Religious genre in the contemporary Ukrainian exlibris: schools, techniques, main characteristics

Abstract

The article outlines the role of religious motives in the Ukrainian bookplate (or ex-libris) in the period of independence of Ukraine from the early 1990s until today. The research provides characteristics of the main aspects of the formation of genre diversity in the new Ukrainian ex-libris, emphasizes the unique role of the religious genre in the small graphic forms, and distinguishes the main categories of religious motives. It is possible to attribute Ukrainian bookplates to a printmaking segment within rigid frames as these works are almost always custom-made. Therefore, the increasing interest in religious motives and promotion of the spiritual genre in the sphere of ex-libris play a pivotal role in the formation of printmaking in modern Ukraine. It did not take long for Ukrainian ex-libris to become one of the favourites at prestigious international contests, a regular exhibition, and a subject of interest to the world's leading collectors. To achieve the aims set in this research, the following methods were applied: chronological method (for the sequential presentation of the studied phenomena), complex method (for their comprehensive analysis), biographical method (for the presentation of basic information about the artistic career of specific authors) and comparative method (for comparing the main features of the individual manner of artists). The analysis was carried out on the material of the creative work of the leading ex-librists of modern Ukraine, working in both xylography and intaglio printing techniques (A. and G. Pugachevsky, K. Antioukhin, R. Agirba, O. Savych, B. Romanov, O. Kryvoruchko, etc.)