wood,  35.5X26, Kyiv Region

The development of icon painting went together with the development of society. When did the Ukrainian folk icon appear? The meaning of the term folk or nation is very broad and often not altogether clear-cut. In this case it is relatively safe to say that Ukrainian Folk Icons were peasant inspired and painted by village based, self-educated "master" who had very limited if any knowledge of what was the "correct" way to paint an icon.

Virgin with Three Hands.  Second half of XIX ct,  Oil on wood, 44.5X33,  Left Side Region	The Pantocrator.  Second half of XIX ct,  Oil on wood,  39.5X29, Left Side Region

The painter transferred on to a wooden board images of God-the-Father, Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary or a popular saint as he saw them on Church icons or in his mind's eye. 

For many centuries Ukraine had a very turbulent history. The state of such did not exist and up until the 17th and 18th centuries there are no signs of peasant icons as a large-scale cultural phenomenon. The reason being the extreme poverty of the peasant-serf population.

		St. Nicholas.  Second half of XIX ct,  Oil on wood,  53X43, Left Side Region

"The Ukrainian Folk Icon started to flourish after February 19th, l861, when serfdom was abolished and the peasants started to prosper. Every household had to have at least one icon and in most cases several. As a rule there were icons of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and some Patron Saint. Newly weds were blessed with icons of Jesus Christ and the Virgin. Unfortunately the boom in Folk icon painting was short lived. Soon the market was flooded with cheap mass produced printed icons and the hand painted folk art variety as an art creation stopped.

The Nativity.  End of XVIII - early XIX ct,  Oil on wood,  47.5X34, Kyiv Region	Virgin and Child.  Mid of XIX ct, Oil on wood,  34X25.5, Kyiv Region	The Pantocrator.  Mid of XIX ct, Oil on wood,  35.5X24.5, Kyiv Region

After almost disappearing the folk icons began their second life in museums and in private collection some of which were started at the turn of the last century before the First World War. Many of these icons were lost after the Bolshevik Revolution and during the Communist era the reasons obvious-religion and nationalism. The ones that survived did so thanks to some influential individuals who, at the rist of their careers classified them as Folk Art.

	St. Barbara.  Early XIX ct, Oil on wood,  52.5X43, Kyiv Region	The Resurrection.  Mid of XIX ct, Oil on wood,  34X24.5, Kyiv Region

In the 1970's the so called Folk-Art was defended by the famous scientist Planton Biletsky, who founded the Folk Art History in Ukraine and who was joined in his efforts by some other men of culture"