ETHNIC INSPIRATIONS IN THE POSTMODERN PAINTING OF THE UKRAINIAN AVANT-GARDE ARTIST OLEKSANDR GREN

Abstract

The article contains a review of the work of the outstanding Podilsk artist of the 20th century – Oleksandr Gren (1898–1983), in whose legacy the accumulated inspirations of the analysis of publications devoted to his work proved that until recently the artist remained outside the attention of art researchers, Gren’s bright and mysterious work was unknown to a wide circle of painting fans. The analysis of publications devoted to his work proved that until recently the artist remained outside the attention of art researchers, Gren’s bright and mysterious work was unknown to a wide circle of art lovers. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to reveal the stylistic and artistic compositional features of the deep, essentially ethnic, postmodernist heritage of the outstanding artist of the 20th century. Research results. The authors turned to hitherto untouched archival materials, conducted interviews with the artist’s contemporaries, carried out photo-fixation, and consulted on the restoration of Gren’s original canvases. A stylistic and artistic-compositional analysis of Gren’s postmodern stylistics was carried out, the characteristic polyphony of the image, the combination of details, elements of theatricality and the sphericity of the location of objects and characters on the canvas were noted. Scientific novelty. For the first time, some archival sources are introduced into scientific circulation, and it is also established that the artist most actively combined avant-garde reminiscences of cubism, futurism, and constructivism in his creative practice. In his works, one can find the inspirations of Supremacism against the background of the general interest of artists in the ethnic folk art of Podillia. Conclusions. As a result, it was possible to prove that Olexander Gren invented a unique figurative language in painting. The artist created his own artistic style on the basis of European and Ukrainian avant-garde concepts with creative techniques inherent only to him, which were based on folk artistic traditions. The harmonious unity of all the mentioned components of the creative process forms a special metaphorical code of the artist, worthy of greater recognition in Ukrainian and world art.