Українська художня критика другої половини ХІХ – початку ХХ століття як активний рушій мистецького прогресу
Ukrainian Art Criticism of the Second Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century as an Active Driver of Art Progress

Summary/Abstract: This article is focused on the crucial role of criticism in the development of artistic culture and formation of the spiritual atmosphere of the society in the new sociopolitical conditions. The formation of the figurative style philosophical concepts in the culture and arts of Ukraine at the beginning of the 20th century and understanding of art criticism, maturing ideological and aesthetic principles of critical thought has been accompanied by contemporary artistic processes that took place very rapidly in the active ideological struggle between realists and the representatives of avant-garde. The 19th Ukrainian art critics has rarely been the subject of the scientific research. The research which would help shed light on this phenomenon and up today is very scarce – Ya Tuhenhold, M. Puning, O. Fedoruk, R. Shmagalo. There has recently been published a monograph by the author which is dedicated to the art criticism of the period under review, a collection of articles on the same issues. While analyzing the professional level of critical thought in Ukraine at the beginning of the 20th century it should be noted that at that time there was formed a solid ground for lasting high quality performance and fan-out in such centers as Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, in Galicia. An important factor in the functioning of art criticism in the early 20th century, diversifying its conception, increasing professionalism was that it involved both art and artists, and speakers of other professions. The distinguishing feature of critical thought was that it languished in close cooperation uniting the representatives of fine art, literature and other fields of art and sociology as well as other allied sciences. Since artistic phenomena and concepts originated in Ukraine are very much similar to those which sprang in the post-revolutionary time in the RSFSR, and there were initiated (such as the monumental propaganda, agitation and mass art, etc.), it is reasonable to consider some theoretical declarations of a few Russian speakers of new culture. And it is quite reasonable since the theoretical foundation in Ukraine was nourished by Russian sources. Great support Peredvizhnichestvo – an outstanding and original direction of Russian artistic culture of the 19th century was provided by the herald of realistic art Stasov. His critical thought flowed in the river of "real criticism" that for the sake of criticism of the then social reality, as reflected in art, put the wayside creative issues. It was caused by some objective reasons. It is because of the content and relevant topics for its time, realism in Russian art of the second half of the 19th century, gained a wide range of supporters Complex social and political situation in the early 1890s in Russia caused conflicting ideological tendencies both in art and art criticism. At the same time realistic art, radically separating itself from academism as an official trend, reaches its heights in its development, broadly covering the phenomena of social reality, national history, depicting folk – ethnographic themes, motifs of local nature. The people ,conceived as the main driving force of the historical process, is the protagonist in the art. This period can boast by the best pictures by Ilya Repin, V. Surikov, V. Vasnetsov, M. Yaroshenko and other realist artists whose work defined the basic guidelines and achievements of Russian Art in 1880’s and early 1890-ies. The rapid development of Russian art, which led to the emergence of famous paintings, raising important national issues, contributed to the enhancement of critical thinking on the issues of realistic art. However, it is the time when the conservative forces boost their activities. The extreme anger is voiced by the extreme wing (W. Avsyeyenko, A. Ledonov, Soloviev) which is accompanied an increasingly louder voice in the face of nationalist criticism V. Burenina, V. D’yakov, A. Suvorin. The advocates of "pure" "disinterested" art (N. Mynskyy, V. Chuyko, V. Voskresenskiy) joined this camp. The Ukrainian art of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries developed under complex historical circumstances in the struggle for the ideals of nationalism and realism. Such as Art Nouveau, Symbolism and avant-garde were gaining momentum. Many an artist who had adhered to various principles, praised the October revolution afterwards and contributed their talent for the course of reflecting new social realities. At the beginning of the 20th century democratic criticism was extremely active having been deeply rooted in the 19 century. So, the image of Ukrainian criticism as a part of culture, was defined on the verge of 19th and the 20th centuries being an indispensable part of the reality. At this time, European criticism after two centuries of development entered a new stage of the 20th century, which defined a new specifics of functioning culture. From that time on its stream dispersed into numerous directions. Artistic process, whose relative integrity Sat had remained in the late 19th century, dispersed into numerous directions, trends, being represented not only separate groups, objects, but also an outstanding figure whose work defies some familiar, more or less standardized stylistic classification. Artists themselves, while producing their own aesthetic programs and introducing them into creative practice turned out to be the most accurate spokesmen and commentators of their works. So, professional critics were inclined either to support certain phenomena or areas to which they adhered, or to object the others, again from the standpoint of those areas or artists who impressed them. Thus, the criticism of the early 20th century in comparison to the previous periods, got rid of the sense of belonging to the hereditary traditions of the past. Although there appeared new outstanding personalities in the criticism of the new period its development isn’t subject to any laws. To a large extent it subdued to the needs of the art market and was mainly focused on the pages of fashionable publications and prestigious galleries, while advertising only that kind of art which might bring high profits. The criticism of the early 20th century fell into several main groups in terms of its orientation. The first one is – enlightenment. The very first group backed up the tendency of traveling exhibitions society and focused on domestic issues of realism and nationality. The second group included the followers of innovative trends. They were subdivided into two groups – those who developed the concept of the avant-garde and those who popularized the idea of modernism. The latter group comprised the theorists and critics who rallied around the issues of "Measure Art" and was associated with the symbolist writers. This group was mainly focused on professionalism, the revival of cultural traditions while using the European experience. Finally, the third group, which subsequently prevailed in Ukrainian culture for almost several decades was represented by the journalists supporting the positions of so-called Marxist aesthetics. However, this division is rather arbitrary, given that the development of Ukrainian art and art criticism were complex interplay of ideas and directions. In particular, it predominantly concerns the definitions of national identity in art that laid the foundation to the majority of art programs that have got significant differences even fierce struggle in identifying ways to achieve a common goal. It should be noted that the culture related situation is connected with the political movement. Apart from artists and critics the issues of culture were discussed by politics and the ideology adverts of the party with different dependencies who have seen the future of Ukraine differently , hence its spiritual life.

• Details
• Contents