SYMBOLS AND ARCHETYPES IN THE PAINTING «PRAYER»

Abstract

The article analyzes the manifestation of the archetype as a sign in the process of creating the painting «Prayer» in 2023, authored by Alexander Khrapachov. The material for the painting, collected over the years 2021–23, was synthesized into a comprehensive painting at the art residence «Price of Freedom» in 2023, organized by the Khmelnytsky Regional Art Museum (KHOAM), with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF). The rethinking of the «Price of Freedom» took place in various categories, directly related to the events of Russian aggression against Ukraine from 2014 to 2023. Through the method of testing various variations of painting and theoretical research at exhibitions, conferences, social networks, and so on, throughout 2021–23, significant aspects of the depicted objects were revealed, as well as the means of representing archetypes. By studying artistic works and presentations of exhibition projects, the question arose of addressing the general archetype of contemporary events in Ukraine. In the context of the transformation of Ukrainian society, driven by both social and political tension in Ukraine, as well as rapid European integration, the expected result is a change in the system of cultural archetypes of the population. The question arose about representing the corresponding archetype in the artistic environment. On a canvas measuring 150x100 cm, painted with oil paints, the artist, Alexander Khrapachov, depicted a complex plot that reflects the eternal struggle of good and evil. At the center of the painting is a black serpent of war, symbolizing evil and violence. It devours its own flesh, revealing the self-destructive nature of aggression. «The consumption of its own flesh» can also indicate the internal decay and breakdown of the aggressor’s system, leading to losses and misunderstandings within the country. War can give birth to new conflicts, and each side must take responsibility for its actions. But the compositional and narrative center of the work «Prayer» is the interior of the temple, the sketches of which were made in 2021. The key figure of the painting is a monk, whose character does not immediately reveal the idea to the viewer but gradually unfolds the main plot. The painting «Prayer» has undergone approval in four exhibition spaces of Ukraine. Realistic art carries a significant informative function through the «archetype,» a code of the nation.