The archetype of the father in the art of William Kurelek: typology and semantic connotations

Abstract

Purpose of the article: It is necessary to study the archetype of the Father as one of the foundations of national

and personal-psychological self-awareness in the work of the Canadian-Ukrainian artist William Kurelek. Through this context, we can analyze the typology of archetypal images of the Father as semantic modules that illustrate parental- synovial interactions in the polynomial emigrant Canadian society. Methodology: General scientific and interdisciplinary research methods were used for solving the tasks: analysis, synthesis, formalization and the comparative method. Using the method of extrapolation, which is based on the assumption that the pattern of development of the object in the past will remain unchanged for a certain time and in the future, we characterize the natural "inherited" through the generations and behavioral patterns of father-son relationships that William Kurelek portrayed in his picturesque works. The scientific novelty: In the context of artistic research of William Kurelek‘s work, we have for the first time introduced the problem of the archetype of the Father as an integral part of the semantic art model of the artist, analyzing different approaches to the interpretation of the parental image. Results: Based on the analysis of the artist's works, as well as his theoretical reflections, the general principles, and modifications of the father's archetype are revealed. In the article, we first outlined the typology of father's images based on the analysis of paintings: the image of a narcissistic rebellion, a person with a landlessness complex, the image of brother-destruction,  a romantic vision of prosperity, an ironic satire, and a national melancholy.