Features of ukrainian baroque and people’s art in the Khreshchatyk facades’ decoration in Kyiv

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the decoration of the facades and stylistic features of Khreschatyk Street in Kiev. The author hypothesized that Khreschatyk is the only ensemble of this period that combines national traditions, a harmonious combination of architecture with landscape and the pathos of Soviet architecture of the Stalin period. The elements of the Ukrainian Baroque are used in the decoration of the facades of the buildings, which distinguishes it from the neoclassical ensembles of 40-50 years of other countries.

Khreshchatyk was built as a result of several rounds of the competition and formed in accordance with a clear plan and in a very short time, but with full preservation of the old buildings and use of national artistic traditions. Finally, Khreshchatyk and its integral component - the Independence Square - became the scene of a radical impact on the course of Ukrainian and European history as a whole and contributed to the nation's identity during the 2004 and 2013 protests. who have made an outstanding contribution to the development of world history, culture and science. These criteria determine its universal value, which makes it possible to recommend this ensemble for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Khreschatyk building became a prominent feature in the development of Ukrainian architecture. Remaining one of the most striking works of the so-called "totalitarian architecture", Khreshchatyk is at the same time for Ukrainians a national symbol of victory for the people, a favorite public space. The ideas embedded in the Khreshchatyk reconstruction project remain relevant today. It became a unique example of the transformation of the scale of a provincial city into a European capital, like Vienna or Paris. The size and nature of its buildings brilliantly take into account the size of the central thoroughfare, which at the same time corresponds to the metropolitan scale and preserves the lyricality and humanity inherent in this city.

At the same time, Khreschatyk architecture, which relied on national and baroque traditions of Ukrainian architecture, which was impossible in the period of Stalinist totalitarianism, carried with it a hidden protest and contributed to the formation of national identity