Орест Голубець • Українське мистецво XX століття

188 О. М. Голубець мистецтво хх століття: український шлях SUMMARY The XXth century is one of the most difficult periods in the history of hu- manity. It witnessed the end of the industrial phase of the development of the soci- ety and the beginning of post-industrial or information-oriented one. Despite great achievements in the field of scientific and technical progress, two world wars took place which caused terrible destruction as regards European civilized values. As a result we observe logical social bias of art of the XXth century. Both, avant-garde, the crucial stage of modernism, and post-modernism, emerged in connection with colossal spiritual stresses. Periodization of Ukrainian art of the XXth century significantly differs from its western model. USSR’s victory in World War Two played a key role here. In 1946 in western world begins the final stage of modernism - abstract expressionism, and in the middle of 1960s pop art ideas of postmodernism evolve, whereas in the Soviet area positions of socialistic realism are still firmly established. Thus, we get a strik- ing difference: totalitarian art in fascist Germany and its satellites lasted for about 12 years (1933-1945), while in Soviet Union for more than half a century (1932 – mid 1980s). It was this crucial distinction that determined the features of “Ukrainian way” in art processes of the XXth century. Lasting isolation from the world does not presuppose insignificance of Ukrainian art. The important evidence of this is the phenomenal achievements of Ukrainian avant-garde of pre-Soviet period and times of “Ukrainization” in 1920s. Representatives of Ukrainian avant-garde (O.Arhypenko, O.Bohomazov, D.Burlyuk, O.Ekster, V.Yermylov, V.Kandynskyy, K.Malevych, V.Tatlin, etc.) over some period of time were thought to belong to Russian culture. Not long ago the world learnt that most prominent artists representing avant-garde come from Ukraine. This funda- mental question was fully clarified during the presentation of the project “Cross- roads: UkrainianModernism1910s – 1930s” in Chicago and NewYork (2006-2007). Spiritual rise of Ukrainian modern art was followed by the period of severe repressions. A great number of artists had to emigrate trying to escape from perse- cution. Owing to this, quite a few outstanding examples of Ukrainian modern art were saved. Centres of artistic intelligentsia, which were scattered all over the world, greatly supported the development of nonconformism and revival of 1980s-1990s. Socialist realism predominated in Ukrainian art for more than half a century. Its ideologists manipulated the notions “old” and “new”, tried to give the history the reverse motion and turn it to realism of the end of the XIXth century. Official Soviet art levelled the variety of forms of artistic expression and oppressed creative per- sonalities. The dominant role of socialist realism was supported by pressure meth- ods, that is why the use of term “totalitarian art” seems quite reasonable. Long existence of Ukraine in conditions of Russian isolation engendered huge time gap between modern achievements at the beginning of the XXth century and the attempts to modernize the artistic environment during last decades. This gap highlights the necessity to erect particular “time bridges”. The creative work of the Sixtiers, nonconformists and emigrants became the important “support” and “connecting link” in this global theoretical construction. During the formation of the independent country the revival of Ukrainian art covers three main tendencies: renovation of pages from ancient and new history that were lost in the course of historic cataclysms; recognition of creative achieve-