Artistic Means and Technology of the Kyiv-Lavra of the Caves’ Drawings in the XVIIIth Century

Author

Veremeyenko Taras

a Ph.D. candidate at the NASU M. Rylskyi IASFE. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6753-9583

Artistic Means and Technology of the Kyiv-Lavra of the Caves’ Drawings in the XVIIIth Century

Abstract

 The article, based on analysing the preserved images in the so called kuzhbushky (Kunstbuch-collections), sheds light upon the origin of the Kyiv-Lavra drawings, their source base, as well as the process of the icon-painting workshop functioning. The purpose of the article is to consider the state of historiographical elaboration of the topic, the source base, the history of the icon-painting workshop, and to publish some new Kyiv-Lavra drawings. The author intends to analyse the latter’s authorship and style too. It can be conductive to finding out the names of paint pigments, colours, and translating them into modern Ukrainian. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity, along with induction and deduction, as well as historical-comparative, linguistic and iconological methods. Scientific novelty consists in the author’s investigating some new, hitherto unexplored aspects of history of the Kyiv-Lavra icon-painting workshop, its chiefs and students. A string of the Kyiv-Lavra drawings until quite recently unpublished are now analysed and introduced into science by the article’s author. The scholar translates into modern Ukrainian the old names of yet unexplored paint pigments and colours. It is ascertained that every Kyiv-Lavra drawing is singular and has an exceptionally Ukrainian spirit. Conclusions. The submitted findings demonstrate, that the Kyiv-Lavra icon-painting workshop taught people the art of icons and mural painting.  There was a certain freedom of interpretations of religious subjects via countenancing Ukrainian traditions, however solely in the Christian style. We can observe a significant influence of the Ukrainian Baroque. All now published drawings are unique. There were certain confidants being eligible to buy paint pigments for the Kyiv-Lavra. Imported paints were highly valued by teachers and masters. Occasionally, these paints could serve as a means of paying salaries. Names of pigments and substances were borrowed mostly from Western languages. Some types of paints sometimes served as certain marks on drawings indicating which colour was to be painted. Drawings could be considered mainly as sketches rather than just exercises, that is, ordinary student works. Therefore, we should keep on researching this unique art school at the monastery of worldwide significance.

Keywords

Kyiv-Lavra of the Caves, Kyiv, icon-painting, workshop, drawing, kuzhbushky, art.

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