Ukrainian artists of the 18th, 19th, 20th centuries and modern, their paintings

In painting, Ukrainian culture has consistently experienced the stages of baroque, rococo and classicism. This influence is already felt in two portraits of 1652 by the children of B. Khmelnitsky, Timothy and Rosand. However, the style of the initial Ukrainian painting is very diverse and unequal in skill.

Ukrainian culture of the second half of the 17th and early 18th century

Most of the ceremonial portraits (parsun) of the Cossack colonels, who survived, are written by local Cossack craftsmen, who, however, were able to convey the mood and character of the depicted foremen. Pavel Alepsky wrote about the realistic skill of Cossack painters in the middle of the 17th century.

To our days, unfortunately, only a small percentage of the paintings created by Ukrainian artists of the 18th century have reached. In the second half of the 17th century. Schools of icon painters are already being created. The most famous examples are the murals of the Assumption Cathedral and the Trinity Gate Church in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which have a soft, pastel form of writing. Sensuality, rounded smoothness of lines set the audience to a somewhat melancholic mood, trying to maintain the cheerfulness of the worldview. At the same time, dramatic stories such as "The Expulsion of Merchants from the Temple," and especially the scenes of passions, are performed with the transmission of a militant tension to the troubled era. The figures depicted on the frescoes breathed physical and mental health, their movements lost all stiffness and generally emphasized the sublimity of mood.

The images created by the Kiev-Pechersk art workshop became a canon, a model for imitation in all other corners of Ukraine.

Temple Painting

A characteristic component of the temple painting is at that time the so-called ktitor portrait. The founders, donors and guardians of this or that church, as well as the active church headmen (the heads of the parish council) were called the voters (the people's language - the elder). In Kiev churches such trustees throughout their history were very many. In the altar part of the Assumption Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra before its undermining in 1941, 85 historical figures were depicted - from princes of Kievan Rus to Peter I (it is clear that this is not all). The older church hierarchs are unshakable, but the closer to that period was the historical personality, the more lively the portraits became, the more expression and individuality reflected in the faces.

Extraordinary splendor received during the Baroque church iconostases, in which the icons had four or even five rows. The most famous of the surviving baroque iconostasis of this kind are the iconostases from the churches of the Holy Spirit in Rogatin, in Galicia (mid-17th century) and the church-tomb of Hetman D. Apostol in Bolshie Sorochintsy (first half of the 18th century). The peak of easel painting in the 17th century. There is a Bogorodchansky (Maniavsky) iconostasis, which was completed during 1698-1705. Master Job Kondzelevich. Here, the traditional biblical scenes are reproduced in a new way. Represented live real people, full of dynamics, even dressed in local costumes.

Rather early in the iconography are elements of the Rococo style, which is associated with the active use by the pupils of the Lavra art workshop in the role of patterns of drawings, the parents of French rococo Watteau and Boucher, represented in student album collections. Rococo brings in the portraits of greater ease and gallantry, adds characteristic small details, there is a fashion for the execution of female parsun.

The development of classicism in art in the second half of the 17th century

In the second half of the 17th century, an engraving on copper developed. The development of bribery took place in close connection with the issuance of student theses, the needs of book printing, and orders of panegyrics. However, among the works of the Tarasevich brothers and their later colleagues, one can find not only luxurious allegorical compositions of a secular and religious nature, but also realistic engraving sketches of landscapes, seasons and agricultural works. In 1753, Empress Elizabeth issued a decree: three Ukrainian children from the court chapel, who lost their voice, to give in the art of science. These guys were future famous Ukrainian artists Cyril Golovachevsky, Ivan Sablucok and Anton Losenko. Each of them made a significant contribution to the development of classical art.

Art education in Ukraine in the second half of the 19 th - early 20 th century

Professional artistic and creative preparation of Ukrainian masters in the XIX century took place at the Petersburg Academy of Arts and at the then popular European higher art institutions, where the main emphasis was placed on academic and classicism. Under the conditions of the development of aesthetics, it had the opportunity to create resistance to the artistic development of Ukraine, to create a gap between folk and "lordly" art.

The best art paintings of Ukrainian artists of the 19th century are represented by graduates with academic education, first of all T. Shevchenko, and then with him Napoleon Buyalsky, Maria Raevskaya-Ivanova, Nikolai and Alexander Muravyov, Ilya Repin, etc., who aspired to create a national art school . The center of development of cultural and artistic life was Kiev. After the permanent formations of art schools began. The Kiev Drawing School became one of the first art institutions, played an important role in the development of the fine arts of Ukraine. At different times here studied I. Levitan, M. Vrubel, V. Serov, K. Krizitsky, S. Jaremich, etc. The school received primary art education by famous artists: G. Dyadchenko, A. Murashko, S. Kostenko, I. Izhakevich, G. Svetlitsky, A. Moravov.

The art school provided a thorough preparation for the creation of works of painting. At the institution, even a museum was founded, where various sketches and drawings by Repin, Kramskoy, Shishkin, Perov, Aivazovsky, Myasoedov, Savitsky, Orlovsky, etc. were applied. The teachers of the school used progressive methods, based on the requirements for drawing from nature, strict observance of the principle "From the easy to the more complex," the provision of an individual approach, the organic combination of special and general education, that is, sharpening attention to the development of comprehensive art education.

The organization of M. Murashko's school was assisted by Professor P. Pavlov, the famous Russian geographer P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky, as well as local collectors of works by V. Tarnovsky and I. Tereshchenko. Experienced teachers of the school at different times were M. Vrubel, I. Seleznev, V. Fabricius, I. Kostenko and others. M. Murashko's school existed until 1901, due to which students had the opportunity to develop their natural talent, and then to get artistic education. The pupils of the Academy of Art were future famous Ukrainian artists P. Volokidin, P. Aleshin, M. Verbitsky, V. Zabolotnaya, V. Rykov, F. Krichevsky, K. Trofimenko, A. Shovkunenko, etc. Art education in Ukraine in the second half of the 19th century, Th - the beginning of the 20th century. Is represented by schools that were concentrated in Odessa, Kiev and Kharkov.

The art of Ukraine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Particularly prominent place in Ukrainian art belongs to T. Shevchenko, who graduated from the Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1844 , was a student of Karl Bryullov himself, the author of the famous painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." T. Shevchenko created a number of paintings from the life of the peasantry ("Gypsy fortune-teller", "Katerina", "Peasant Family", etc.). The poetic and artistic heritage of T. Shevchenko had a huge impact on the development of Ukrainian culture and in particular the fine arts. It defined its democratic orientation, which was clearly reflected in the work of graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts L. Zhemchuzhnikov and K. Trutovsky. Konstantin Trutovsky is also known for his illustrations for the works of N. Gogol, T. Shevchenko, Marco Vovchok, and he also captures the biography of Ukrainian artist T. Shevchenko.

In the future, progressive masters shared the ideas of the "Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions" created in 1870 and its leaders: I. Kramskoy, V. Surikov, I. Repin, V. Perov. Taking the example from the Russian "Peredvizhniki", Ukrainian artists sought in their work to use a realistic artistic language that the people understand and show their pictures to the inhabitants of different cities. In particular, in Odessa, the Society of South Russian Artists was created, which actively engaged in exhibition business.

Artistic perfection and high realism are inherent in the paintings of Nikolai Pimonenko. The most famous of his works are "Seeing the recruits", "Hay mowing", "Rivals", "Matchmakers". A. Murashko showed his talent in the historical genre. He is the author of the famous painting "Funeral of the Koshevoy", for the central figure of which posed Staritsky. In landscape painting, more talent was shown by Sergei Vasilkovsky, whose work is closely connected with the Kharkiv region. He opened the Ukrainian painting to Europe, where he was awarded the honor of exhibiting his paintings in the Paris salon "out of turn." The seascapes of the artist-seascape painter I. Aivazovsky became a unique phenomenon in the world art. The unsurpassed effect of moonlight was the painting "Night over the Dnieper" by Arkhip Kuindzhi. Wonderful masters of landscape painting were Ukrainian artists of the 19th century: S. Svetoslavsky, K. Kostandi, V. Orlovsky, I. Pohitonov.

Ilya Repin, who was born in Chuguyev on the Slobozhanshchina, constantly maintained his connection with Ukraine. Among the many works of the outstanding master his painting "Zaporozhtsy write a letter to the Turkish sultan" occupies a special place. For this picture in the role of a clerk, depicted in the center of the canvas, his friend Dmitri Ivanovich Yavornytsky posed for the artist, who devoted his whole life to studying the history of the Zaporozhye Cossacks and who for this was called Nestor Zaporizhzhya Sich. Koshevym ataman Ivan Sirko in the picture depicts General Mikhail Dragomirov.

In Galicia, the soul of the national artistic life was a talented artist (landscape lyricist and portraitist) Ivan Trush, Dragomanov's son-in-law. He is the author of portraits of famous figures of Ukrainian culture I. Franko, V. Stefanik, Lysenko and others.

Thus, the entire cultural development of Ukraine took place in indissoluble connection with the progressive culture of the Russian people.

Painting in the 30s of the 20th century

In the 30s, Ukrainian artists continued to develop different trends in artistic thought. The classic of Ukrainian painting F. Krichevsky ("The Winners of Wrangel"), as well as the landscape painters Karp Trohimenko ("DneproStroy Shots", "Kiev Harbor", "Above the Great Road", "Morning on the Collective Farm") and Nikolai Buracek ("Apple Blossoms" , "Golden autumn", "Clouds are approaching", "Road to the collective farm," "Roars and moans the Dnieper wide"), which masterfully reproduced the state of nature, depending on the characteristics of sunlight. Significant achievements of Ukrainian painting of this period are associated with the development of the portrait genre presented by such artists as Peter Volokidin (Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Portrait of Zoya Gaidai), Alexei Shovkunenko (Portrait of the Girl, Ninochka), Nikolai Glushchenko (" Portrait of R. Rolland "). At this time, the work of the artist Catherine Bilokur flourishes (1900-1961). The elements of her painting are flowers, they form compositions of extraordinary beauty. Paintings "Flowers behind the fence", "Flowers on a blue background", "Still life with spikelets and a jug" are fascinated by a combination of real and fantastic, a sense of harmony, a variety of colors, a filigree manner of performance. With the accession to Ukraine of Transcarpathia in 1945, Adalbert Erdeli ("The Betrothed", "Woman"), Berlogi lo Gluck ("Loggers"), Fedor Manaylo ("On the Pasture") added to the number of Ukrainian artists. Transcarpathian art school had a professional culture, colorful wealth, creative search.

Painting of the Great Patriotic War

One of the leading themes of Ukrainian easel painting for a long time remained the Great Patriotic War. Artists painted the heroism of the soldiers, the pathos of the struggle. However, philosophical paintings were also written: "Nurse" Askhat Safargalin, "In the Name of Life" by Alexander Khmelnitsky, "Flaxen" by Vasily Gurin. Many artists continued the development of Ukrainian art, trying to give their own interpretation of the personality and creativity of the Great Kobzar: Mikhail God "My thoughts, thoughts," and the like. The pride of Ukrainian culture was the work of the artist Tatyana Yablonskaya (1917-2005). Even in the postwar years, T. Yablonskaya created one of the best paintings of that time - "Bread". Pictures of the artist of the early period - "Spring", "Above the Dnieper", "Mother" - performed in the best academic traditions, full of movement, feelings and picturesque freedom.

Painting in the 50s of the 20th century

At the end of the 1950s, ideological pressure on artists' creativity was somewhat weakened in Ukraine. And although the observance of the "principle of socialist realism" remained mandatory for Soviet artists, its close limits expanded. In the visual arts there was more in comparison with the previous period of freedom in the choice of themes, the means of translating artistic design, and the identification of national identity. Many Ukrainian artists sought to move away from the straightforward copying of life, they turned to symbolic images, a poetic interpretation of the former world. It was poeticization that became one of the leading trends in various forms of art. This period is characterized by a desire for national roots. Ukrainian artists of the 20th century turned to images of outstanding figures of history, culture, studied folk art, customs. Great importance was acquired by monumental and decorative art, in which bold experimental experiments took place. Among the original: Dnieper hydroelectric power station (DneproGES), 18 bright works of Ukrainian monumentalists - stained-glass-triptych at the National University. Shevchenko, mosaic "Academy of the 17th century" in the Institute of Theoretical Physics, interior decoration of the Palace of Children and Youth in Kiev, and the like.

Painting in the 60s of the 20th century

In the early 1960s, the artist T. Yablonskaya turned to folk art, which led to a change in her artistic style (Indian Summer, Swans, Bride, Paper Flowers, Summer). These paintings are inherent in the plane interpretation, plasticity and expressiveness of silhouettes, the construction of color on the ratio of clear ringing colors.

The creativity of Transcarpathian artist Fyodor Manail (1910-1978), which in the pre-war years became one of the best European artists, is striking. In the epicenter of the artist's creative search - the nature of the Carpathians and the elements of the people's life: "Wedding", "Breakfast", "In the Forest", "Sunny Moment," "Mountains-valleys", etc. F. Manaylo was a consultant on the filming of C Parajanov "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", which, thanks to his contribution, acquired a special expressiveness and ethnographic accuracy.

The spirit of experimentation, the attraction to the European cultural tradition is the Lviv art school. If the Transcarpathian school is characterized by picturesque emotionality, then for Lviv - a graphic manner of performance, sophistication and intelligence. The most prominent representatives of these trends at the time are famous Ukrainian artists: Zinovy Flint ("Autumn", "Indian Summer", "Bach's Melodies", "Meditations"), Lyubomir Medved (cycle "First Collective Farms in Lviv region", triptych "Emigrants", " Time flow ", etc.). A real achievement in the art were the works of these masters in the portrait genre. Portraits of cultural figures L. Medved (Lesya Ukrainka, S. Lyudkevich, N. Gogol, L. Tolstoy) draw attention to the originality of the manner of performance, the unexpectedness of the composition, depth and special sharpness of the images.

Original artist Valentin Zadorozhny (1921-1988) worked in various genres - monumental and easel painting, graphics, tapestry, wood carving. The artist used and creatively reinterpreted the best traditions of folk art, deeply understood the basics of national culture: paintings "Marusya Churai", "Universal Supper", "Chuchinskaya Oranta", "The Daily Bread", "And there will be a son and mother ..." and others fascinate Saturation and contrast comparison of colors, expressiveness of lines, ease of rhythm, decorative sound.

In the work of the artist Ivan Marchuk, different artistic directions and methods can be traced (from realism to surrealism and abstractionism); Genres (portraits, still lifes, landscapes and original fantastic compositions, similar to dreams). In his paintings intertwined tradition and innovation, all the works have a deep spiritual foundation: "Flowering", "Blooming Planet", "Lost Music", "Germination", "Voice of My Soul", "Last Ray", "The Month Has Come Up Over the Dnieper" , "Monthly Night", etc. Among the many works of the artist draws attention to the picture "Awakening", in which among the herbs and flowers the face of a beautiful woman, her fragile transparent hands, appears. This is Ukraine, which is awakened from a long, heavy sleep.

Ukraine is rightfully proud of folk artists: Maria Primachenko, Praskovya Vlasenko, Elizaveta Mironova, Ivan Skolodzdra, Tatyana Pato, Fedor Pank, etc. At one time the French artist P. Picasso was amazed by the works of M. Primachenko. She created her own world, in which there live fantastic creatures, folkloric characters, flowers like a human soul ("Wedding", "Holiday", "Bouquet", "Magpies - white-bears", "Three grandfathers", "Wild otter grabbed a bird" , "The Threat of War" and others).

The Art of the End of the 20th Century

The end of the 20th century can be considered the time of a new countdown in the history of Ukrainian diverse art. The formation of an independent state created a new cultural and creative situation in Ukraine. The principle of socialist realism has become a thing of the past, Ukrainian artists began to work in conditions of freedom of creativity. Art exhibitions held at that time showed high creative potential of Ukrainian fine art, its diversity, coexistence in it of various directions, forms and means of expression of artistic design. Ukrainian fine arts of the late 20th century. Was called "New Wave", picking up the Ukrainian avant-garde movement of the 10-20-ies, but continuing to develop it in new conditions.

Modern Ukrainian artists and their paintings do not fit into a single style, direction or method. Masters of the older generation prefer traditional realistic art. Extensive abstractionism was received (Tiberius Silvashi, Alexei Zhivotkov, Petr Malyshko, Oleg Tistol, Alexander Dubovik, Alexander Budnikov, etc.). And yet the main feature of modern Ukrainian art is the combination of figurative and abstract methods of creativity (Viktor Ivanov, Vasily Khodakovsky, Oleg Yasenev, Andrei Bludov, Nikolai Butkovskiy, Alexei Vladimirov, etc.).

New Ukrainian art

Modern Ukrainian art was influenced by Western modernism. Surrealism (from the French "superrealism") - one of the main trends of the artistic avant-garde, it originated in France in the 20's. According to A. Breton, the main theoretician of surrealism, his goal is to solve the contradiction between a dream and reality. Ways to achieve this goal were diverse: Ukrainian artists and their pictures with photographic accuracy depicted devoid of the logic of the scene, created fragments of habitual objects and strange creatures.

Op-art (abbreviated English optical art) - the flow of abstract art, popular in the West in the 60's. The works of op-art are built on the effects of error of sight, while the selection of forms and colors is aimed at creating an optical illusion of motion.

Pop art (abbreviated English popular art) arose in the US and Britain under the influence of popular culture. The source of his images were popular comics, advertising and products of industrial production. Simultaneousity of the plot in the painting of pop art is sometimes emphasized by the technique, which resembles the effect of photography.

Conceptualism, conceptual art (from Latin thought, concept) is the leading direction of Western art of the 60s. According to his representatives' conviction, the idea (concept) underlying the work is of intrinsic value and is placed above mastery. In the embodiment of the concept, a variety of means can be used: texts, maps, photographs, video films and the like.

The work can be exhibited in the gallery or be created "on the ground", for example, the natural landscape, which sometimes becomes its component. In this image of the artist undermines the traditional idea of the status of authors of art. In the installation, individual elements located within a given space form a single artistic whole and are often designed for a specific gallery. Such a work can not be transferred to another place, since the surrounding situation is its equal part.

Performance (from the English idea) - an artistic phenomenon, closely associated with the dance and theatrical performance. The language of pop art is skillfully and often used in its works by such Ukrainian artists as Stepan Ryabchenko, Ilya Chichkan, Masha Shubina, Marina Talutto, Ksenia Gnilitskaya, Viktor Melnichuk, and others.

Ukrainian Postmodernism

Assembling is the introduction to art of three-dimensional non-artistic materials and so-called found objects - ordinary everyday items. It comes from a collage - a technique in which pieces of paper, cloth, etc. are fixed on a flat surface. The art of assembling was born by P. Picasso at the beginning of the 20th century, among the Ukrainian artists the reception of the assemblage was widely used by A. Arkhipenko, I. Ermilov, A. Baranov, etc. Contemporary Ukrainian artists, the current creative process in Ukraine, by analogy with the West, is called the era of postmodernism (That is, came after modernism). Postmodernism in the visual arts is reminiscent of the fancifully intermingled fragments of all the preceding styles, trends and currents, in which it is meaningless to seek, at least, the slightest manifestations of wholeness. Ukrainian postmodernism is often a borrowing, and even frank plagiarism of Western models.