Christmas Spirits Painting

This celebratory panel of nine paintings from the series "Flamboyant valley, motley mountain" is dedicated to the spirits of Christmas: The First Spirit - Entertainment, Second Spirit - Music and The Third Spirit - traveling. 1 - Entertainment: - oil on canvas, 40x50, 2013. “Up and down” (Carpathians, Lysycha Polonyna, a view from Strymba mountain) - here children are playing, riding their sled down the hill, enjoying snow. - oil on canvas, 30x50, 2012. "The First Spirit" rides a sleigh with Bereza's bells in his hands (Kolyada (carolling) - is an ancient pre-Christian winter ritual that became part of Christmas and has continued in Hutsul region until today. People believed that without Kolyada performed in every household spring will never come and a crop will fail. "Bereza" - a leader of carolers, chooses the appropriate carols and puts in the name of a person to whom the carol is sung. The rest of the carolers sing only the chorus after each verse that affirms the words of "Bereza". Lyrics of the carol are gaining magical powers: what is said would happen.) In the ornament is the image of a nutcracker, used in cooking of many festive dishes, and an essential part of traditional Hutsul dress - mountain walking stick. - oil on canvas, 30x50, 2012. At the bottom there are the clay utensils: "kalach" - a ring-shaped pot, for carrying or storing liquid, a mug, a bowl of pampuchy (donuts), a candlestick - symbolizing prosperity and atmosphere of house cosiness. 2 - Music - oil on canvas, 40x50, 2013. “Playing trembitas” (Carpathians, Negrovets, a view from Strymba mountain) - Musicians in traditional dress play a Hutsul wind instrument - trembita (a wooden tube without lateral openings, 3 meters long. This instrument accompanies Hutsul rituals and holidays). - oil on canvas, 90x50, 2012. “The Second Spirit” plays trembita. In the ornament there is the image of a Carpathian Smereka (Spruce) and Bartka (shepherd's axe) - a highly functional combination of a walking stick, an axe and a hammer resulted from the specific needs of living in the mountainous region. - oil on canvas, 30x50, 2012. At the bottom there is a Hurdy-gurdy - a stringed instrument that produces sound like a violin bow by a wheel rubbing against the strings. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents against three or more of the strings, two other strings play bourdons. Widely spread from ancient times until the present day. 3 - Traveling - oil on canvas, 40x50, 2013. “C’mon, it is not kinda slow” (Carpathians, Krasna mountain range) - the earliest and the fastest way of traveling in winter mountains - a horseback riding or horse-drawn sleigh. Of course, the horses must be well cared for, shod and beloved) - oil on canvas, 90x50, 2012. “The Third Spirit” - symbol of traveling - horses in harness with festive handmade tassels. In the ornament there is an image of the “kelef” - hutsul walking stick with a hatchet and a hammer for the household needs, and a horseshoe - amulet against evil forces that brings good luck. - oil on canvas, 30x50, 2012. At the bottom there is a carved wooden saddle and festive winter harness bells. All paintings are decorated with ornaments based on Hutsul Art Nouveau. only oil on canvas