ILLUSTRATIONS FOR UKRAINIAN FOLK SONGS IN THE CREATIVITY OF THE ARTIST AMBROSE ZHDAKHA

Abstract

The article defines the ideological program of the Ukrainian intelligentsia of the late 19th– early 20th centuries and the means of its visualization in the creativity of famous Ukrainian graphic artist Ambrose Zhdakha. The article establishes that the artist used the texts of Ukrainian folk songs as a material for visual reflection. It was found out that the choice of the Ukrainian song was not accidental. Representatives of the advanced Ukrainian intelligentsia attributed the call for unity within the Ukrainian culture of the entire population, without division into social groups or other differences, to natural qualities of the Ukrainian song. For the first time, it was noted that this program has the following factorsin the picturesque presentation of A. Zhdakha. They includetraditional culture of Ukrainians as an important base and source of its originality, which can prevent assimilation processes (everyday life and various cultural forms); constant struggle of Ukrainians for personal freedom; military hardening of Ukrainians, honed over centuries of struggle against various invaders who encroach specifically on Ukrainian lands; glorious history of Ukraine, which has its own stages of struggle for its own statehood. Accordingly, illustrations for the songs of Ambrose Zhdakha visualize this program of representation through the past of peculiarities of the Ukrainian civilizational path and their prospects for the future. An important point in this visual project is the reproduction of illustrations by A. Zhdakhaon postcards. Some leaflets of the cycle, collected together, reflect all the factors of this program. Among the analyzed materials, there are samples in which one or more of these factors can be seen, which was due to the plot of the song and artistic interpretation by the artist. Due to the circulation and mass character of this type of printed materials, this program was widely distributed among different groups of the Ukrainian population. The article also draws attention to the symbolism used by A. Zhdakha in illustrations for Ukrainian songs. It is emphasized that the artist’s appeal to symbolism was intended not only to strengthen figurative and content component of the work, but also to circumvent the censorship prohibitions that existed in the Russian Empire in relation to certain aspects of the national Ukrainian theme in artworks.