Putin’s Descent: Iconography of the Last Judgment and Politics in Contemporary Ukraine

Abstract

This article explores the role of social and political agendas in the shaping of the development of contemporary Last Judgment iconography in Ukraine. Specifically, it focuses on a controversial recently painted icon of the Last Judgment in the town of Chervonohrad (Lviv region), on which universal Christian themes and motifs are interwoven with representations of historical and contemporary events and national sensibilities. Many episodes on the mural arose as a response to military aggression by the Russian Federation. The most controversial of these depicts scenes of Hell, where the main figure resembles Russian President Vladimir Putin burning in fire along with other anonymous sinners and totalitarian symbols. Although the mural may be observed as non-canonical or even absurd, it is enthusiastically accepted by church attendees and members of the laity. This paper highlights both religious and secular reactions to the mural. It examines the social and political dimensions of this religious piece, its iconographic elaboration, and its function as a piece of propaganda.