Art Appreciation: The Art of Ukraine

The Art of Ukraine celebrates the artistic legacy of Ukraine from the period of Kyvian Rus’ through its place in Imperial Russia under the Tsars, as part of the USSR, and now as an Independent Ukraine. The course will cover: Ukrainian folk art traditions; painting styles; architecture of the Ukrainian Baroque; Ukrainian art as part of the Russian Empire; and at the turn of the 20th Century the Ukrainian Avant-garde as distinct from the Russian Avant-garde; the place of Ukrainian art as part of the Soviet Union, as well as the contemporary art flourishing in an Independent Ukraine.

This course will provide an overview of Ukrainian art, artists, and art movements as distinct from being classified as Russian art, artist, and art movements. From the dawn of modernism and the 1900s to the Soviet period, to post-Soviet times and the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian art and artists are discussed within historical and political contexts as well as how they have contributed to, and interacted with Ukrainian culture and identity. Each session will be filled with rich illustrations of artworks by Ukrainian artists and explore a different art period or movement within the Art of Ukraine.