Ukrainian art studies of the 20th century: ways of development and main problems of research.

Abstract

It has been investigated that Ukrainian art history in its historical development has followed a path characteristic of European artistic thought. The tasks faced by Ukrainian art history at the beginning of the 20th century are considered. During 1905–1917, art history in Ukraine acquired signs of structure, the directions of research were quite clearly defined. Based on the analysis of art studies of the 1920s, it was determined that they are characterized by a combination of clear retrospective vision, methodically correct handling of iconographic sources. The fact that the problem of national peculiarities of Ukrainian art history, its origins, driving factors, and priorities is of fundamental importance has been revealed. The article states that the Soviet totalitarian regime initiated a new stage of the «state» approach to the development of national inversions of science, literature and, in particular, art history. It was found out that specific conclusions regarding the national style were removed from many works of domestic art researchers by censorship. The need to organize and harmonize with the national historical concept of chronology and periodization of Ukrainian art history remains an equally urgent task. In this regard, the publication is supplemented with tables with a chronology of cultural events and publications of art-historical publications. It was found that Ukrainian art history actively developed in the context of the general national revival. With the beginning of totalitarian repressions and the liquidation of literary and artistic associations in the Ukrainian SSR (1932), the development process moved to western Ukrainian lands, primarily to Lviv. It was noted that in the post-war period, after well-known socio-political and socio-cultural changes, art history, art criticism, as well as artistic creativity throughout the territory of Ukraine, were united under one ideological slogan of socialist realism. It is emphasized that an important role in this difficult period was played by Ukrainian figures of culture, science and art of the diaspora. It is revealed that Ukrainian art history of the second half of the 20th century developed in difficult socio-political and cultural conditions. It has been found that the second half of the 20th century, marked by the repeated "revival" of the socialist realist method, nevertheless proved the continuity of the development of the national concept in the field of art history. A new stage logically began during the years of independent Ukraine. It is highlighted that the national concept of the historical development of Ukrainian culture and art has become the leading one in the domestic humanitarian field. It is important that the revival of Ukrainian art criticism has begun.