Changes in the Research Methodology of Contemporary Ukrainian Art: Representation of Femininity

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Pages: 35-42
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/CJQF5839

Abstract:

The article discusses the shift from the methodology of the Soviet totalitarian period in Ukrainian art history to the modern methods that are more appropriate for the interpretation of contemporary Ukrainian art. The analysis showed that, during the Soviet period, art and art history in Ukraine were under strict ideological and political control. Art history and criticism were widely used as a means of ideological propaganda, and therefore art studies could not fully represent and interpret art. A considerable part of the art phenomena was ignored by researchers due to the hierarchy of trends and genres of art established in the USSR; art historians had to assess the “validity” of an artwork or an artist according to the official ideology. The variety of methods and research instruments was limited and insufficient for the research of contemporary Ukrainian art, including feminist art. The creative work of the Ukrainian female artist Alina Kopytsa is shown as an example in order to demonstrate the expedience of modern approaches, which are still not common for Ukrainian art history. Thus, a wider range of methods and approaches is regarded as the means to develop an effective methodological background, and to provide a better understanding of contemporary Ukrainian art.

Keywords:

methodology; Soviet art history; Ukrainian art; feminist art; contemporary art

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