Significant contribution of women to Ukrainian exlibris heritage

Abstract

Exlibris, which gained significant popularity in the 20^th century, disrupted the dominance of conventional phenomena and established forms of art. Its flourishing in Ukraine, as well as graphic art in general, was associated with the affirmation of a new worldview and the development of modern style ideas. A new generation of artists emerged, shaping the paths of artistic development and aiming to bring high art closer to everyday life. Graphic art, being the closest of the visual arts to human life, attracted the thoughts and efforts of creators of the new art. Among the representatives of national revival in the genre of exlibris, the creativity of Modest Sosenko, Olena Kulchytska, Georgiy Narbut, Pavlo Kovzhun, Yaroslava Muzyka, Olena Sakhnovska, Mykhailo Osinchuk, Petro Kholodny, Mykola Butovych, Stefaniya Hebus-Baranetska, and others is noteworthy. As we can see, women began to play a significant role in this genre, actively participating in exhibitions, the formation, and development of professional education in Lviv. The significance of individual creative personalities is often greater than that of certain artistic movements or trends. In the spirit of the new demands of the time, female artists from Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Uzhgorod, Sumy. Creating bookplates for artists is a process that is both easy and incredibly challenging. It is easy because it does not require special tools and a lot of space. However, it is challenging because it is essential to have the necessary information about the character and preferences of the person for whom the exlibris is created: to know their habits, interests, be familiar with their library, and so on. Today, the exlibris is not what it was yesterday; already in the 1970^s, it gradually lost its purely bibliophilic purpose, acquires independent value, and its connection with the book becomes more associative and diverse. This becomes evident with the application of deep print techniques in the production of bookplates, which impart vividness and diversity to the narrative. Replacing the graphics, resolved with black and white spots, lines, and strokes, demonstrating the conciseness of thought, comes enthusiasm for strokes widely used in etching and intaglio graphics. This leads to the pictorial quality of engravings, characteristic of the art of engraving. Examples of this can be seen in the engravings of Nadia Ponomarenko and other artists who use the term “exlibris” as an addition to their graphic compositions.

            The article highlights the diverse activities of women from different regions of Ukraine who not only actively worked in the genre of exlibris but also actively participated in public life. Emphasis is placed on their invaluable contribution to the overall cultural development of Ukraine.