Author
Khodak Iryna
a Ph.D. in Art Studies, research fellow of the Department of Fine, Decorative and Applied Arts of M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8397-4115
Baroque Iconostases of Eastern Podillya: the Main Structural Types
Abstract
The iconostases of Eastern Podillya remain a little-known phenomenon that has been ignored by researchers of sacred art, with the exception of Oleh Sydor. The purpose of the article is to analyze and systematize the Eastern Podillya Baroque iconostases (based on the material of Vinnytsia region) by the types of constructions. The analysis of the preserved sacral ensembles and photographs of the lost ones gave reasons to identify four main groups of architectural structures. The monuments of the first group had a strictly horizontal layout of tiers, and the central vertical division was accentuated by larger elements and richer wooden carvings. In the second group, a gradual scale increase toward the centre is observed, starting, as a rule, from the Festival tier. For this purpose several methods were used: cornice bending above the deacon’s doors; placing above the nave row (between the deacon’s doors) an additional tier, mostly of Pentecost Sunday, or a decorative carved or painted panel, etc. Characteristic of the next type is the arched arrangement of the icons of the upper tiers of the middle part, starting from the Festival row. Finally, the fourth group comprises iconostases with creases symmetrical to the central axis, with the tiers in such ensembles being arranged on the same level or in stepwise order. The iconostases of the first three types had a straight line in the plan (alternatively, the side wings were wrapped around the log cabin walls), while the monuments of the fourth type had a broken (zigzag) line. Considering the limited amount of visual material involved, further research prospects depend on the discovery of new sources (iconostases, photographs or sketches), the study of which will allow verifying the conclusions made.
Keywords
Eastern Podillya, church, iconostasis, Baroque, architectural construction, tier, icon, carving.
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