The Royal Academy of Art- In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s: Part One
In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s is a significant exhibition held at The Royal Academy of Art, London (29 June - 13 October 2024). This is the most comprehensive UK exhibition to date about modern art in Ukraine exploring 65 works, from oil paintings and sketches to collage and theatre. The works came primarily from the collections of the National Art Museum of Ukraine and the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine.1
The territory of Ukraine had been divided between various empires for centuries, but periods of sovereignty in the country’s history contributed to the development of a distinct identity which, in the nineteenth century, became consolidated into a national consciousness advocated by artists and thinkers. Such a complex history produced a particular cultural profile, born from the fusion of Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and Jewish communities.2
Modernism in Ukraine unfolded against a complicated sociopolitical backdrop: the First World War, the collapse of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, the revolutions of 1917, the independence of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1918–21) and the subsequent absorption of the Ukrainian lands by the Soviet Union. Yet despite such political turmoil, this became a period of true flourishing in the Ukrainian arts. 2
The first group of artists we will look at were grouped in the exhibition under the rubric Cubo-Futurism.
At the turn of the twentieth century, when the Ukrainian lands were divided between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, no Ukrainian city was allowed to have its own art academy. This compelled aspiring artists to move elsewhere to complete their studies.Those from Russia-controlled Ukraine initially graduated mainly from the Imperial Academy
in St Petersburg, but increasingly their focus shifted to European capitals, such as Munich and Paris.2
Please note: The Ukrainian spelling of the artist's name has been used. Also where possible I have provided in the caption under the images a link (shown in green text) to extra information on the artist.
Inspired by the radical trends they encountered in these cities, young artists from Ukraine began experimenting with a new visual language that combined elements of Cubism, with its geometrisation and fragmentation of the picture plane, and Futurism, characterised by vehement energy and movement. 2
The exhibition then moved onto showcasing works associated with Theatre Design.
In the late 1910s, Ukraine witnessed a revolution in theatre productions thanks to the combined talents of experimental writers, directors and stage designers. This transformation took place against the backdrop of Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty: the proclamation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1917–18) and the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917–21) fought against, amongst others, the invading Russian Bolsheviks, who sought to integrate Ukraine into their Soviet state.2
Two names stand out as catalysts of this revolutionary shift in theatre: Alexandra Exter (as see above in the first set of images) and Les Kurbas. Exter’s pioneering theatre designs translated Cubist and Futurist principles into scenography. In 1918, she opened a private studio in Kyiv with a separate course on stage design.2
Among Alexandra Exter's students were some of the most acclaimed theatre designers of the next generation including Anatol Petrytskyi as shown below...
...and also Oleksandr Khvostenko (below).
The Central Gallery of the exhibition featured works from the Kultur Lige (the Cultural League), an organisation founded in Kyiv in 1918 to
promote the development of contemporary Jewish–Yiddish culture. It operated within a unique sociopolitical context shaped by the independent Ukrainian People’s Republic, led by the short-lived government of the Central Rada (Council) that recognised the multicultural and multilingual nature of Ukraine’s society. Despite these efforts, multiple vying parties in the Ukrainian War of Independence perpetrated violent pogroms against Jewish communities during the years 1918–21.2
The Kultur Lige’s art section united young Jewish artists from Kyiv and many other cities. They sought a synthesis of Jewish artistic tradition with the achievements of the European avant-garde. The Kultur Lige ceased to exist by the mid1920s following growing pressure from the Soviet regime.2
Follow the bookmark link below if you would like to read more about the involvement of Jewish artists in the art that made Ukraine.
Susan Gray
You can read more about the In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s exhibition by following the bookmark link below and I highly recommend that if you have time you download from this site the large print guide which gives a detailed description of background information about this period in art history.
I'll be back in a few days on Part Two of the post bringing you In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s.
Credits
1. royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/eye-of-the-storm
2. Gallery labels from In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900-1930s plus information provided in the large print guide, Royal Academy of Art, London