Academicism in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Mural Painting the Late 19th and Early 21st Centuries

Modern academic mural painting in the Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, dating from 2018–2022, has been attributed to artists under Oleksandr Pashkovskyi's supervision, revealing its genesis through historical and art analysis. The study introduces previously uncirculated compositions, identifies key artists' roles, and compares late 19th–early 20th century murals with contemporary ones, noting shared iconographic and coloristic principles while highlighting stylistic evolution. New murals, created using mixed techniques (oil for holy images, acrylic for ornaments), cite archival compositions but adapt them to modern contexts, maintaining themes like the Theotokos and the Last Judgment. The research also revives the 19th-century painting system in restored fragments, contributing to the understanding of academicism's continuity in sacral culture.

Bardik, M. (2023). Academicism in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Mural Painting the Late 19th and Early 21st Centuries. National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts Herald, (4). https://doi.org/10.32461/2226-3209.4.2023.293722