RELIGIOUS THEMES IN SATIRICAL GRAPHICS OF UKRAINE DURING THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR (SINCE 2014)

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the study of religious themes in Ukrainian satirical graphics in the context of socio-political processes during the Russian-Ukrainian war (since 2014). Research Objective: To identify artistic, symbolic, and ideological features of satirical images on religious themes created by Ukrainian caricaturists. Research Methodology: To achieve the goal, a cultural-anthropological approach and a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach were used, including an analytical-synthetic method, art criticism analysis method, comparative method, interpretive method, and sociological analysis method. Scientific Novelty: The study is the first comprehensive analysis of religious themes in Ukrainian satirical graphics during the contemporary Russian-Ukrainian war. Conclusions: The research revealed that satirical images combine artistic expressiveness, symbolism, and ideological sharpness. It was established that artists actively use stylization and grotesque, exaggerating character traits or depicting religious leaders in unusual contexts to emphasize their contradictions. The symbolism of caricatures transforms traditional religious elements, giving them new meanings such as aggression or hypocrisy. The ideological aspect focuses on criticizing the use of religion for political purposes and the detachment of religious leaders from the moral principles they preach. It is emphasized that the works mostly avoid criticizing religion as such, which distinguishes them from Soviet anti-religious graphics and contemporary Western caricatures focused on sociocultural challenges. It was found that author signatures integrated into compositions or placed on images not only confirm copyright and help identify works in a historical context but also reflect the style and uniqueness of each artist, adding a personalized character to the works. The research results demonstrate the universality of the artistic techniques used, as their content, especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, remains understandable even to foreign viewers with a different cultural background.