UKRAINIAN ART DURING WAR: KEY TRANSFORMATION TRENDS AND THE NEW ROLE OF THE ARTIST

Abstract

The relevance of this research is determined by the fact that, in the context of Ukraine’s long historical struggle against russian aggression, art acquires key significance as a marker of national identity, a form of resistance, and an archive of collective memory. This highlights the need to analyze the transformation of visual language and the role of the artist during wartime, combining a historical perspective with the analysis of contemporary artistic practices. The purpose of this article is to outline the key trends in the transformation of Ukrainian art under the conditions of war, the struggle for survival, and the preservation of national identity. The study examines the experience of Ukrainian artists within the context of artistic processes shaped by wartime events and analyzes the evolution of their creative practices. Research methods. The research employs historical-cultural and analytical general scientific methods to comprehend the development of Ukrainian art during wartime and its role in shaping national identity. The method of art historical analysis is used to characterize the work of individual artists; the comparative method is applied to compare the experiences of Ukrainian artists of the 20th century and the present day, identifying common and distinctive trends across different historical periods; semiotic and sociocultural methods are used to interpret artistic images and symbols of the wartime era. Results. The study analyzes how the crisis conditions of war influence artistic practices, leading to a deepening of their existential content and a transformation of visual language through the emergence of a new figurative and symbolic system. The phenomenon of the formation of a dual identity of the Ukrainian artist – “I as an artist” and “I as a warrior/fighter” – is examined as a characteristic feature of the Ukrainian cultural process of the 20th and 21st centuries. A tendency is traced whereby art shifts from the aesthetic sphere to the existential one, when the artistic gesture becomes a form of self-preservation, protest, and the formation of cultural memory. The specificity of artistic representation under conditions of emigration is highlighted, along with the main challenges of its development and its “inclusion” in the national context. The study also explores the decolonial vector in the evolution of art, which directly influences the final affirmation of Ukrainian identity. Parallels drawn between the experiences of artists during World War II and those of the present day demonstrate the cyclical nature of history: both then and now, art has functioned as a form of resistance, protest, and preservation of cultural memory. Conclusions. The results of this study reveal the transformation trends that Ukrainian art undergoes in wartime conditions, emphasizing that it emerges not only as a creative practice but also as a tool for survival, protest, and ultimately the assertion of the right to exist. By comparing the experience of the past century with the present, it can be concluded that history is cyclical: both then and now, artists fight, create their art, while Russia systematically destroys them as carriers of Ukrainian culture. This once again underscores the importance of preserving and comprehending artistic heritage as a factor of cultural resistance.