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11 leon Painting in the Ukrainę 15

ICONOGRAPHY OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE EASTERN UKRAINĘ

Eastem Ukrainę was affected by the influence of European graphic art to a far smaller extent than western Ukrainę; changes are discemible only in the manner of composing scenes. The Arabian traveller Paul of Aleppo, in his description of the Petchersk Monastery (the Kievan Caves Monastery) and other Kievan Orthodox churches, includes detailed information on the interior fiimishings, describing the multi-figure wali compositions and iconostasis. In his description of the wallpaintings ofthe Uspenski Soborin the Petchersk Monastery, Paul of Aleppo writes of “a painted tree on whose branches sit the saints”.²³ This image recalls the illustrations of church dignitaries or kings on early 16th century prints.

Numerous fires and wars have resulted in the almost complete destruction of the town. The church in Berestov, destroyed in 1640-43, was rebuilt on the initiative of Peter Mohyla (Movila) along with new paintings. As an inscription over the entrance states - these were executed by masters of Athos. Interestingly, a portrait of Peter Mohyla in the church seems to have been painted in a manner resembling that of a baroąue portrait with Polish influences.²⁴

Dutch graphic art played an important role in the development of illustrative wood engravings in the printing house of the Petchersk Monastery^2S, which willingly absorbed new treatments of Biblical themes. The largest venture of the Pechersk publishers was an attempt to print the so-called Litseva Biblia, for which Illya, an artist known only by his first name, executed about 133 woodcuts. These were based on Dutch originals adapted to Orthodox church reąuirements²⁶, and were in part later included in two editions of the Spiritual Sword of 1666 and the Wreath of Christ of 1688. However, not all the woodcuts of the Bibie edition were by Illya; some were monogrammed “KZ” others “TP” - Timofey Petrovich. Another artist using the monogram “TT” was active in monastic circles, and was the first to draw on the woodcuts of German artists: an apocalyptic vision of St. John from the 1624 edition of “Repast” seems to recall in composition tlie prints of Albrecht Diirer. This subject of apocalyptic visions was popular in the 16th century graphic art and common in the Catholic editions published in Cracow and Lvov. However Durer’s motifs in Orthodox interpretation appeared in the Balkans in the 16th century, but reached the Ukrainę only in the 17th century.

²¹ G. A. Murkos, Puteshesthie antiokhijskago patriarkha, II, Moskva 1896, p 47.

*⁴ The State Historical and Museum of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Photoalbum, K ev 1984, il. 47.

²⁵    Prints created by artists from Pietcherskaia Lavra in Kiev often recall western European or Polish graphics. This was a natural conseąuence of the character of the monastery and the Academy Iocated there, which followed a Latin model based on Polish concepts. Cf. R. Łużny, The Kiew Mohyla Akademy in Relation to Polish culture, Harward Ukrainian Studies, VIII, 19 4 1-2, p. 123-135; W. Deluga, Les publications en langues polonaises et latine a Kiev au XVIIe s, Solanus. International Journal for Russian & East European Bibliographic, Library & Publishing Studies, IX, 1995, p. 30-48.

²⁶    D. Rovinski, Podrobnyi slovar russkikh graverov, I, Sankt Petersburg 1895, p. 345.