Art Nouveau Ornament as a Tool of National Representation in the Decorative Art of Ukraine of the Early 20th Century

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the use of the Art Nouveau ornament as a means of national representation in the Ukrainian decorative art of the early 20th century and to determine its artistic, stylistic and symbolic functions. The research methodology is based on the complex application of historical and cultural, art historical, comparative and semiotic methods, which made it possible to trace the genesis of ornamental forms, their stylistic transformation and symbolic load in the context of national and cultural processes of the specified period. The scientific novelty lies in the complex understanding of the Ukrainian Art Nouveau ornament as a tool of national representation, as well as in identifying its role in the formation of the artistic identity of the Ukrainian decorative art of the early 20th century. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was established that the Art Nouveau ornament in the Ukrainian decorative art of the early 20th century performed not only an aesthetic, but also an important cultural and representative function. It has been found that the artists’ appeal to traditional folk ornamental motifs, their stylisation and rethinking in accordance with the artistic principles of modernism became one of the key factors in the formation of a nationally oriented artistic language. It has been proven that the synthesis of European modernist tendencies with local decorative traditions ensured the emergence of an original system of artistic images, in which the ornament acquired symbolic and ideological significance. It has been found that the use of plant, geometric and folklore-symbolic motifs in works of decorative art reflected the artists’ desire to form a national style and cultural self-expression.